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Military mother of four asks others for understanding

Staff reporter

The life of a single parent is never easy — and keeping the "home fires burning" while a spouse is away, is oftentimes more difficult.

Jenny (Herzet) Christensen is a military wife. Her husband, Jim, is a career army man. During their four-year marriage, Jim has been gone nearly half of it.

"Right after we were married, Jim went to Korea for a year," Jenny explained.

During that time, Jenny and her three sons from a previous marriage, lived in Marion to be closer to her parents, Jim and Janet Herzet.

Upon her husband's return to the U.S., the family moved back to Fort Riley to live.

When the couple was told Jim was going to be sent to Iraq, they decided to make Marion their permanent residence.

Since his Jan. 18 deployment, Jenny has maintained a home and cared for the children.

Jim returned home for a 15-day visit June 8.

"It was great to have him home," beamed Jenny. "The kids really enjoyed seeing him."

But having him home doesn't mean their lives are put on hold.

"It's a re-adjustment each time he returns and leaves," Jenny explained. "I'm used to doing everything and when he comes home it changes our routine. The kids get used to him being here and then he leaves."

The older boys — Kaleb, 8; Calvin, 7; and Corban, 6 — have a better understanding than Kyndal who's not quite two years old.

"The boys understand what he's doing," Jenny said, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Local families don't understand what they're going through, Jenny said, and sometimes children can seem uncaring and cruel with what they say. She added that children and adults should try to have a better understanding of what military families are experiencing.

In an effort to keep optimistic, the family doesn't watch the news on television and they stay active.

"We try to stay as busy as we can to make the time go by faster," Jenny said.

Jim is a supply staff sergeant and is stationed at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Normandy, near Baghdad.

He plans to retire from the military in April 2008, and the family will continue to live in the Marion area.

Jenny currently works at Western Graphics but still has contact with friends at Ft. Riley.

She is part of a support group at the base and has assisted in sending school supplies to children in Iraq.

Jim is expected to return to the U.S. in seven to 12 months.

But for now, when the day is done and the children are in bed, Jenny is proud of her husband and the other soldiers.

"A lot of people don't give the military credit for what they're going through," Jenny said.

"He's doing what he needs to do and I'm here doing what I need to do.

"Our lives don't stop because they're gone," Jenny said.

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