Published: July 06, 2008 12:23 pm            

Son goes to war, mom goes to work

Local Blue Star Mothers chapter receives charter

DUNCAN — When Pfc. Joe McCormick was deployed by the U.S. Army to Afghanistan last year with his outfit, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 1st Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, his mother, GayLynn McCormick of Duncan knew she would worry about him. Instead of dwelling on her own concerns, however, she reached out to other people going through the same thing and helped to organize a local support group for military families.

Joe — now Sgt. Joe McCormick — will complete his assignment in Afghanistan in August, and will return to his previous duty station in Italy. His mother has more time to serve, however — as president of the Chisholm Trail Blue Star Mothers of America Chapter 16, chartered Nov. 10, 2007.

Military lifestyle wasn’t new to GayLynn McCormick. She served in the Air Force for four years right out of high school.

“He’s been pretty up front with me,” McCormick said just before her son deployed. “From the very beginning, we knew he would go where God wanted him. We hold very tight to our faith. Our church family is very supportive, and our minister, Brad McCoy is very patriotic. We will be pretty surrounded with support,” she said. “I was a little apprehensive at first, but they’ve done a great job of training him for the job he has to do.”

A parent can feel really alone when a son or daughter is deployed, McCormick said. That’s why she was interested in forming a local chapter of Blue Star Mothers of America Inc. It’s a group of mothers, fathers, family and friends reaching out to support the troops and each other.

The Blue Star Mothers was formed in Flint, Mich., in February of 1942. Chapters quickly spread to Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, Iowa and Washington. Mothers volunteered throughout the tough times of World War II, working in hospitals, train stations, packing care packages for the soldiers and were a working part of homeland security during the war. Although membership waned through the years, it was held together by mothers showing pride in both their children and country. Recently, the group has begun to grow in strength again. The 9-11 attack that inspired Joe McCormick to enlist once again started mothers hanging flags in their windows at home, proclaiming their pride in the fact that they have children protecting the nation’s freedom during wartime.

The organization not only provides support for active-duty personnel and their families, but it also promotes patriotism and assists veterans’ organizations. Members are still available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts to help the country remain strong.

The local chapter began meeting at Tanglewood Bible Fellowship, and quickly had to seek larger quarters. The group now meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at Jonny’s at Oak Tree.

“It’s open to everybody that wants to come and help,” McCormick said. “We send care packages and share ideas for help and support. Moms are so excited and want to do everything they can to help.

“Recently, a mom whose son had received orders but had not yet been deployed attended one of our meetings. She was in an early grieving process. In us, she said she ‘found a group of ladies that knew her heart.’ As soon as we met her and heard her concerns, we said, “We’ve got a mom that needs a hug!’” McCormick said.

The organization is not limited to military mothers, however. The organization now has 16 moms, six associate members and three fathers. The dads supply the muscle when it comes to filling and shipping the care packages, McCormick said.

“They’re always available when we call them. They’re right there,” she said.

Chapter members planned to participate in the Marlow Fourth of July parade, and to set up a booth at the celebration in Redbud Park to sell raffle tickets for an afghan. They won first place with their float in last year’s Veterans Day parade and also participated in Memorial Day ceremonies at the Duncan Veterans of Foreign Wars post and the Comanche Cemetery.

“We all cried. It was so emotional, listening to veterans of other wars tell about some of the same things our children are experiencing now,” McCormick said.

Other officers of the group include Kathy Robertson, first vice president; Deborah Brack, second vice president; Carolyn Trostle, third vice president; Deborah Morgan, secretary; Gayla Luna, financial secretary; Pat Fleming, treasurer; Debbie Mitchell, sergeant-at-arms; and Debbie Johnson, patriotic instructor.

The group is seeking addresses of military personnel that desire letters and packages. For security reasons, mail can no longer be sent to just “Any Soldier,” but must be directed to a specific person at a specific address.

“We know there are more families than just us with sons and daughters who are deployed. We want to help as many as we can. We hope to send Christmas packages at least three to four weeks before Christmas. Thanksgiving is actually our target. Anyone who would like to contribute snacks, toiletries and other permitted items is welcome to call us. We can send boxes Priority Mail at $8.95 per box with no weight limit. Postage is expensive, but AmVets has helped us with previous mailings, and we really appreciated it,” she said.

The organization will soon run out of storage space for donated items and will outgrow its meeting space, so if anyone in the community has any ideas to share, the group welcomes them, too, she said.

In addition to the support meetings and care packages, the chapter can present a Gold Star banner to mothers of fallen soldiers.

“We can go wherever they want us to — to the home, to the funeral, wherever they need us,” McCormick said. “We also have a resource guide available to help answer questions families might have. If we don’t have an answer, our national and state presidents can help us find one.”

For information, call McCormick at 580-656-0307 or visit the Oklahoma section of the Web site at www.bluestarmothers.org.

        

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