?The last week we shared before they went off to war was the week they could become kids again, curious what their own city had to offer and to be with family and friends. We toured the city as if we hadn't lived here our whole lives. The boys wanted to see places that they had visited when they were children, the Art Institute, museum of natural history and the museum of science and industry. We also went to Brookfield Zoo, and Lincoln Park Zoo just like we did when they were children. They had taken all these sites for granted until they knew they might not see them again. I chose to write this story because I want people to know what it feels like to see your sons put in harms way, not knowing what to except. Anytime there was a knock on the door, it would send us all to the window to see who was there before we opened it, most of the time you except the worst thinking that the Marine Corp. was there to inform you that something had happened to your children. The stress, anxiety, fear, the not knowing what’s happening to your children is gut wrenching, not to mention the fact you have to deal with your own struggles while worrying about them. All though they had told me months in advance, I was still not prepared to see them leave. Their favorite saying at the time was “mom, I am going to be fine, don’t worry”. All it took was a word, a song, a phrase or even something on T.V. and I was a mess. In the beginning, I would just wander around and could not concentrate, so nothing ever got done. You learn to take it one day at a time, step by step slowly. Worry sets in, but you know they have been trained for this type of mission. During those months of deployment I seldom watch the news at the time it was the worst possible time for our troops, they were experiencing a lot more killings. A lot more kids losing their lives. I remember one instance when Richard, who had been promoted to Corporal in the Marine Corp, called me b