By Angela Marshall
A veteran of the first Gulf War, Paul grew up in Rockville Centre and is now raising a growing family here. He and wife, Linda, have two sons as well, Paul, 8, and Patrick, 5.
Paul's brother, George, is expected to be deployed to Kuwait in a few weeks.
It is a stressful time for the family. They have found solace in prayer and community support. "It's just been absolutely tremendous," said Paul and George's mother, Ronny Wolfrom, of the support they have received from family and friends.
This is the second time Ronny and her husband, Paul Sr., have watched Paul Jr., 39, and George, 30, leave for war. Paul Jr. was 27 when he fought the Iraqis the first time, and George was just 18 when he enlisted in the Marines 12 years ago.
The brothers have long since completed their military tours and moved on to successful careers, Paul Jr. as director of equity trading for BBVA Securities and George as a New York City police officer in the Fifth Precinct. Then came the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Both were asked to return to service and, compelled by the same patriotism that led them to join the first time, they did.
"We're terribly proud of them and all of the people that are over there," said Paul Sr., who served in the Marines from 1955 to 1959.
Paul Jr. is company commander of the 6th Com Battalion from Amityville. As of Sunday, he was stationed at Camp Commando in Kuwait, but, his father said, that can "change in a blink." The family tracks Paul's progress through e-mails.
E-mails from the front are precious. And sporadic. When it comes, the e-mailed information is quickly shared among the members of the large family. In addition to Paul Jr. and George, the Wolfroms have six other children.
George, a staff sergeant with a Garden City infantry unit, is stationed with the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. George, who is single and lives in Forest Hills, is expected to leave for Kuwait in a matter of weeks, his father said.
Before Paul Jr. left, he and his father had many talks about war and the possible consequences of his going. The two came away from these discussions knowing one sure thing: "What [the U.S. is] doing, we believe very strongly, is going to make the world a better place for everybody," Paul Sr. said.
That was reason enough for Paul Jr. to leave behind a baby he's never seen and two young sons and go to war.
Paul Sr. understands that others do not feel the same way, and he said he respects their rights to protest. But he hopes that they will join him in praying "for all the folks that are over there."
During the Gulf War, the Wolfroms started a support group for the families of those serving in the conflict. They met at their South Forest Avenue home on Sunday afternoons to talk and share letters. The family is thinking of restarting the group again. "It was just comforting," Paul Sr. said.
When asked how his daughter-in-law, Linda, is doing, Paul Sr. said, "Terrific. She's doing a remarkable job."
They are all doing fine, Paul Sr. said, thanks to the support of their community and friends, but they hope the war ends soon.
