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Far away, but close at heart

Dec-23-2007 » Filed Under: 4/2 SBCT , Homefront

Families of 4/2 SBCT soldiers are featured in the following story.

BILL HUTCHENS; The News Tribune

[...] Eva Hart is taking care of her 10-year-old granddaughter, Arianna Hart, while Arianna’s dad (and Eva’s son), Staff Sgt. Ben Hart, a Stryker soldier, is serving in Iraq.

Ben Hart is with the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and isn’t as easy to get in touch with as Jim DeLapp. Eva and Arianna have gone as long as a month without hearing from him, but Eva said he is generally able to get through about once every two weeks.

“It’s very sporadic,” Eva said. “He pays a friend to use his cell phone. As long as he can, he talks to his daughter. When he’s able to call, he tries to call her to wake her up in the morning and tell her to have a good day.”

Arianna’s mother is “out of the picture,” Eva said.

Ben Hart left for Iraq on Easter Sunday this year, and is due for some R&R at the end of February.

“It’s been hard because I don’t have too much adult contact,” Eva said. “I don’t really know anybody in my son’s company.”

They have big plans for February. Ben’s birthday falls midmonth, after Arianna’s January birthday. Arianna said the two of them plan to do some adventuring.

“We might go out to dinner,” Arianna said. “But he’s also going to take me rock-wall climbing.”

She said she fell in love with the sport at a Fort Lewis event she attended with her father. Eva will treat her and her friends to a rock-climbing party for her birthday, and then Ben and his daughter will go rock climbing in February.

Eva said her son doesn’t describe much of what’s going on around him in Iraq.

“He doesn’t discuss it, and he doesn’t tell me really what’s going on there because I might get concerned,” she said. “He doesn’t want me to worry.”

[...]


Comments For "Far away, but close at heart":

My prayers for Arianna and Ben...God will bless you with riches that can not be compared with money. Eva you have "stepped up to the plate" and will be richly blessed with memories that gold could not replace.
Ben, thank you for keeping complete strangers safe.
Merry Christmas!
Sincerely,
Linda

Posted by: Linda, Stryker Momj [TypeKey Profile Page] | December 23, 2007 9:43 PM

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