While most families prepare for the Christmas holiday, the McGhee family is savoring memories of a special Thanksgiving.For Army Sgt. 1st Class Lawrence McGhee’s wife, Jennie, and their children, Jaylon, Jenise, Lawrence Jr. and Tamekia, the best Christmas gift they will receive was having him home from the Middle East.
Home on two-week leave from Nasariyah, Iraq, McGhee will say goodbye to family and friends in Sylacauga Dec. 9, and report back to duty.
McGhee, who reported to Fort Bragg, N.C., for a 12-month tour of duty in February, serves with the 171 Area Support Group out of North Carolina.
A member of the Army Reserve since his days as a graduate student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., Lawrence is a soil scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Jennie McGhee is a social worker with the state and a member of the Sylacauga Board of Education.
At Purdue, McGhee fulfilled one of the most important duties of being an American citizen and joined the Army Reserve.
With a father who served in the Navy and two brothers in the military, McGhee's decision to join the Reserve wasn't completely unexpected.
"I always felt like I wanted to contribute something to my country," he said.
The couple eventually moved back to Sylacauga to raise a family and advance their careers. But in February, the calm enveloping their life was shattered.
A short notice to report for duty didn't allow McGhee much time to prepare his loved ones for his departure.
"It was sudden," he said. "I had three days' notice to report to North Carolina when I was called up to be in support of another unit.” His home unit is the 81st Regional Support Command out of Birmingham.
"I was called up on a Saturday and had to be there on a Monday.
"I was not alarmed about going, but the short notice was tough. Fortunately, I was allowed to stay until Wednesday," McGhee said.
Since her husband’s departure, Jennie McGhee said there has been an amazing amount of support shown to the family.
"I'm fortunate to have a great family," she said. "My church family and neighbors have been very supportive."
Having peace of mind in knowing the family is taken care of in their absence is a big comfort to soldiers, McGhee said.
"You don't need additional worries on you in a place like Iraq," he said. "You learn to value who you have. Most soldiers over there I think share the same sentiment."
No college courses or work experience prepared McGhee for the desert environment in southern Iraq. The extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and the desert sand are harsh on equipment and personnel.
Despite environmental adversity, the desert does yield to an occasional oasis.
"Soldiers will never forget how harsh it can be," McGhee said. "You can travel miles and miles and not see a grain of grass. But the desert can be beautiful at sunset or while gazing at the stars at night."
McGhee couldn't comment on his specific mission other than to say he was there to help take care of the soldiers.
The escalation of attacks on coalition troops has heightened the need to stay alert, he said. Keeping a vigilant eye for potential danger is necessary for survival.
"The number one concern is security," McGhee said. "There is a constant threat of someone breaching security and destroying lives and property.
"It is necessary to keep our interests at a level to keep from becoming complacent," he added.
Complacency is not an issue for Jennie McGhee either. Although three of their children are grown, Jaylon, who is 7, requires a significant amount of his mother's attention.
Her career, motherly responsibilities and church participation help to keep her husband's absence off her mind.
"I don't get a lot of time to sit up and think about it," she said. "Jaylon will ask me what's wrong when I'm down, so I have to keep going for him."
Support for McGhee also comes from his unit. Being surrounded by a tight-knit group is vital for his emotional, as well as physical, well-being.
"You're depending on them and they are depending on you," he said. "There are issues happening in other people's lives, and we all have bad days. The strength is in the force."
McGhee's brief time home has provided Jennie McGhee with a different perspective on spending holidays with her husband.
"I told one of the television stations interviewing me that I have a whole different outlook on Thanksgiving since he's been home," she said.
The upcoming Christmas holiday will be McGhee's first spent away from home. For the first time in their relationship, Lawrence and Jennie McGhee won't be spending Christmas together.
"This will be the first time in my 43 years to be away from home during Christmas," he said. "I was talking to a guy the other day who is a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran. He told me, even after all these years, the Christmas day he spent away from his family while in Vietnam is one day he'll never forget."
