Jen McCoy/Daily Register
Chloe Hudson, 6, smiles at her father, Ryan, on Tuesday as he asks for a kiss. Hudson will be in Iraq until 2010, and leaves this Friday for training.

Four-year-old Olivia Hudson created a special "night-night prayer" she will recite until 2010, when her father returns home to Portage.

"Dear God, please keep my Papa safe. Amen," Olivia said. "Papa is going to Iraq."

"It's very far away," said sister Chloe, 6.

Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Hudson, of the 32nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, headquartered in Wausau, has orders to leave home Friday for training in Florida. Hudson then will be deployed to Iraq this summer with 3,500 other soldiers in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

"I have a family history all the way back to the Revolutionary War," Hudson, 33, said. "So it's family heritage, and it was also paying for school."

Hudson has been with the Wisconsin Army National Guard since he was 17, so his daughters are used to him being gone, according to Kris, Hudson's wife. The family moved from Madison to Portage in 2002.

"He comes home every other weekend, or sometimes once a month," Kris, 36, said.

"It's lonely," Hudson said.

To help explain why their father is leaving for an extended amount of time, the girls watched a video sent by the military produced by Sesame Street. In the show, Elmo's father is being deployed, and through singing with other puppets, Elmo understands that his father is going away to "help people."

Since the girls will not be able to hug their father when needed, they have special teddy bears that will get squeezed when necessary.

"There's definitely a huge risk (being deployed), and that's scary. It's been difficult figuring out what to tell the kids," Kris said. "They have no sense that he's in danger, and no real sense of time. We have told them that he won't be here for the next birthday or Halloween."

The family knew in December 2007 about the deployment, which will be a first for Hudson, who is career military. He joined the Wisconsin Army National part-time at 17, and then became a full-time employee in administration at 24.

"This last year, I have been a little in denial about it, so it's just starting to sink in. I probably internalize it," Kris said. "We have had awhile to digest this, which is almost too long to wait for the inevitable."

Hudson said that he is anxious about the deployment, and just wants to get to Iraq and then back home. As a human resources sergeant, Hudson probably will be in an office, but he is "a soldier first," and could be in the field if called on.

"I'm a little bit afraid of the unknown. Until you have orders in hand about where you're going, everything is just rumors. We have learned that hoping and wishing wastes a lot of energy," Hudson said.

Reaching out

Feeling isolated, Kris said she hopes to make connections with other local military families for mutual support between adults and children.

Pastor Tom Countryman, of Portage United Methodist Church, said that parishioners have stepped up to be a touchstone for Kris. The family attends the church, and Hudson was blessed by other members Sunday for his safe return.

"From my standpoint, I want to help Kris and Ryan, but I don't want to stop there. We don't know who the (military) families are yet, and I would love to be a part of something that positively impacts other people's lives," Countryman said. "Regardless of how people feel about the politics of war, we need to help those people who put themselves on the line for us."

Countryman said that the Hudson family initiated a food pantry at the church a few months ago, and that they are "very valuable and now it's our chance to step up."

Ideas for assisting Kris are baby-sitting, making meals, prayer vigils, carpentry work for the house and plumbing - all offered by church members.

Chloe promised to help her mother out by taking on more chores.

"I'm going to clean the kitty litter for Snowball, Rocco and Pumpkin," Chloe said.

Kris's daughters, two dogs and three cats will keep her company while her husband is gone, she said.

"Every time I go away, I come back to another pet," Hudson said with a laugh.

"No more pets, I promise," Kris said.

Robin Kvalo, principal for Rusch Elementary School, sent out a districtwide e-mail to administrators seeking other children who may be affected by the deployment, but no word yet. Chloe attends kindergarten at Rusch.

"About three or four years ago, we had a family where the mom and dad went off to war, but we haven't had any recently, so this will be another first," Kvalo said. "At this point, I don't think we have a handle on how many kids will be affected by this deployment."

Staff will be sensitive to such children, Kvalo said, and counseling is always available for the students. At Caledonia Elementary School there is a brother and sister whose mother was deployed, Kvalo said, and the class has corresponded with her and used a bulletin board to map her journey. Col. Donna Williams was deployed last January, and is scheduled to return within a month.

"I'm hoping that Chloe's class can adopt Ryan and send him packages and letters ... make Chloe feel special in that way," Kris said. "They line up for mail over there. We're also hoping for some donations of calling cards because it's expensive to call home."

Hudson is quick to note that he is just one person in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

"There are 3,500 soldiers going out the door. I'm not unique," Hudson said. "I have a friend whose wife and two children are all leaving, so he might need some extra friends."

Coming home

Hudson said the Army has been more aware recently of suicide prevention, post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury of veterans.

"I hope for the best physically and mentally. Things I am always reading in the Army newspapers are about soldiers coming home, used to driving 50 to 70 miles an hour through a town, and getting in an accident," Hudson said.

Kris said she is nervous about who Hudson will be when he returns.

"The Army is paying more attention to the mental aspects, but I don't know who I am going to get back home. I don't know what to expect, how it will affect us, the kids," Kris said.

Hudson said that he will read and take college courses to keep focused.

"I want to make the most out of it, and if I keep myself intellectually challenged, hopefully it will help my transition home," Hudson said.

The couple are loving and playful with each other. Hudson tries to startle his wife on occasion, Kris said.

"He pours cold water over the shower curtain when I'm in there, or I'll come around a corner and he'll try to scare me," Kris said.

When Kris needs to feel closer to Hudson, she has an idea on hand.

"I'll probably wear one of his sweatshirts," Kris said.

"One of my Green Bay Packers sweatshirts," Hudson said.

jmccoy@capitalnewspapers.com

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