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Squad
possible m cyberspace.
The red balloon
comes home
Chief Petty Officer Dain Anderson, Navy
My husband, Dain, said goodbye to our four kids in 2005, heading
to Iraq. Our son Daimon, then 2, felt lethargic. He had an E. coli
infection and was critically ill. Our son Dawson, just 11 months old, also
came down with the same disease. Thank God they survived! Dain was
distraught at being away and dealing with possibly losing his two boys.
After they both got better, Daimon received a red balloon at a birthday
party. As he left with his Grandma Bev, the balloon flew into the sky. He
was upset, but she said, “Do you think the balloon is going to Iraq to give
Daddy joy?” That made Daimon feel better. We told Dain about this. Two
weeks later, he e-mailed us a beautiful
picture of him holding a red balloon, i
telling us how- happy he was to receive
what his son sent. When Dain returned
home just before Christmas 2006, he
came off the plane carrying a
red balloon. I’ve never
seen such joy in a
child as I saw in W S
Daimon that day. f*+
Kristi Anderson —k JraU
Indianapolis
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A distant puzzle solved
Cmdr. Jeffrey Little, Navy
My husband, Jeff was sent to
Iraq in March 2007, and he
met a contractor in the Green Zone
who had a Rubik’s Cube. The con
tractor gave Jeff some hints to
solve it, and Jeff quickly realized
the Rubik’s Cube would be a great
thing for our family to work on
together while he was deployed.
Jeff went online and ordered two
Rubik’s Cubes for our house and
one for himself. Soon after, my hus
band and our sons, Daniel and
Joshua, e-mailed back and forth.
A vacation
to remember
Lt. William Edenbeck, Navy
William, my husband, is dedi
cated to his country and
' family, and always stays upbeat
When he returned from a recent
deployment in Afghanistan and
Iraq on the USS Dwight D.
Eisenhower, he decided that he
wanted to do something spe
■k dal for our daughter, Riley,
6, so we went to Disney
jjjgM land. The entire time we
were there, he withheld from
us that he had special orders
to return to the Middle East again
on assignment. We never knew. But
at Disneyland, he was “the perfect
dad,” enjoying rides and wearing
Little with his family,
left to right: Daniel,
Joshua and Ravy
sometimes two or three times a
day, exchanging tips. They’re plan
ning to put their secrets online, on
a blog they can do together.
Now that they can solve the cube,
they’re in competition to see who
can solve it the fastest My boys are
down to two minutes. Jeff is close
behind at three minutes. It may
seem like just a piece of plastic, but
for us, the Rubik’s Cube is a bridge
that keeps us connected.
Ravy Little
Jacksonville
tguy
Edenbeck
with Riley
■W
rm jt
the paper crown at the “Princess
Castle.” He left shortly after we
got back home. His passion for his
country and his family amazes me.
Shelly Edenbeck
Port Orchard, Wash.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
USA WEEKEND • June 13-15,2008
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