As the allied assault on Iraq continues, the extended military family is mobilizing to muster collective strength.
Spouses, children and parents of soldiers are finding solace in support groups that were organized at area Army bases -- Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort George G. Meade in Anne Arundel County -- after the Persian Gulf crisis began last August.
Schools are also trying to be aware of signs of stress among children with a parent, sibling or friend in the Middle East.
"It's basically history in the making," said Col. Robert W. Mortis, deputy commander at the proving ground. "Unfortunately, there's going to be a lot of death associated with this history."
Mortis spoke yesterday to a group of about 75 teachers and administrators from six Harford County schools. He and others from the proving ground were helping the teachers deal with students whose relatives are in the thick of war.
At Edgewood High School, where the talk was held, as many as 70 percent of the 1,000 students have parents who are soldiers or civilians stationed or working at the proving ground, a major Army weapons-testing site and chemical warfare research facility.
Yesterday, students walked the halls at Edgewood High talking of a brother on the front lines or a boyfriend in harm's way. Television newscasts were on in some classrooms. History lessons in real time.
Edgewood High principal Carl Roberts is urging teachers to be open in their discussions of war. One history teacher has been teaching lessons on World War II from the perspective of an infantryman, using diaries of soldiers and other tools.
"He wants them to realize that war is nasty stuff, that war is real," Roberts said.
At both the proving ground and Fort Meade, the military is reaching out to residents of surrounding communities who have loved ones in the Persian Gulf, including people who may not be associated with the Army installations. The installations are offering a wide range of services, from psychiatric counseling to baby-sitting.
"Normal everyday problems become magnified in these circumstances," said Elizabeth Bowman, director of the Army Community Service Center at the proving ground.
Marci Emerson, coordinator of the Family Services Support Office at Fort Meade, said the best thing to come out of the crisis has been the number of people calling to volunteer their services.
