|
Son's photo will be kept close to Osage military mom
by Bob Link, for the Press-News
Thanks to her in-laws, Spc. Trista Beyer will be able to lay her head down with her young son, even though she's half a world away in the Middle East.
Beyer is a member of the 1133rd Transportation Co. of the Iowa National Guard, serving her first deployment to Kuwait and Iraq.
The unit, which is now the 3368th - a merger of the 1133rd and 1168th Guard units - trained in Texas during November and part of December, then left for the Middle East just before Christmas.
Karen Hughes-Beyer and her husband, Tom, wanted to do something special for their daughter-in-law.
"I was talking to a friend and she mentioned that the soldiers loved getting pillows," said Karen Hughes-Beyer. "The Army issues a travel pillow, which is smaller. She suggested a full-sized pillow and said you can also put a special pillowcase on it."
That's when Hughes-Beyer got the idea.
A picture of Trista Beyer's son, 18-month-old Preston, ran in the Globe Gazette late this fall and Hughes-Beyer had clipped out a copy.
Preston Beyer is with his father, Andy, who also lives in Osage.
The photo was taken by Teresa Prince of the Globe Gazette at Southbridge Mall during the Farm-City Week activities in November.
Trista Beyer was already at the Texas training station when the photo was published.
"I thought we'd put a picture of Preston on the pillowcase," Hughes-Beyer said. "I want her to go to bed at night having the comfort of knowing her son is close."
Hughes-Beyer got permission to use the photo from the Globe Gazette and had it silk screened at Printing Service Inc. in Mason City.
"It turned out fantastic," she said, "I think it's wonderful."
Hughes-Beyer will be sending the pillowcase in a special care package to the family's special soldier soon.
Story created Jan 06, 2009 - 11:13:59 CST.
|
