When President Bush officially declared an end to the war about a month ago, Angela Gonzales was relieved. Her husband, Sgt. Maj. Michael Gonzales, is in Iraq.
"Looking back now, I see it was a false sense of security. I felt they were safer. Things were changing," she said.
Gonzales expected the end of the war to bring peace, but that has not happened yet after hearing about the death of nine servicemembers.
"The fears for his safety have all resurfaced," she said.
Gonzales is not going through this alone. Angela Person's son is also in Iraq.
Person had not heard from her son since before the war started. He is a scouter with the 3rd Infantry Division and was just able to call home Tuesday.
"He feels like it's more dangerous now than it was then," she said.
With so many soldiers returning home, Person said there is less support and that makes her uneasy.
"They have to be more defensive because they don't have all the soldiers there protecting them," she said.
Gonzales and Person said they have no firm date on when their loved ones will return home.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
