What’s happening in Iran is hitting me back home here in Oceanside.
In 2023, my Marine Corps son deployed. One day his ship suddenly rerouted toward a conflict hotspot, and his time away from home was extended indefinitely. I went in panic mode. When I didn’t hear from him for three weeks, my heart broke; it was the scariest time.
When he finally regained communication, he shared that morale had dipped very low onboard.
My heart goes out to the service members who have been deployed suddenly, for months already, right in harm’s way. Any time our country uses military force, it comes at a cost, both to service members “down range” and to their families way back home. That cost is measured in missed birthdays, canceled reunions and enough heartache to fill a lifetime.
We’re looking to our leaders to find an off-ramp to this mess soon.
— Shalena Critchlow, Oceanside