Spouses say heartfelt goodbyes

Resslin' Around by Casey Ressler

Next week, a lot of hearts will be broken for Mat-Su residents, as many families will be saying goodbye to loved ones as they head for Iraq, deployed out of Fort Richardson in Anchorage.

If readers haven't started following the &#8220Homefront” column of Tiffany Horvath, they've been missing some fantastic writing.

Each Sunday, Horvath, a 1992 Wasilla High School graduate, writes a Frontiersman column (which can be found on Page B3 in this edition) about what it's like being the wife of a soldier.

Up until this week, the column has focused on getting ready to say goodbye to her husband, Andrew. Sadly, Tiffany and her two young children will get one last hug from their husband and daddy on Wednesday, because on Thursday, the year-long deployment begins.

Tiffany's column is a must-read every Sunday, and I encourage readers to share in her family's story. She's been gracious to open up her life to us, and her writing truly comes from the heart. There's no doubt readers will feel tears well up in their eyes and their hearts will feel heavy after this week's column.

With two young children at home and a teenage step-daughter, Tiffany represents many Valley residents. People will find a little bit of themselves in Tiffany's column. I don't have a personal tie to the military, but I am a parent, and I can't imagine the heartbreak Tiffany and her family are feeling these days, knowing that daddy is leaving for Iraq, with no return date set in stone.

Tiffany is one of many spouses coping with the deployments, and while she writes about her family's experience every week, for every column, there are hundreds of similar stories that aren't found on these pages, and that's an important thing to remember. Starting next week, there will be lots of kids whose daddies are thousands of miles away.

For them, there won't be bedtime stories read to them by their dads (and in some cases, moms), no hugs before school, no dinnertime conversations.

In my subdivision, we have several neighbors who are in the U.S. Air Force. They too are getting ready to deploy, and their families are preparing for a long stretch of time when uncertainty fills every moment.

Valley residents have always been there to lend a helping hand to our friends and neighbors, and that's been true since deployments began a few years ago. We're getting used to being there for families who have loved ones in the military, serving thousands of miles away in harm's way.

In this week's column, Tiffany sums it up best when she writes, &#8220Support or opposition for the war is moot at this point - they are going.”

We can take that lead and continue to show our support for both the soldiers being deployed and their families here at home.

The Valley is home to many military families, and a strong group of veterans who have gone through what many families are currently experiencing.

We all should be proud of what they're doing, and we should be behind them 100 percent, regardless of our views on the war.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@

frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. You can reach him at 352-2265.