Little things help mom stay connected with son in Iraq

When she found out her son Jason's new personal theme song was Willie Nelson's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," Cathy Henderson immediately added it to her iPod.

"Any little thing that makes us feel connected," she said.

Last week, Henderson received a call from Jason, who is serving in Iraq, saying that his military stay was being extended.

"Three more months of worrying," Henderson said. "You just feel so much safer when they're back on home turf. ... It's an ongoing thing. It never really leaves my mind or my heart.

"He's constantly there and I send what I call 'bullet prayers' all day long that he's safe and he's smart and he's alert and he's watchful."

And Jason wasn't happy to hear the news of having to stay another three months in Iraq, either.

"His reaction was he was disappointed that he was going to miss another Christmas at home," Henderson said.

Jason was scheduled to be home for good by mid-October. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced last week that all active-duty soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will have their standard yearlong tours extended by three months. As of now, Jason is scheduled to return to the U.S. in mid-January.

Even though he will be in Iraq longer than expected, Henderson said her son knows he has the support of his hometown as he told her that he has received "well over 50" e-mails since his e-mails have been published in The Sun. She also said local schools are sending letters to Jason as part of a class project.

"It's just overwhelming; it just never ends," she said. "I think he feels very loved and supported and appreciated ... it just really is awesome."

The next time she'll see her son will be in June when he comes home on military leave, a visit initially scheduled for May, until the extended stay orders were issued.

Cathy Henderson said she keeps a clock at home set to Ramadi, Iraq, time, where Jason is stationed, "so we always know where he's at in his day.

"We think about him; we look at the clock. It's always a big relief for me when I look at the clock and know he's in bed; that's the safest time."

Contact Nick Fawell at nfawell@scn1.com or 630-416-5196.