By Cindy J. Roth
Craig wears a very different uniform these days. The East Rockaway woman talks with the spirit of a proud mother, one of a Marine who was just shipped off to fight in the war in Iraq. While she beams with pride, she fights the cracking of her voice and tears that appear ready to pour out.
Craig, 18, a Marine Corps reservist who graduated from Kellenberg Memorial High School last June and was 3 1/2 weeks into his first semester at Hofstra, was called to active duty last weekend and is now stationed in Kuwait City.
"It was such a last-minute decision," said Clarice. "We didn't know if he was going to go over." The notice came while Clarice and her husband, Thomas, were on a visit to the North Carolina military base where Craig's Garden City reserve unit, 76693, part of the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, 81st Platoon Weapons Company, was shipped on March 12.
Craig's orders say he will be gone a year, although Clarice doesn't doubt that it might be longer. "It's a scary thing for some, but we're all still kind of numb," she said of her family, which includes two other children, Corinne, 21, and Christopher, 13. "I can't imagine the weeks turning into months, months into years."
The Smiths don't actually know where Craig is right now because it takes up to three weeks for him to receive mail. The family last heard from him when he arrived in Germany earlier this week. "I went to church the next day and prayed like a lunatic," said Clarice, who looks forward to getting Craig's first letter and reading his opinions on the war. "I don't know what he will have to do there. Some things are just better not knowing."
Having family serve in the armed forces is something Clarice knows well. Four of her brothers served at one point, three in Vietnam. Seeing Craig dressed in his military uniform for the first time was somewhat eerie for her. "The first time I saw Craig in his full dress blues he looked just like my brother," she said. Clarice's brother, Philip Campbell, died during an accident while in training with the Air Force. "He had his hat pulled down just like Philip wore it."
Clarice has no regrets about signing the papers that allowed Craig to enlist, since he was only 17 at the time. While Craig was in boot camp, he wrote a letter to his parents thanking them for signing the papers, and told them that no matter what happens, they should never regret that they did. "It's definitely a calling for him," said Clarice. "Everything in his room, his wall, is cut-outs about the Marine Corps."
Christopher said he is proud of his brother, adding that he may join the military when he's old enough. Craig even told him that he would train him when he gets home. Clarice said Craig's absence from the house has been rough on Christopher, since the two boys share a bedroom. "He has to lay in a room at night and look at an empty bed," she said.
The Smith house has many miniature flags in various rooms and a Blue Star flag hung on the front door, which signifies that they have a family member serving in the armed forces. The trees in their yard are also wrapped in yellow ribbons. Clarice is hopeful that more stores and local residents will put up ribbons and signs to show their support for local troops and families who have members serving in the war.
"In North Carolina, every home, store and trailer has yellow ribbons and signs supporting the troops," she said. "You don't see that here. It's not a big thing to hang a ribbon just to show support, regardless of your views on war."
