A MAN'S FIRST FATHER'S DAY IS ALWAYS THE BEST ONE EVER.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
``He didn't have to adopt me; he wanted to adopt me. That means a lot.'' - Christopher Haley The first time Sgt. 1st Class Don Haley laid eyes on his future son, he recognized someone very familiar. Himself. A kid growing up without a father. Haley's mother had raised him by herself. He knew how tough it was for her. And for him. So when he asked Suzy Underwood to marry him last September - just weeks before being deployed to Iraq - he told her he wanted the marriage to be a package deal. If she said yes and became his wife, he wanted her teenage son, Chris, to become his son. He knew the boy had never known his natural father, not even for a day. Haley wanted to change that. ``I thought it would be too much to ask him, that Chris was too old for Don to want to adopt,'' Suzy said Friday, getting ready to drive to LAX to pick up her husband, who was returning from Iraq for a two-week leave. Coming home in time for his first Father's Day. The Newhall couple met in 2003 while serving in different National Guard units in Long Beach. Suzy's a staff sergeant staff sergeant n. 1. a. Abbr. SSG A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army that is above sergeant and below sergeant first class. b. Abbr. SSgt A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. in the 640th Intelligence Battalion battalion Tactical military organization composed of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries, or similar units and usually commanded by a field-grade officer such as a lieutenant colonel. , and Don's with the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion. Like many military reservist re·serv·ist n. A member of a military reserve. reservist Noun a member of a nation's military reserve Noun 1. couples today, their lives have been like ships passing in the night. Just months after Suzy returned home in March 2004 from a tour of duty in Kosovo, Don was heading for the hottest spots in Iraq, where he runs a mobile interrogation interrogation In criminal law, process of formally and systematically questioning a suspect in order to elicit incriminating responses. The process is largely outside the governance of law, though in the U.S. team. He knew there was a chance he might not come back, so it was important that he make Chris his son before he left. If something did happen to him, he wanted the boy to receive his benefits and carry his name. To remember him as his father, not just his mother's husband. So when they finally found "Finally Found" was the debut single from the Honeyz. This was their most successful single in the UK and worldwide, securing a number 4 position in the UK singles chart and achieved platinum status in Australia [1] Tracklisting # Title Length a judge willing to cut through months of red tape and expedite ex·pe·dite tr.v. ex·pe·dit·ed, ex·pe·dit·ing, ex·pe·dites 1. To speed up the progress of; accelerate. 2. the adoption of a son for a soldier leaving for Iraq in a few weeks, Don, Suzy and Chris jumped at the chance. When the judge asked Don whether he realized he was taking on all the obligations of a parent, he said yes. And when the judge asked Chris whether he wanted Don to be his legal father, the kid said yes. And that was it. In less than an hour, Chris walked out of court on his 15th birthday with a father and a mother. ``He didn't have to adopt me; he wanted to adopt me,'' Chris said Friday, waiting for his dad's plane to land at LAX. ``That means a lot. We're a family. He loves my mom and me, and we love him.'' There were plenty of hugs and kisses For the XML format, see . Hugs and Kisses is a term for a sequence of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, typically used to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter or email. at the airport Friday, and plenty of backslapping and thank yous at the California Army National Guard The California Army National Guard is a component of the California National Guard, the United States Army and the United States National Guard. The California Army National Guard is composed of about 20,000 soldiers. Armory in Van Nuys on Saturday. Suzy and Chris took Don to the armory to introduce him to the dozens of Operation Gratitude Operation Gratitude is a non-profit, all-volunteer corporation that assembles and ships care packages to United States service members deployed overseas. Its mission is to lift morale and express appreciation of the work done by the American armed services. volunteers mailing care packages to U.S. troops overseas and in hospitals this weekend. When Suzy returned from her tour of duty in Kosovo, she wanted to repay these strangers from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. who had mailed her one of these care packages from home. So she and Chris have been volunteering, and Don wanted to thank these people making life a little easier for the troops, too. The care package assembly drive will continue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the armory, 17330 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys. More volunteers could help it reach the goal of shipping 4,000 additional care packages this weekend. ``I'm feeling pretty fortunate to be home on Father's Day because I know there are thousands of soldiers over there who wish they could be home with their children, too,'' Don said. With that, the new father began celebrating his first Father's Day by putting some beef jerky Noun 1. beef jerky - strips of dried beef jerked meat, jerky, jerk - meat (especially beef) cut in strips and dried in the sun in a care package headed for a soldier in Iraq, then passing it down the assembly line to his 15-year-old son, who dropped in a Power Bar. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Sgt. 1st Class Don Haley, returning from Iraq on a two-week leave, gets hugged by his wife, Staff Sgt. Suzi Haley, and his newly adopted son, Chris, 15, at LAX on Friday. Chris' adoption was expedited before Haley left on his latest tour of duty. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) Don Haley, flanked by his wife, Suzi, right, and his adopted son Chris, 15, helps assemble care packages for U.S. troops in Iraq, at the California Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News |
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