Military family
Mom thankful to be American living in Naperville
The military has always been a part of Tori Tabin’s life. Born in Turkey, Tabin grew up as the daughter of a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. She married West Point graduate and 2nd Lt. Jerry Tabin, whose father and grandfather both served in the military.
But that doesn't make it any easier for the Naperville mom.
Tori and Jerry's son Patrick, a fourth-generation member of the Army, is deployed in Afghanistan.
"I've been an Army brat, an Army wife and an Army mom," said Tori Tabin, 51. "By far, the Army mom is the hardest role. Your motherly instincts take over, and you want to protect your son, and he is protecting you. That is the hardest part."
There are many Naperville families who have loved ones serving overseas. Jerry Tabin, 52, said living in a residential community can sometimes be difficult for those left behind.
"When you live on a post, and it deploys, everybody there is together," said Jerry Tabin, who retired from the Army in 1996, "so the support structure is there. Here, when someone has a spouse or child who gets called up, most of the people around them don't even know. It's even harder for them because they don't have that support structure."
Tori said last week's news of a helicopter crash in Afghanistan was a perfect example.
"The first thing you hear on the news is 'soldiers were killed in Afghanistan,'" she said. "We don't live in a military community where the word goes out quickly, so I search the news channels or get on the computer until I know something. As soon as I heard 'western Afghanistan,' I selfishly felt relieved, knowing that Patrick is not in that area."
The Naperville couple agrees that having a military background has been an advantage in coping with their son's absence.
Jerry Tabin finds comfort in his own military experience.
"It becomes a family," said Jerry, about the camaraderie that exists in the military. "I have worked for and with some of the finest soldiers, the finest people I could ever imagine. I trust that Patrick has had the best training, and if he has to be somewhere, I couldn't expect he would be with a better group of people."
For now, the Tabins communicate with Patrick when they can, and care for his 3-year-old German shepherd until he returns. They are proud of their son, and other brave men and women who serve their country.
"We have so much to be thankful for as Americans," Tori said. "We have so many freedoms."
