War isn’t a pleasant experience for soldiers or their families back home. One thing that can make a difference, though, is an effective support system on both sides of the world.

Peaks Island resident Marie Watson knows how important it is to have people to stand behind soldiers because she was once a member of the military herself.

“I was a WAC for two years during the Korean conflict,” Watson explained. “I was a supply sergeant.”

Watson is the mother of five sons and one daughter. Three of her sons have served in the U.S. military.

In February 2004, her son Michael was deployed to Iraq along with the 133rd Battalion.

Michael said he believed strongly in what his battalion was doing in Iraq, but it was not a pleasant place to be.

“I’m trying to put that piece behind me now,” said Michael, who has been home from Iraq for almost a year now.

He was stationed most of the time in Mosul, where he went to help the Iraqis rebuild, after Saddam’s regime was toppled.

“We were getting hit all the time,” he said. “Nowhere we were was a safe place. Walking down the street on your base, you had to find a place to hide real quick, if they decided to mortar you. You were always on your guard, always on edge.”

Back at home, Michael’s mother and the rest of the family were concerned.

“Every day they were mortared. Most of the time we were scared,” recalled Marie. “He has a wife and children. We all prayed a lot and we wore yellow ribbons — we had a lot of support. The wives and the children had counseling available to them both through the city of Portland and the National Guard. The wives themselves have a network.”

“If things are okay at home,” said Michael, “then I can focus on what I need to do here. If everything’s not okay at home, then I have to think, can I do anything from here?”

Michael found that soldiers from other states were surprised when he told them that members of the Guard called to check on his family and to see if there was anything that they could do for them.

“They looked at me with a puzzled look in their eyes,” said Michael, who has been very encouraged by the support that Mainers have shown to the troops overseas.

“When I came back home, it was encouraging to see all of the yellow stickers on the bumpers and people praying for the troops,” shared Michael. “In Maine there’s a lot of outpouring. You don’t see that in some places. It’s all about taking care of each other…”

One of the most difficult times for Michael was the Thanksgiving holiday. He found himself unprepared for the loneliness that engulfed him.

“Thanksgiving was pretty hard on the morale,” shared Michael. “I wasn’t ready for Thanksgiving. I got really homesick.”

“Thanksgiving is one of the best meals that the army puts on. We also ate hot dogs, steaks, crab legs, roasts, fish or chicken. I’d never eaten white cake mix so many different ways — cookies, white cake, marble cake…that’s one thing that I can’t complain about is the food, all except for macaroni and cheese with hot sauce. That was interesting!”

Just a few weeks after Michael ate his Thanksgiving meal in the huge dining tent, the tent was bombed. Two American soldiers, with whom Michael was acquainted, were killed in the bombing.

“We put [emotional] walls up after that and turned inside a little bit,” remembered Michael. “Some of us got hard and cold around Christmas. We all knew the ride’s not over yet…”

Although he had never served in a war zone, Michael had already learned some secrets of coping from being in the military for many years.

“You make a friend and you go see them every day and ask how they’re doing,” shared Michael. “You recognize who needs help and who you can turn to for help. You give and take…”

Michael also found it helpful not to dwell on the uncertainty of his situation and to learn to laugh sometimes, even in the midst of everything that was going on.

“If you dwell on it, it will drive you crazy,” said Michael. “Part of protecting yourself is having a good laugh once a day. That will keep you going.”