Mom, daughter serve together in Iraq

Mom, daughter serve together in Iraq Monday, July 5, 2004 Posted: 9:25 AM EDT (1325 GMT) U.S. Army National Guard Spc. Courtland Ball, left, and her mother, Sgt. Angela Carey, pose in family photos taken at Fort Lee, Virginia. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- In a pinch, Angela Carey could order her daughter back to her bunker. For instance, in case of a mortar attack. Both serve with the 39th Infantry Brigade in Iraq: Sgt. Angela Carey is a front-line medic. Her daughter, 19-year-old Spc. Courtland Ball, is in training. Carey had been in Camp Cooke, north of Baghdad, for about two months when Ball landed there in early June. "I've asked her 'Do you ever have to pull rank?"' said Carey's husband, Dr. Martin Carey. "She says, 'No, no, I'm a mom. But I always could if I needed to."' Relatives left behind in Little Rock say being together has made a difficult situation easier for mother and daughter. It's a first in a combat zone for both. "They're happy. They're not happy about being over there in the situation, but they're happy they've got somebody there to lean on," said Carey's daughter Chandra Albright, 21. Jeremy Ball, Courtland's husband, said his wife relies on her mother for support. "Her mom just being over there is pretty much the only way she can make it through," he said. "Being able to see her helps more than anyone can imagine." Angela Carey, who has three daughters and a 6-year-old stepson, joined the National Guard nine years ago. The weekend work made her feel she was doing good, her husband said. Martin Carey, an emergency room doctor with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said Ball saw the change in her mother and sought the same for herself. Ball joined the National Guard when she was 17 and a junior in high school. "I think being in the guard gave her grounding, discipline and a belief in herself," he said. "She's a different person. She's grown and matured immensely." Martin Carey said he feels better knowing his wife is helping her daughter adjust to Iraq. "You have such a steep learning curve there. You learn things so fast," he said. Mother and daughter live within walking distance of each other, and often meet to watch movies or eat together. Martin Carey said his wife worries about her daughter in their daily phone conversations. "My wife's a mom and she doesn't want her daughter put in danger," he said. "It may be OK for her to do it, but she doesn't want her daughter put in the same kind of danger."

I got this funny email today. "Hillbilly Marine"

Dear Ma and Pa:
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before maybe all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you till noon, when you get fed again.

It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route" marches, which the Platoon Sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it is not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

The country is nice, but awful flat. The Sergeant is like a
schoolteacher. He nags some. The Capt. is like the school board. Majors and Colonels just ride around and
frown. They don't bother you none. This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals
for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move. And it ain't
shooting at you, like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You
don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. He joined up the same time as me. But I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and weighs near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
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Your loving daughter, Gail

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