Help
| QUOTE |
| Eldridge, who is assigned to the West Virginia State Police Princeton Detachment, was activated for duty on Feb. 24, and is now laboring in northern Iraq to train the new citizen police force as a member of the 156th Military Police Detachment based in Logan. |
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...id=346229&rfi=6
PRINCETON - As U.S. forces struggle to restore stability to a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, Trooper David C. Eldridge is among those soldiers working to train the new Iraqi police force.
Eldridge, who is assigned to the West Virginia State Police Princeton Detachment, was activated for duty on Feb. 24, and is now laboring in northern Iraq to train the new citizen police force as a member of the 156th Military Police Detachment based in Logan.
"Where he is at, it is still very unstable," David's wife Heather of Princeton said. "He tries to call once a week. The unit has a satellite phone, but they are limited in their use. That unit is heavily made up of police officers. I would say probably 85 to 90 percent of the unit is police officers."
With the continued instability in Iraq and almost daily attacks on the American forces, the training of the new citizen police force
is critical. However, the woman is ready for her husband to return home as soon as possible.
"I would hope he would be home tomorrow," Heather said. "He is OK, but he never would have dreamed that he would ever have been in the hot spot that he is now over there."
It is difficult for the couple's children, McKenzie, 3, and Lauryn, 5, to understand the historic mission their father is fulfilling in the liberation of Iraq.
"You don't know how difficult it is - especially when you have kids," she said. "They ask about him every day. They know another part of him is a soldier. I just tell them daddy will be home soon, and try to get away from the other questions. The 5-year-old and 3-year-old can ask some pretty amazing questions."
The soldier's friends at home also eagerly await his return.
"Obviously, we are very proud of Dave," Sgt. John Alexander said. "He is a huge part of this detachment. He's been here for probably seven years or more. We just want him to be safe, and we miss him. And I know we have sent him some things over there, and I know there have been several troopers, including myself, who send him e-mails. He's greatly missed at the detachment, and we just want him to come home."
Although activated in February, Eldridge didn't arrive overseas until early May.
"My family and his family from Summersville have helped so much," she said. "There is no way I would be able to get through all of it without them ... The guys at the barrack also have been extremely helpful. They call at least once a week to check on us to see how everything is going."
Although she is eager for her husband to come home, Heather realizes he could remain overseas until early next year.
"His orders are actually for one year, or through next Feb. 23, with the option of possibly being extended another year," she said.
In the meantime, the family tries to avoid continuing media coverage of the attacks against American soldiers in Iraq.
"A lot of what is actually reported I don't like my kids to watch," she said. "They are at the ages where they have tons of questions and don't really understand it. I watch it. It's hard not to watch, but I try not to watch it. Some of the recent stuff has actually happened where he is at."
