"Pat Macrander kept her composure for as long as she could.
At her moment of greatest joy, the Sioux City mother of two sons in the armed services recalled her moment of greatest dread.
Macrander and her husband Terry were set to pick up their son on July 25, 2007, in Waterloo, Iowa. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Macrander, 25, was returning from 22 months in Iraq. At 5:30 a.m., Macrander received a call from Baghdad. Her 21-year-old son, Army Spec. Mark Macrander, was coming out of surgery after being hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) while on patrol.
'It was the longest four-and-a-half-hour drive of my life,' she said as tears welled up in her eyes and then coursed down her cheeks. 'I was absolutely numb.'
She wiped the tears with the side of her hand, put forth a brave smile and said: 'It would have been wonderful to call a Blue Star mom. It would have made all the difference.'"
Blue Star Mothers of America Inc. have sons and daughters who are serving or have served on active duty in one of the nation's military services. In 1942 hundreds of mothers of servicemen met in Flint, Mich., in response to a newspaper ad to initiate such a support group. That year the organization was reported on the Congressional record and Iowa was one of the charter states.
The Blue Star mothers provide support for one another when their sons and daughters are serving abroad, Macrander said."If you have never had a son or daughter in the military," she said, "you can't imagine what we go through."
Macrander had never heard of Blue Star Mothers until her own mother saw a newspaper article about the efforts of Jean Strunk of Knoxville, Iowa, the organization's president for the state of Iowa."I looked it up on the Internet and wrote to Jean the first part of July," Macrander said. "I found out she had two sons in the military and her husband was a retired serviceman."
"We're hoping to have enough moms to have five chapters in Iowa -- ones serving Northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast and central Iowa," she said.With a son as a member of the Iowa Army National Guard, Macrander said there is a support group available to her locally."The challenge occurred when Jonathan, who was with the 133rd Cav., was attached to the unit out of Waterloo in September of 2005," she said. "Then, my local support was gone."Family, and especially friends who don't have children serving in the armed forces, sometimes can't grasp the emotional turmoil, Macrander said.
"With another Blue Star mom, I can rant and rave and cry and know I that individual will not take what I say personally," she said. "They understand and they don't judge. The camaraderie is there."Membership dues are $10 a year.
Members receive a flag emblazoned with a blue star. The Macranders proudly display theirs in the window of their northside home.In addition to supporting one another, Blue Star mothers will participate in veterans' or Memorial Day services. They help with funerals when mothers receive the Gold Star banner signifying the loss of a son or daughter while he or she was serving in the military service, Macrander said, and will deliver the banner to the family.
"I remember driving up to a farmhouse and there was a flag on every fence post and then one flying in the yard at half staff," she said of one such delivery. "The pride that family had displayed in the midst of their loss was just overwhelming. I had to sit in the car for the longest time."
Want to know more?The Blue Star Mothers of America will have an informational meeting from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday at the American Legion Hall, 1501 Geneva St.For more information, call president Jean Strunk in Knoxville, Iowa, at (641) 828-2196 or e-mail her at twobluestarmother@yahoo.com or visit the organization's Web site at http://www.bluestarmothers.org/.
Sioux City Journal: Volunteer works to reinvigorate Blue Star Mothers:
At her moment of greatest joy, the Sioux City mother of two sons in the armed services recalled her moment of greatest dread.
Macrander and her husband Terry were set to pick up their son on July 25, 2007, in Waterloo, Iowa. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Macrander, 25, was returning from 22 months in Iraq. At 5:30 a.m., Macrander received a call from Baghdad. Her 21-year-old son, Army Spec. Mark Macrander, was coming out of surgery after being hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) while on patrol.
'It was the longest four-and-a-half-hour drive of my life,' she said as tears welled up in her eyes and then coursed down her cheeks. 'I was absolutely numb.'
She wiped the tears with the side of her hand, put forth a brave smile and said: 'It would have been wonderful to call a Blue Star mom. It would have made all the difference.'"
Blue Star Mothers of America Inc. have sons and daughters who are serving or have served on active duty in one of the nation's military services. In 1942 hundreds of mothers of servicemen met in Flint, Mich., in response to a newspaper ad to initiate such a support group. That year the organization was reported on the Congressional record and Iowa was one of the charter states.
The Blue Star mothers provide support for one another when their sons and daughters are serving abroad, Macrander said."If you have never had a son or daughter in the military," she said, "you can't imagine what we go through."
Macrander had never heard of Blue Star Mothers until her own mother saw a newspaper article about the efforts of Jean Strunk of Knoxville, Iowa, the organization's president for the state of Iowa."I looked it up on the Internet and wrote to Jean the first part of July," Macrander said. "I found out she had two sons in the military and her husband was a retired serviceman."
"We're hoping to have enough moms to have five chapters in Iowa -- ones serving Northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast and central Iowa," she said.With a son as a member of the Iowa Army National Guard, Macrander said there is a support group available to her locally."The challenge occurred when Jonathan, who was with the 133rd Cav., was attached to the unit out of Waterloo in September of 2005," she said. "Then, my local support was gone."Family, and especially friends who don't have children serving in the armed forces, sometimes can't grasp the emotional turmoil, Macrander said.
"With another Blue Star mom, I can rant and rave and cry and know I that individual will not take what I say personally," she said. "They understand and they don't judge. The camaraderie is there."Membership dues are $10 a year.
Members receive a flag emblazoned with a blue star. The Macranders proudly display theirs in the window of their northside home.In addition to supporting one another, Blue Star mothers will participate in veterans' or Memorial Day services. They help with funerals when mothers receive the Gold Star banner signifying the loss of a son or daughter while he or she was serving in the military service, Macrander said, and will deliver the banner to the family.
"I remember driving up to a farmhouse and there was a flag on every fence post and then one flying in the yard at half staff," she said of one such delivery. "The pride that family had displayed in the midst of their loss was just overwhelming. I had to sit in the car for the longest time."
Want to know more?The Blue Star Mothers of America will have an informational meeting from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday at the American Legion Hall, 1501 Geneva St.For more information, call president Jean Strunk in Knoxville, Iowa, at (641) 828-2196 or e-mail her at twobluestarmother@yahoo.com or visit the organization's Web site at http://www.bluestarmothers.org/.
Sioux City Journal: Volunteer works to reinvigorate Blue Star Mothers:
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