Michael George called up to serve with Marines in Iraq.
By:Alec Moore
Among the thousands of soldiers and military personnel fighting and contributing to the war against Iraq is Manville resident and U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Michael George.
The 38-year-old reservist and Gulf War veteran was called to active duty in January and deployed to Kuwait in February.
Sgt. George, who has been a part of the USMC for 20 years, initially as a full-time enlistee and now as a reservist, was on the verge of retiring from the military prior to recently being called to duty. In being deployed to fight in Iraq, he leaves behind his wife, Dianne, their two sons and one daughter, ages 10, 4 and 7, respectively.
Sgt. George, who normally works full time as an automotive technician for a Somerville-based car dealership, is the family’s sole wage-earner. Although the dealership has offered to cover any medical expenses that may arise for the family, the family must make ends meet on his less-than-usual military pay until he returns home.
"It’s been tough since the war started," said Ms. George, referring to her concerns for her husband’s safety.
She generally tries to avoid watching televised news reports of the war, but does tune in occasionally to stay abreast of what’s happening.
"I do try to watch now and then, but when I hear that a Marine has been killed I stay in the house glued to the TV until I know what happened," she said.
Ms. George preferred not to go into detail regarding her thoughts on the conflict with Iraq but emphasized that she has faith in President George W. Bush and America’s military leaders.
She added that her husband believes strongly that the war with Iraq is one that must be fought today, lest today’s children have to take up arms and fight sometime in the future.
"Before he left he told me that he wants to go over there now so that our son doesn’t have to go finish the job 10 years from now," she said. "I don’t like war in general, but I trust the president and his judgment."
Despite the distance between Sgt. George and his family, Ms. George says her husband is thinking of his family and writes frequently. A baseball and football coach with the Manville Youth Athletic League, he is sharing baseball tips with his older son, who is very saddened by the fact that his father will not be home when the season starts.
"Especially now they’re starting to miss him," said Ms. George. "Baseball season is starting and our son wants his father to be here with him," she continued. "Our daughter is getting ready for her Communion also and she’s disappointed that her daddy won’t be there for her."
Sgt. and Ms. George were wed on the eve of his deployment to Iraq for the first Gulf War. The couple had initially planned to marry in February 1991, but pushed their wedding date up and canceled all plans for a formal wedding so they could be married prior to his deployment.
"We got married the night before he left," said Ms. George. "It was a very small ceremony, just our parents and the church."
Although Ms. George and her children are stretched thin living on what she receives from the military for her husband’s service, she has not made any requests for assistance, but said she very much appreciates all the support she has received from the community.
"Our friends have been so supportive and I’ve gotten calls from so many people who want to help, even people we’ve never met," she said.
The Manville Police Department’s Police Benevolent Association donated a $500 check to Ms. George to help the family stay on its feet financially until her husband returns home. The PBA is holding a collection drive for the George family. Anyone who wishes to contribute should do so by calling Manville PBA President Ronald Gazaway at the Police Department at 725-1900.
"We became aware of their situation through the police chief and we wanted to do what we could to help," said Officer Gazaway.
Last Tuesday, CCD students from Sacred Heart Parish, where the Georges are parishioners, made signs to show their support for American troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and all over the globe. For John Snow, a Sacred Heart third-grade teacher, the effort was especially meaningful and signs were made in honor of Sgt. George.
"Mike is a friend of mine. I know the family, so this is very personal to me that we do this," said Mr. Snow, who coaches with Sgt. George in the Manville Youth Athletic League.
"I’m just trying to reinforce the fact that regardless of what our feelings are on the war we should all support our troops," he said. "The George family are our parishioners and as parishioners we’re one big family so we should support (the George family) as much as we can."