Mar 20, 2003 By Josh Krysak 5 min read

CHALK HILL – Christine Keefer sits comfortably in her Chalk Hill living room, surrounded by pictures of her son Adam, and watches the television news coverage of the opening stages of the United Sates war with Iraq. Her ex-husband Ron and her daughter Mindy also watch intently as coverage of the first wave of attacks unfolds before them.

Next week, Adam will be a part of that operation.

“Right now, I talk to him every day,” Christine said. “He has said that ever since he was a little boy that this is what he wanted to do, and this is what he wanted to do. There was no doubt in his mind.”

Pvt. 1st Class Adam J. Keefer joined the Army right after high school, but through the delayed entry program, he did not report for basic training until last August.

He was assigned to Fort Carson, Colo., in December and two weeks after his arrival he was scheduled for deployment. He has yet to leave.

“He is ready to go. More than anything he is frustrated to wait,” Christine said.

Mindy agreed: “Even today, he was mad that it was starting and he wasn’t there. Once he is over there, I won’t be able to not watch. I heard the explosions and my stomach just sunk.”

The Keefers are not the only local families that feel the anxiety that war can bring. Susan Hileman knows all too well. Her daughter, U.S. Army Spec. Jillian Hileman, stationed with the 106th Battalion, has been in Kuwait for about two months. Susan and her husband, Chuck, said that without the support of family, friends and their faith, they would not be able to get through it.

“I feel she’ll come back. I give God all the glory. It is tough but I give him the glory,” Chuck said. Susan said that prayer has sustained her, and she thinks that the prayers of the nation will sustain the troops and President Bush.

“Right now, I pray for the troops and for Bush daily, and I pray for the men around him,” she said.

Christine Keefer also is sustained by her faith as she awaits that last call from her son before he departs for the Middle East.

“I rely on my faith very strongly, and I think that this is where Adam needs to be. For a while, I felt that anxiety of not knowing, but then I just came to grips with the fact that he is where he is supposed to be,” she said.

Keefer, a combat engineer, will work primarily at constructing bridges and at land mine removal. His father said that his son has been ready for this task for a long time.

“When they asked him what jobs do you qualify for, he said, ‘What do you have in explosives?'” Ron said. “His plan is to be a career solider. He loves the Army. He is the kind of guy that loved summer football camp.”

While the Keefers admit that not talking to Adam every day will be hard to cope with, they are confident that he will return safely and that he is serving his country to the fullest.

“I am very proud of him, and I am very confident in that this is what he wants to do and that there is a purpose in him doing that. I feel very supportive and very proud that he will be over there,” Christine said.

Mindy said that she has learned to appreciate her brother more.

“Now we talk on the phone all the time,” she said. “He’s my brother, and he is two years apart from me and he will grow old with me. He is invincible in my mind.”

While Ron shares his family’s feelings toward Adam, he thinks that even if the conflict is short and “easy,” there will be some aftereffects.

“I am extremely proud of him. I’m not worried for him. If you look at the statistics of the military, there are more people killed in car accidents that in war. My concern is the reality of war,” he said.

While the Hilemans can sympathize with the Keefers, they have had new worries to contemplate, like terrorism and weather conditions.

“Jillian was in a convoy and the trucks were fired at,” Chuck said.

Also, Jillian has been battling ants and scorpions in her tent, as well as sandstorms that have wreaked havoc on her eyes.

Her mother recently sent eye drops along with toilet paper, laundry detergent and toothpaste. She said that she gets calls every day from friends who want to send things for the troops, including prayers.

And, Chuck thinks you can’t give too much to those protecting the nation’s freedom.

“The more prayer you have, the better,” he said. “Jill tells me to keep moving so I don’t get depressed.”