Lauren Ober / The Citizen
John Simons knew he wanted to be a Marine.
His mother, Mandy, wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea.
But once John heard about Marine life from a cousin who was in the service, nothing could dissuade him from that path. Becoming a Marine was all he talked about.
Before he even graduated from high school, John had enlisted through the delayed entry program. Simons told her son that she didn't want him to go, that she was afraid for him. But he had his mind set.
A week after graduating from Cato-Meridian High School, John packed his stuff and headed to Camp Lejeune, the storied Marine base in North Carolina. There, John learned how to operate and repair weapons for the Marines and took a job as an armorer.
Over Christmas in 2002, Simons asked her son if he thought he was going to get holiday leave for next Christmas. The conversation took a solemn turn when he responded.
"He said 'Mom, I probably won't be around for next Christmas.' From then on, it made me nervous," Simons said.
Shortly after New Year's 2003, John was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Marine Division.
In those early days, Simons was often out of contact with her son.
During his tour in Iraq, John e-mailed his wife, Cindy, often and called his parents when he could. Simons and her husband figured as long as John wrote to somebody, that was enough for them.
"I just kind of developed the feeling that no news is good news," Simons said. "As long as no one was knocking on our door, we were fine."
For the eight months that John served in Iraq, Simons, a bus driver for the Weedsport School District, was on edge. She scoured news reports for word of her son's unit and waited for some confirmation that he was all right.
John told his mother not to worry, that he wouldn't be on the front line because he was just testing and repairing weapons. But she knew he was lying to allay her fears.
"I was very scared and nervous. It was kind of like you just wanted to stick your head in the sand and hope and pray," she said.
Despite all of the anxiety and fretting that followed Simons for those eight months, she truly believes in the necessity of her son's duty, even now after he's been out of the Marines for a little more than a year. She supports the president and the mission and believes the United States' needs to be in Iraq.
"You don't want your kids to go over, but somebody's got to go over there," Simons said. "I don't like war, but the president didn't take us in on a whim."
John has resumed his regular civilian life, living in Meridian with his wife and working as a turkey grower at Plainville Farms. Simons said it took a while for her son's nightmares to subside, and there are still things he doesn't want to talk about.
Though her son is safely back home, Simons knows that there are many soldiers, sons and daughters of her friends and acquaintances, who are not yet out of harm's way. For them, she continues to watch the television reports, knowing she is lucky to have her son home.
"The war's still going on," she said, "and I still worry about the families I know."
His mother, Mandy, wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea.
But once John heard about Marine life from a cousin who was in the service, nothing could dissuade him from that path. Becoming a Marine was all he talked about.
Before he even graduated from high school, John had enlisted through the delayed entry program. Simons told her son that she didn't want him to go, that she was afraid for him. But he had his mind set.
A week after graduating from Cato-Meridian High School, John packed his stuff and headed to Camp Lejeune, the storied Marine base in North Carolina. There, John learned how to operate and repair weapons for the Marines and took a job as an armorer.
Over Christmas in 2002, Simons asked her son if he thought he was going to get holiday leave for next Christmas. The conversation took a solemn turn when he responded.
"He said 'Mom, I probably won't be around for next Christmas.' From then on, it made me nervous," Simons said.
Shortly after New Year's 2003, John was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Marine Division.
In those early days, Simons was often out of contact with her son.
During his tour in Iraq, John e-mailed his wife, Cindy, often and called his parents when he could. Simons and her husband figured as long as John wrote to somebody, that was enough for them.
"I just kind of developed the feeling that no news is good news," Simons said. "As long as no one was knocking on our door, we were fine."
For the eight months that John served in Iraq, Simons, a bus driver for the Weedsport School District, was on edge. She scoured news reports for word of her son's unit and waited for some confirmation that he was all right.
John told his mother not to worry, that he wouldn't be on the front line because he was just testing and repairing weapons. But she knew he was lying to allay her fears.
"I was very scared and nervous. It was kind of like you just wanted to stick your head in the sand and hope and pray," she said.
Despite all of the anxiety and fretting that followed Simons for those eight months, she truly believes in the necessity of her son's duty, even now after he's been out of the Marines for a little more than a year. She supports the president and the mission and believes the United States' needs to be in Iraq.
"You don't want your kids to go over, but somebody's got to go over there," Simons said. "I don't like war, but the president didn't take us in on a whim."
John has resumed his regular civilian life, living in Meridian with his wife and working as a turkey grower at Plainville Farms. Simons said it took a while for her son's nightmares to subside, and there are still things he doesn't want to talk about.
Though her son is safely back home, Simons knows that there are many soldiers, sons and daughters of her friends and acquaintances, who are not yet out of harm's way. For them, she continues to watch the television reports, knowing she is lucky to have her son home.
"The war's still going on," she said, "and I still worry about the families I know."
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