*Heartache on the home front — Reservists’ families ‘can’t help but worry’
Although it’s only been a few days, it’s been a tough few days, said Jake Draugelis.
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060928/NEWS01/60928006
By Christopher Nagy
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
“We’re not soldiers ourselves. We’re the family of soldiers,” he said. “You can’t help but worry. Every day you have to take five minutes and worry, but you have to be strong for them because they’re being strong.”
On Friday, his older brother, Marine Lance Cpl. Nick Draugelis, a 2003 graduate of Brighton High School, left the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., for a seven-month deployment in Iraq.
Along with Nick Draugelis was Lance Cpl. Ryan Taylor, another 2003 graduate of Brighton High School, the son of Bob and Jan Taylor of Brighton Township.
Both are members of the 1/24 Marines — the 1st Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment, an infantry unit of the Marine Corps Reserves based in Lansing.
A third former Brighton High School student, Markus Hillman, who graduated in 2005, was deployed to Iraq earlier this month.
Ryan and Nick grew up together in the Ridgewood subdivision in Brighton Township. In high school, Ryan was a member of the Brighton varsity football team. Nick played varsity basketball at the school. The pair were virtually inseparable in high school, Jake said.
“As a little brother, I did a lot of tagging along in high school,” Jake said. “They were just a lot of fun. If I wanted a fun Saturday night, I would do whatever my brother was doing — and nine times out of 10, Ryan was there with him.”
Nick signed up as a Marine reservist roughly six months before Ryan. Both were 18 years old when they joined. Ryan, said his father, had wanted to join right out of high school, but his parents wanted him to experience college first, as well as sign up on his own when he turned 18, which would allow him to do so without his parents' approval.
“He’s hugely patriotic,” said Bob Taylor.
“He’s a patriot at heart,” added Jan Taylor. “He believes it’s his duty to serve his country. One of the last things he said to me before he left was, ‘I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.’”
The 1/24 Marines are a unique group. Most come from Michigan, and because they’re reservists, they come from all walks of life.
“They are professionals. These are doctors and lawyers,” said Jan. “A lot of them have families.”
The same could be said of Ryan and Nick.
Right now, both should be attending their senior year of college, with Ryan at Central Michigan University and Nick at Grand Valley State University.
“Both were accepted to college, but they both wanted to go into the reserves,” said Bob. “It wasn’t a case where (the military) was an avenue of desperation.”
However, college has been on hold since last April. Since that time, the pair have been training in the Mojave Desert for the last seven months of their lives. The military training area in California attempts to simulate scenarios to give troops a feel for not only the situations they may experience overseas, but also helps acclimate troops to the customs and culture of the Middle East.
“They want them, when they go overseas, to feel like they’ve been there before,” Jan explained. “It’s so it won’t all be new to them.”
“It’s real-life training,” Bob added.
Ryan, for one, has said he’s ready, according to his parents. That’s not surprising, his father, noted.
“Ryan’s always been pretty strong and very mature,” Bob said. “We’ve always said he has an old soul.”
“He knows his path,” Jan added.
Going overseas is what he’s been working toward since his intensive military training began in the spring.
“He has said it would be like training all season on a football team and then not playing,” Jan said. “Ryan has said to me, ‘Mom, I’ve trained with the best, and I’m ready.’”
Nick is also ready, yet there has still been some natural hesitations, according to his brother.
“I had a lot of talks about this with my brother,” Jake said. “He has mixed feelings. It’s still a war, and he’s nervous.”
And although Ryan has given his parents assurances that’s he’s both willing and ready to serve, assurances can’t stem the tide of innate parental worry. For Jan, speaking about her son’s service can still quickly bring emotions to the surface.
“That’s the scary thing about being a parent,” she said, struggling to hold back tears. “You’re afraid if you say certain things that you’re jeopardizing their safety.”
Still, there is something for each family to hold onto: April 28, the tentative date when Ryan and Nick will come home.
In the Draugelis home, Jake said his mother keeps a tote board on the refrigerator counting down the days.
“I imagine when he does come home, she’s going to be one happy lady,” he said.
For Jan Taylor, the anticipation for that day in April is almost beyond words.
“That’s what keeps me going,” she said. “It will be unbelievable. We rely on our faith, but we still miss him.”