Mack: A family of patriots

The Crescent-News Veterans Day Salute, November 11, 2011

U.S. Army veteran Chris Mack's three children in military

By JACK PALMER
palmer@crescent-news.com

NEY For rural Ney residents Chris and Gwen Mack, being a military family is second nature. Its hard to explain, said Chris, who served 23 years in the U.S. Army including a combat tour during the first Iraq war in the early 1990s. It has always been a part of our life. We have lived with it. Thats true today more than ever, since three of the couples children are serving the country on active duty. Capt. Jennifer Mack is in the Air Force and brothers Sgt. Joseph Mack and Spc. Michael Mack are in the Army. All are graduates of Fairview High School. All three of them have served combat tours in the Middle East, said Gwen. Joseph just returned from a tour of Afghanistan on Oct. 13, which was his birthday, and Michael is currently deployed there. Jennifer has served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and Joseph served a prior tour of Iraq. Jennifer, currently stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., lauded her parents for their love and support. My dad has always been a hero to me, she said in a phone interview. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I grew up in a military environment and our family is still that way. Mom has supported us all these years. She has sacrificed as much as any of us. A 1997 Fairview alumna, Jennifer earned a degree in sports medicine from Defiance College in 2001. She was commissioned as an Air Force officer in 2003. Shes highly motivated and shes up for promotion to major

next month, said her father. Joseph and Michael like to tease her, but she always has the last laugh because they have to salute her. Joseph joined the U.S. Army Reserves after graduating from high school in 2003 and has been an active member of the Army since 2005. During his recent deployment to Afghanistan, he was Black Hawk helicopter mechanic. Its certainly a positive experience coming from a military family, he said from his current stateside deployment at Fort Drum, N.Y. When I go home, people know where Im coming from. Theyve taken the same risks that I have. Were all very proud of each other. He added that he does not have any regrets about joining the military, despite being deployed once each to Iraq and Afghanistan. Every job has its ups and downs. Im definitely happy I decided to enter the military and I think they (Jennifer and Michael) feel the same way. Michael, a former all-state wide receiver in football, graduated from high school in 2006. His current tour in Afghanistan is expected to conclude later this month. He is considering a career as a teacher and coach when he returns to civilian life. We are expecting him home around Thanksgiving, give or take a few days, said his mother. Chris and I are going to Jennifers for Thanksgiving, so maybe he can fly to Mississippi is hes back in the states by then. Chris and Gwens other child, Brian, decided not to join the military and currently resides in Toledo. We are very proud of him, too, said Chris. We really never pushed any of our chil-

Rural Ney resident and U.S. Army veteran Chris Mack (third from left) is shown with three of this children, all of whom are current active members of the U.S. military who have served combat tours in the Middle East in recent years. In the photo above taken earlier

this year, Chris wears his Army uniform along with Sgt. Joseph Mack of the U.S. Army (left), Capt. Jennifer Mack of the U.S. Air Force and Spc. Michael Mack of the U.S. Army. Joseph returned from a tour of Afghanistan on Oct. 13 and Michael is currently deployed there.

dren to follow a certain career path. We just want them to be happy. Chris himself was raised in a military-friendly environment. His father, Wilbur Mack, was an Army Air Corps pilot in World War II and his grandfather, Christa Mack, was an infantryman in World War I. With dad and grandpa, this was something I grew up with. Veterans Day and Memorial Day were a big deal. We always flew the flag on those days. Jennifer completed officer candidate school at Maxwell Air Base in Alabama, the same

place Wilbur completed his officers training. Grandpa would be very proud of her, said Chris. He would be proud of all of the kids. When asked about Gwens contribution, Chris called her the epitome of the military spouse and mother. The couple moved numerous times during his military career, living both stateside and in Germany (where Joseph was born). When I was deployed, I never had to worry if things were being taken care of back home, said Chris. A lot of

guys did. Being a military spouse or mother is a huge burden. I dont think its appreciated enough by the general public. For her part, Gwen said she has learned to live with family members being in constant danger. Its only natural to worry, but I have put my trust in God to take care of them. I always say an extra prayer for all of our people in the military. Its such an honorable thing to do to serve the country, she added. They are doing something they believe in.