Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 24, 1993 TAG: 9312280248
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MICHAEL CSOLLANY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SHAWSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
But when she asked him, he discouraged her from buying the portable electronic toy.
``Sand gets in everything,'' Army Specialist Keith Ousley told Tammy over the telephone from his unit's base outside Mogadishu.
Besides, there's nothing that a soldier stationed in Somalia wants more than decent food, he said.
Keith, 21, is one of the approximately 8,000 troops stationed in the African nation. As a combat engineer, he readies an area for other soldiers and armor - by moving obstacles or building trenches, for example.
Tammy, a native of Christiansburg, had been living with her husband and young son at Fort Stewart, Ga., but returned to the New River Valley when he departed in October.
``I came home because it's so depressing down there when they're gone. You see soldiers with their families, and you just wish yours was there,'' she said.
Keith Ousley is not the only New River Valley soldier to have served in Somalia.
Over Thanksgiving, the Giles County town of Narrows gave a homecoming party for Army pilot Dale Shrader, who survived a crash of his helicopter in Mogadishu in September. Three crew members died, but Shrader and his co-pilot managed to shoot their way to safety, although Shrader sustained burns and a broken wrist.
Earlier in December, Pentagon officials said the first wave of a lengthy pullout that will extend through March has begun, but Keith Ousley wasn't among the lucky ones to be home by Christmas.
``On the TV news, they showed some of the troops coming home from Somalia, I guess from Fort Drum, N.Y. Our son kept pointing at the screen saying `Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?''' Tammy said.
She doesn't know when her husband and members of the Charlie Co., 3rd Engineer Battalion, will be coming home, but she's hoping it's soon enough for Keith to witness the birth of their second child.
``He was in Korea when Alex was born. We're hoping that he'll be home by the time this one is born,'' said Tammy, who is six months pregnant.
Keith has encouraged Tammy to keep on with life as usual.
``This year, we picked out our son's toys together,'' Tammy said. ``But now that he's gone, I feel weird giving them to Alex without him around.''
Despite being halfway around the world, the couple has managed to keep in close contact.
They talk about once a week, but for no more than 10 minutes. Telephone connections to Somalia are bad, and calls often don't last even that short time.
Tammy sends him letters, food and music tapes. Her mother - with whom she and Alex live - sent him a small Christmas tree.
Tammy said she doesn't expect any big presents from him, because she knows the stores in Somalia aren't up to par, but that's OK.
The two met at New River Community College in an algebra class. Tammy said it was love at first sight. They were married five months after they started dating. And have been happy, although mostly apart, for 2 years.
Keith is from Carroll County, where his parents still live.
She said she tries not to worry too much about her husband. ``So far I don't think they've been in too many dangerous situations,'' she said. But she's also glad that the soldiers are not allowed to go out after dark.
Since she's not on the base, she misses a weekly briefing on the unit's status, but she thinks that it may be better for her sanity. ``Sometimes, I think it's better to be left in the dark about some of the things they do over there.''
Tammy said she's a little discouraged because the efforts in Somalia are unpopular in this country - often translating into lack of support for the troops. Also, the efforts - which used to be a front-page story every day in the paper - now draw only an occasional mention.
``People have forgotten that they're over there, but I'm reminded everyday,'' she said.
\ If you want to send a New Year's greeting to a soldier in Somalia: you can write to: ``Any Soldier,'' Charlie Company 3rd Engineer Battalion, Unit #0655, CMR #11, APO AE 09896-0655.
by CNB