PFC Eugene Schudlich is missing the firsts.
His first anniversary, his daughter’s first taste of baby food, her first crawl.
‘It’s really sad,? says his wife, Amber Schudlich, 20. ‘He’s going to miss out on first everything pretty much.?
Schudlich, 24, is deployed to Iraq as a Chinook helicopter mechanic in the Army. Serving his country is something he always wanted to do, but Amber says it has been hard for him to miss these things.
Schudlich, a 2000 Brandon High School graduate, joined the Army in October 2004. Amber, originally from Waterford, met him through a friend only a week after he signed the papers.
‘I couldn’t say anything because he’d already joined,? she says. ‘I supported him because it’s always been what he wanted.?
Eugene and Amber Schudlich had their first wedding anniversary on Dec. 28, but spent it apart, with he in Iraq and she here in Michigan with his family (Schudlich’s parents Erich and Denna and brothers Erich, Brandon and Joshua) and their baby.
Daughter Ericka was born July 14. Her daddy left for Iraq just four months later on Nov. 14.
Amber tries to send Schudlich video clips of Ericka learning to crawl, but hasn’t been successful yet. The baby does know her father’s voice, however.
‘Whenever she sees a cell phone, she tries to grab it so she can hear him,? says Amber.
Amber doesn’t watch the news, she says she’d rather hear what’s going on from him and that is how he prefers it, too. In an e-mail, Schudlich wrote advising that the news from Iraq is exaggerated and that things aren’t very bad as far as getting attacked.
‘The fact of the matter is that we are only here to make our presence known right now,? his message reads. ‘We’re not here fighting anymore. So the more (terrorists) realize that we’re not going anywhere the less they will do… Keep cheering for the soliders that are out here and back home just doing their jobs instead of getting mad at them for what is going on over here… Just remember we are over here so that they’re not over there.?
On Jan. 17, Amber and Ericka will return to Ft. Hood, Texas, where their home is and where they hope to see their husband and daddy return before Christmas.