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Mary Wrobel-Egesdal |
Mary Wrobel-Egesdal had less than three weeks notice before she had to leave her home in Shakopee, Minn., and deploy to Kabul, Afghanistan, as a Navy Reservist.
“I had only recently enlisted and had just returned from six months of basic training,” she said. “My family was not expecting a deployment so soon.”
Egesdal’s next few weeks were hectic as she prepared for her deployment. By the time she arrived in Afghanistan, she was glad to have a VFW Operation Uplink™ phone card to tie up loose ends.
“I found out that my insurance company of 10 years would not cover my home if I left the country for a year,” she said. “I had to switch policies over the phone.”
Thankfully, Egesdal worked things out, and she could use her remaining phone time to talk to her husband and 16-year-old son.
“My husband has been great during this deployment!” she said. “We spent every minute together before I left getting ready. He has been tremendously encouraging, especially when I felt like I wouldn’t be ready to leave this country for a year!
“I don’t want my son to worry, and I think about him a lot,” she continued. “He’s busy all the time at his age, but he has a cell phone, so we’re still able to talk.”
Egesdal is grateful for the support from veterans who have helped her family through deployment.
“I’ll be a veteran, and it makes me proud to know I will join a great group of people,” she said. “I’ve seen VFW involvement in my hometown, and I look forward to being a part of it.”
When Egesdal returns home, she’ll spend some time visiting historic, small towns in Minnesota and fishing with her husband and son.
“I’d do anything to be with my family, so I’ve told them I’ll spend more time in the boat and even in the ice fishing house,” she said. “My son would absolutely love that, and I can’t wait!” | 
