Nine yellow ribbons are tied around trees on Matt Medhat’s block. It is easy to spot his Downers Grove house; his mother, Janet, has hung a mother’s war flag in the window. 

Janet put the flag up when her son, a Marine corporal, left for his first deployment to Iraq. Her son is on his second deployment now, and she still is not sure where he is stationed.

Matt turned 21 June 25. As his birthday approached, Janet wanted to send a gift, but there was no news of where her son’s unit was based. So she wrote her son a poem to praise his job well done and encourage him for the times ahead.

“We don’t need a hero,” Janet said. “We just want him to come home.”
Matt always wanted to be in the military, Janet said.

“He’s always been interested in history and formation of the country,” she said.
Janet was not always behind her son’s military aspirations, she said. But that changed once he enlisted.

“The minute he signed up, I switched from unsupportive to supportive,” Janet said.

After training and boot camp, Matt left for his first deployment to Iraq, from September 2005 to April 2006. During his first stint, Matt had one-on-one interaction with Iraqi civilians.

“He said that no matter what we hear, the people over there have been so welcoming,” Janet said.

Matt, Janet added, has even been invited into Iraqi homes for meals. He also got to watch the opening of Iraqi schools.

“He started asking us to send pencils and paper to give the kids,” Jane said. “The kids just loved that.”

His first tour of duty changed Matt for the better, Janet said.

“It’s amazing to hear him reflect,” Janet said. “It’s made the world a smaller place.”

Upon his return, Matt spent time in training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where his unit is based. He left the training with the rank of corporal, the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Marine Corps.

On April 10, Matt left for his military mission. His unit went first to Guam, then to Singapore, to Kuwait for more training, and now to Ramadi in Iraq. 

Matt’s unit will soon move to a remote location. Internet cafes will be set up eventually, but “it will take awhile until they’re able to put that together,” Janet said.

Though she cannot always contact her son, the military can always contact Janet and her family. Through a key volunteer at Camp Pendleton, the family can get news in three ways: through e-mail, a phone call or a visit. An e-mail or phone call means something has happened to the troops, but the family’s soldier is safe. A visit means the opposite.

“The communications from the war zone has been very good,” Janet said. “They realize how important it is for the soldiers to contact their families.”

Janet has no definite date for her son’s return. But she is trying to remain optimistic.

“Matt will be fine,” she said. “He’s so confident, and he knows how proud we are.  I really think he feels he’s making a difference, that it’s not all for nothing.”

A Poem for Matt

These days grow long it seems to me,
as I wait for your return.
I try to work and live my life
with minimal concern.

I know you trained so very hard with
confidence and pride,
but feeling so removed from you
brings sadness I can’t hide.

So many other families have
felt these feelings, too.
I’m not alone by any means
so this is what I’ll do.

The families with nothing
who invite you in for tea.
The Children who are use
to playing soccer in bare feet.

You learned to do without the basic needs
you've always known,
but shared your gifts and treats we
all were sending you from home.

Oh I have seen a change in you
that others may not see.
A purpose in your life that comes
from being a Marine.

The politics may continue
to be challenged years to come,
but I can say with all my heart,
I'm proud of you, my son!