'I thought I would get sick,' Longview mom says
Wednesday, December 22, 2004 8:21 AM PST
By Andre Stepankowsky
Printable version
E-mail this articleWhen she clicked on her computer after rising Tuesday morning, Mary Schlenker received a frightening wake-up call.
"Death toll 24 in attack on Mosul base," the Web page headline read.
Schlenker's daughter, 1995 R.A. Long graduate Laura Ann (Schlenker) Geforos, 28, is serving in the Army Nurse Corps at an Army hospital in Mosul, Iraq.
"Just immediately. ... I thought I was going to get sick," said Schlenker, a Longview resident.
Within a short time, though, she learned through a phone call from Laura's husband, who lives on a military base in Germany, that her daughter is fine, though her unit is dealing with mass casualties at the base hospital in Mosul.
The rocket attack, which struck the al-Ghizlani military camp about three miles south of Mosul, did not hit the base where Laura is stationed, Schlenker said.
By late Tuesday afternoon, Schlenker had not linked up with her daughter by either phone or e-mail. She last saw her daughter about two weeks ago, through a webcam.
"We have real-time conversations. We both type about 100 words a minute," Schlenker said. Her daughter, she said, "looked great" at the time.
However, Tuesday's incident highlights the stresses pressuring U.S. troops and their families, especially during the holidays.
"Laura has been there six months, but the unit has been there a year now. They are falling apart. Some of the people have gained 50 pounds. The food is terrible and the stress is increasing daily. They can't do anything. It is like a prison," Schlenker said.
"They eat, sleep and work. They can't go outside and walk around. It is too dangerous."
The base is on lockdown status, requiring all hands to carry guns and ammo and wear flak vests, Schlenker said.
Her daughter's unit has been expected to be withdrawn from Iraq in January, but as the time gets nearer, "there is rumbling about being held over. ... You can't get your hopes up that you're leaving, and people are feeling so weighed down. And it's Christmas."
Schlenker said fears about her daughter's safety have made the Christmas season hard on her, her husband, Longview Fibre Co. forester Wes Schlenker, and their son Jason, a student at Western State Chiropractic College in Gresham, Ore.
"I have gone through all the motions of putting up the Christmas things. I did it more for the kids. ... It just feels empty. You put it all up and it looks pretty, but it doesn't feel very pretty."
By Laura Schlenker Geforos
For The Daily News
Editor's note: Laura Ann (Schlenker) Geforos, 28, is serving in the Army Nurse Corps at an Army hospital in Mosul, Iraq .Her parents, Mary and Wes Schlenker of Longview, agreed to share their daughter's recent e-mail with our readers. Her message has been edited for length and style.
Stress and coping are interesting animals here.
I have watched as people's stress levels rise and fall with the amount of mortars, gunfire, family crises, deaths of fiends or family members, increases in job-related stresses, roommate troubles, injuries, R&R, and now redeployment.
Some people eat their way through the stresses. Some have gained as much as 50 pounds. While others are so stressed that they can't eat and have lost 30-plus pounds. Some people work out for hours every single day and have bulked up to amazing degrees.
Other people have worked at more social outlets. I personally have found friends that I enjoy and we have a standing date of dinner and movies until people have to go to bed or work (me now that I am on nights). The number of people varies but a few of us are there every day and we keep our morale high. We talk about family problems, work stresses and laugh in the bunkers together. We support each other in our jobs and listen when we need to talk. This seems to work the best for me.
As the stress mounts, you see when people start to crack by their behaviors. Fights break out and there have been cases in other units of people pulling weapons on each other. However, much more common signs and symptoms we see are irritableness, anger, increased sleeping, inability to sleep, and tearfulness.
Odd behaviors really tell you how soldiers are coping. We have had people out walking around in the night through the compound in circles talking to themselves. Some have stopped showering, and people start doing things like sleeping in their flak vests or under their beds. Others will only sleep in their office.
We had a soldier one night come in wearing his nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) mask. We had had a lot of airbursts that day and he had a runny nose. He was convinced that his runny nose was from a chemical attack and he had almost given himself his NBC meds (Intramuscular shots in the leg). Other complaints are more subtle. Headaches, nausea and abdominal pains are the most common.
One of my close friends here is having a really hard time and has finally reached her limit and I have watched her go through all the different behaviors.
Granted, mortars were hitting all day and night at the time (it was during Ramadan), we were wearing our flak vests, and things were tense. Then she was stressed from work things and home problems and was eating a lot of sweets.
I would run into her and try and talk. She was so angry about work and life here and would tear up and say, "I am just done."
Two days ago she came over, sat and talked for quite a while, a first in about two weeks. She was concerned because she was having chest pains. She said she had once had these same pains when life was really stressful but never has it been this bad or lasted this long. She says she is tired all the time, she sleeps but doesn't feel rested when she gets up. She also cries at everything.
Mortars aren't hitting all day now but we are having MASCALs (drills to prepare for overwhelming medical emergencies) about three times a week and we hear gunfire all day. Her mom is really sick at home and is having a major surgery next month. I told her to come in to the EMT and I would run some labs and get her checked out. She didn't come. Finally, tonight she came in; she cried the whole time she was here. Fortunately. the doc was sitting here, he sat and talked to her, put her on some medications and some sleep meds.
I feel blessed because I have good coping skills from my family ... my friends ... my interests, and the fact that I have worked emergency for so long that I have learned to debrief when there is a problem and let it go.
I have a strong supportive family and a loving husband that gives me a sound foundation to stand on and I also know that if I need an outlet and someone to talk to that there are always people there.
On to life here.
I know that everyone wants to hear about Christmas here so let me tell you about what is going on. They have a holiday itinerary.
Much of it I won't be able to attend because I will be working or sleeping but it is there for us to go to. There will be caroling through the LSA (our living quarters), there are holiday meals, We are having Christmas in the EMT with our secret Santas so everyone gets a present and a surprise Christmas morning. I have boxes of surprises thanks to Josh's aunts, so I will stuff stockings while I am working Christmas Eve. We have stockings, garland, Santas, and lights everywhere. There is holiday spirit, but people also are getting really excited about going home.
We are still hoping to go home in January but (word circulated) we may be extended 30-60 days. That is when a lot of people started to crack. We are still doing all our redeployment briefings and physicals like we are going home.
I have heard lots of theories saying we are staying and going, but I figure I will be home when I am hugging Josh. Someone came by and said "I think we are going home." I told them "don't count your chickens before they hatch."
For me it will be so much worse thinking I am going home and then having to stay then thinking I'm staying and getting to go home. I guess it is a half-empty half-full thing but it keeps me sane.
Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope you enjoy each other this holiday. Thanks for being so supportive and I hope you are enjoying the stories.
Hope you have been good, Santa is coming.
Past Month's Most Commented Stories