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Woman's gifts allow troops to rest easier

Aug-18-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

Susan Sutter continues her quest to support the soldiers in the Stryker Brigade.

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Pillows for soldiers help cope with son's death

by Jeff Switzer, Journal Reporter

KIRKLAND -- After her son died in Iraq, Susan Sutter was pulled into a demanding world manning a lifeline to troops in the combat zone.

She sees the soldiers overseas as kids, like her son, Sgt. Jake Herring, who was just 21 when he died April 28 after a grenade attack.

``There's probably a big neon sign over me that says `nurturer,''' said Sutter, 47. ``I feel like I have an unspoken responsibility to take care of them and do all I can.

``It makes me feel good I can do that. They're hurting as much as we are.''

Now she's part of a far-flung Eastside network of donation stations and fund raisers, all helping the area's sons and daughters serving in Iraq.

All the while, she continues to heal.

``Some people escape, hide, deal with it, some people sew,'' she said.

Besides coordinating donations, Sutter sews palm-sized pillows filled with lavender, her thoughts on Jake, whose photo, ashes and folded funeral flag is nearby in her bedroom.

``The kids and I talked about that complete 360-degree turn around in one moment,'' she said. ``Your whole day, your daily thoughts, your activities. You hate to say it, but life has new meaning.''

The lavender pillows are for Jake's fellow soldiers, who miss home and fight against fleas.

``I wanted to find a way to help the guys with fleas that was natural,'' Sutter said. ``I made them in basic beige so it wouldn't clash with their uniforms. They may think it's corny, `OH! Girlie lavender!' But it's something that's a reminder that home is just around the corner for these guys.''

Making pillows, creating anything, is a new feeling for Sutter, and shows she's moving beyond the numbness and shock of loss.

Herring, a 2001 graduate of Lake Washington High School, was captain of his high school football team. He enlisted in the Army with two friends and teammates in 2001, four days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Herring's platoon was responding to a report of an improvised explosive device in Tall'Afar on April 27. On the way, the vehicle Herring was in was hit with a hand grenade. Herring was taken to a hospital in Mosul, where he died the next day.

``When soldiers walk in your front door and tell you what happened, you're just going through the initial shock,'' Sutter said.

Sometimes you feel you've progressed, she said. Then there are bad days where the feeling of loss is too strong.

``We are still in the healing process,'' Sutter said of herself and Jake's younger brothers, Joe, 19, and Nick, 15.

A month and a half after Jake died, she sent over her first big batch of donations.

``I stopped looking at me and started looking at them,'' she said. ``It makes you look past yourself.''

The article continues...


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