Soldiering: It’s a family affair

 

2nd Lt. Curtis Tuggle and Sgt. William Bolderson 

D Btry., 1st Bn., 43rd ADA

KUWAIT – A bus belonging to D Battery, 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, was travelling to the battery’s work site one morning during the unit’s first week of deployment. The front-gate airfield guard’s eyes opened wide with excitement when she directed the bus to stop.

This would not be a routine security check. She knew which unit this bus belonged to and she was not going to let it proceed until she got a kiss from one special Soldier. 

“Is Christopher on the bus?” she asked the driver.

Before she could get a verbal response, Spc. Christopher Wolfe had leaned his head out the window and waved for his mother’s attention. In the next minute or so, the woman kissed her son for the first time in about two years. An attempt at a hug was separated by the bus, and they agreed to see each other soon. 

“It’s an exhilarating feeling,” said Christopher, the battery’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear noncommissioned officer in charge, while visiting with his parents at the Zone 6 Morale, Welfare and Recreation building. “Not many Soldiers can say that they have their families with them on a deployment.”

His parents, Glenda and Steven, who have been married since 1984, each come from military backgrounds. Glenda is a Soldier’s daughter and was born at Fort Polk, La. She began working for the Department of Defense in Germany while her husband was stationed there on active duty. She then worked for the Veterans Administration in Georgia after retiring from the Army. After Steven retired, he landed his own job with the DoD, which guaranteed they would be together.

Christopher’s brother, Steven Jr., is also in the Army and deployed with his unit to Iraq shortly after Christopher enlisted. 

In July 2008, Glenda took a job here with installation access, with the intention of being close to one son in Iraq, and the hope of seeing the other. 

Less than three months later, Christopher called his parents with the news: He would be deploying with D Btry., 1-43 ADA, to Kuwait in the spring. 

“When he called me, I cried for joy,” said his mother. “This is my baby, and I was going to be near him again.”

Although Soldiers are unable to leave the base without permission, the Wolfes have made the most of the opportunity to spend time together.

Christopher knows that when this deployment is over, he will say good-bye to his parents and continue on his path.

“It’s sad to say, but after this, it could be another two years before I see them again,” he said. “That’s why this deployment and this time with Delta Battery will always be special to me. When I spend time with my parents, I feel like I am home.”