With a 6-month-old baby at home, Cummins risks his life on front line
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At the top of those plans was life with his wife, Alison, and their 6-month-old daughter, Arden. But those plans are on hold for now.
“My family and friends are the ones who have helped me through this,” said Alison, 24, a Warren County native who is the former Alison Besherse. “I can’t stop watching the war. My mom asks me why I don’t do anything else, something to provide a little bit of a distraction. Now that they’re going to really start fighting, it’s going to get scary.”
As a member of the 101st Airborne’s Field Artillery Division, Cummins is one of the many soldiers currently battling on the front lines. An E6 staff sergeant, he is in charge of manning a howitzer, which is a type of cannon that shoots shells at a high trajectory.
Alison says her husband probably won’t be equipped with a howitzer much longer. She said he will be using a M-16 when hand-to-hand combat begins in Baghdad.
Alison talked to Michael as recently as Tuesday when the troops were set back because of the sandstorms. During that conversation, Michael told her they were about to be on the move and he might not be able to talk for awhile.
“One thing that’s helped is he has been interviewed on the news and he was one of the ones they picked to send a greeting home,” said Alison, who is a student at MTSU. “I’ve gotten letters from him that have had sand in them and his spirits are good. He feels like this is something we should support.”
While Michael is fighting to protect his country, Alison has started her own battle of sorts on the homefront. She wants to make sure the soldiers feel appreciated and has been sending care packages every day.
It’s with that in mind she has started a program called Treats for Troops where she is asking for care package donations. She said she doesn’t want monetary donations and that items individually wrapped are best suited for the care packages since there aren’t containers available in Iraq for resealing food. Cards and letters will also be accepted.
Alison said eye drops are perhaps the best item to include in care packages. She also said pre-sweetened Kool-Aid is popular because soldiers can easily mix it with water.
Other good items to donate are: hard candy, beef jerky, single packs of baby wipes, travel size shampoo, or just about anything individually wrapped.
Anyone with questions can call Alison at 507-8146 or Paula at 668-0047. They can also be e-mailed with questions at [email protected].
To help with donations, the Standard is setting out a collection box in the lobby beginning Monday morning. Donations can also be made at Tast-T-O.
“There are a lot of single soldiers out there who don’t have anybody to send them care packages,” said Alison. “I’m really doing this for them.”