Treasures from home

September 23, 2004

Maj. Greg Pelts of Cabot carries a security blanket with him wherever he goes.

Seriously.

It’s not his, but his 7-year-old son, Jackson, thought dad might need one more than he does as a first grader.

Pelts beams as he pulls the blue gingham swatch from his pocket. It’s one of his favorite stories to tell.

He carries a prized possession from every member of his family wherever he goes. Each of them picked out what they wanted Pelts to have to remember them by and mailed the items in a package in July.

On the cord around his neck that holds his knife, Pelts has hung a small gold ring sent to him by his wife, Shelly. They bought it in Cozumel, Mexico, on vacation and she wanted it to remind him of her.

As he talks about the ring, Pelts rubs a shiny blue-green rock that he pulled from his left pants pocket. His 11-year-old son Brennan sent him the rock, one of his favorites.

Pelts frequently holds the rock in his hand and rubs it as he thinks.

The security blanket, however, may be his most prized possession just because of the sacrifice it represents.

See, little Jackson never before had parted with his blankie.

For the first six years of his life, Jackson carried it everywhere.

They were like a soldier and his gun — never apart.

Then kindergarten started.

Jackson insisted that he be allowed to take his blankie to school.

The Pelts family went into action. They knew little Jackson would be quickly zeroed in on by schoolyard bullies if he carried his gingham friend to school.

That’s when grandma came to the rescue. Have you ever noticed that grandmothers always know how to fix things?

Anyway, she talked Jackson into letting her alter his blankie so he could discreetly carry it with him, and proceeded to cut it down to about a six-inch square swatch trimmed with a white ribbon.

Jackson folded it up and carried it in his pocket everywhere he went — even kindergarten.

Well, this summer, as Jackson prepared for the world of first grade, he decided his dad needed the blankie more than he did.

Today, it’s never far from Pelts’ side.

Looking around, most soldiers have some sort of a woobie — a treasured item that brings them comfort.

Some have little tokens from home hanging around their neck along with their dog tags. Others carry things like rosary beads from beloved friends in their pockets.

Me?

I have my favorite bracelet. It never leaves my wrist.

These are things that bring home a little closer. All you have to do is reach into your pocket, or around your neck or wrist and there it is ... the normalcy of home.

Posted by Amy at September 23, 2004 04:56 PM