Christmas in Iraq Feeling the love 6,000 miles away

Lori Nickel, Montgomery Messenger

The Christmas holidays-full of fanfare, family traditions and parties-can be a bitter-sweet holiday for many of the U.S. military personnel stationed far from home in Iraq through the season. National Guard Specialist Amie Rudd is one such soldier who will spend the holiday season 6,000 miles from her home, her family, and her new husband.

Amie, 24, daughter of Dale and Debbie Simon, grew up in rural New Prague and attended the New Prague Area Schools. After high school, Amie joined the U.S. National Guard and went to college at St. Cloud State University where she graduated with a degree in social work.

During the summer of 2005, Amie was informed that she was going to be called up for active duty in Iraq. As the date of her deployment approached, her boyfriend, Shawn Rudd of Apple Valley, proposed and they married on Sept. 1, 2005, 17 days before she would leave for six months of training in Mississippi at Camp Shelby and then to war in Iraq.

Amie arrived in Iraq at the end of March, 2006 and has not been home since Christmas last year during her training. She is stationed at Tallil Air Base near An Nasiriyah, Iraq with her unit, HHC, 134th Brigade Support Battalion, 134th Brigade Combat Team. She is a specialist at the air base in human resources and takes care of the administrative and personnel operations.

Amy spends all her time at the air base and she admits, it does not really seem like Christmas.

It feels like Christmas in my room and in our office

Suel Printing Company

Copyright © Suel Printing Company
All Rights Reserved
200 Main St E
New Prague, MN 56071

Phone: 952-758-4435
Fax: 952-758-4135

Latest articles

Thu, 03/28/2024 - 11:40am
Thu, 03/28/2024 - 11:33am
Thu, 03/28/2024 - 10:00am
Tue, 03/26/2024 - 4:12pm

If you would like to receive a FREE digital edition with a paid print subscription please call 952-758-4435.