FAMILIES ROOT FOR LOVED ONES IN MIDEAST.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis Duguay, 21

Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis Duguay was two days out of boot camp when he stood in the kitchen of his family's Palmdale home and watched the planes crash into the World Trade Center on TV.

He was ready to go then, his mom said, but his commanders made him finish his training before deploying him to Kuwait in January.

``He's always been, 'C'mon, let's go.' This is definitely the thing for him to do,'' Denise Duguay said.

Dennis joined the military two years ago, leaving his job and classes at Antelope Valley College. The field wireman loves baseball and has a girlfriend at home; he wants to go into law enforcement when his military service is up.

His mom makes sure Dennis knows he's got the support of his family, and sends three care packages overseas so the buddies he's brought home on leave know they're supported, too.

``To say it's been easy would be a be a big fat lie,'' she said. ``It's tough because it's almost like you want it to happen because it's over, you want it to be over so your kid can come home.

``Maybe we're doing this so we won't have to go in there, and it won't really happen, and then it'll all be for nothing. That would be wonderful.''

She's gotten three phone calls from Dennis since he was deployed.

``I don't care if the house is burning down, I'm taking the phone call,'' she said. ``It's so great to hear his voice and know he's not afraid.''

Army Staff Sgt. Bogdan Adrian Ionescu, 24

Army Staff Sgt. Bogdan Adrian Ionescu and his high school sweetheart, Jamie Takimoto, went their separate ways after graduation - him to the service, her to nursing school, only to seek each other out after 9-11.

They've been back together ever since, forsaking their teenage concert-going dates for Friday night cross-country Scrabble games over the Internet - him at Fort Bragg, her in Northridge - at least until he was sent to Kuwait.

``It was like our time together,'' said Jamie, a trauma nurse in the emergency room at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

Ionescu's parents fled communist Romania in the 1970s, leaving their baby son behind for months until they could safely bring him here.

He attended Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, and was earning straight As at a community college when he decided an office job in engineering or medicine wasn't for him. So he joined the Army.

His family at first disapproved, but has since grown to embrace his success and happiness in the military.

``We are very proud,'' said his father, Julius.

While Jamie has a hard time watching the news - ``I kind of watch and hold my breath,'' she said - Julius keeps close tabs on any information affecting his son. ``I watch (White House spokesman) Ari Fleischer every day,'' he said.

Army Spc. Steven P. Jones, 22

Army Spc. Steven P. Jones didn't decide to enlist until the recruiter pulled up at his family's house after his younger sister, Kelly, joined up for the career she hoped would be better than her job at McDonald's.

With the idea of becoming an Army firefighter, he enlisted nearly three years ago, and was deployed to the Middle East in January as a fire marshal in charge of munitions storage. His sister, who runs a supply center at a base in Oklahoma, won't be deployed.

``Steven's always been one of those people who could get an A without even cracking a book,'' Michael A. Jones said of his son, who also enjoys sports and firing weapons, and had talked about a career in the film industry, working in pyrotechnic special effects.

Jones had been excelling at community college, handling courses in physics and math, when he decided to enlist.

``He's doing what he wanted to do,'' Michael Jones said. ``He's an all- around boy - man.''

Marine Lance Cpl. Henry Monzon, 28

Marine Lance Cpl. Henry Monzon has been known to say it wasn't love at first sight that led him to his wife, Mechala, but love at first talk.

The two met through a mutual friend who passed along her phone number while he was stationed at Twentynine Palms. He was far from his Chicago home and didn't know other Filipinos, and she had just arrived from the Philippines and was working at a nursing home in Simi Valley.

After a few phone conversations, he took a vacation, flew back to Chicago, picked up his car, and drove straight to Simi Valley to take her out to dinner.

``We started dating for, like, a week. The next week, he proposed to me,'' said Mechala, who married Henry on Nov. 16. ``One word: He's very romantic.''

Now, he's on the ground in Kuwait, delivering ammunition to the troops. ``I have this full confidence that God will bring him back to me,'' his wife said.

Marine Sgt. Kevin Richardson, 22

Marine Sgt. Kevin Richardson is the artist in the family, the youngest of three boys, who was promoted to sergeant just before being shipped out to Kuwait in February, says his grandmother, Ruthann Simmons of Shadow Hills.

One of his pictures was featured on the calendar of his Tennessee hometown, where he grew up before enlisting in the Marines. He's considering putting his art to work in cartoons or animation when he heads off to a new career - he and his grandparents toured California Institute of the Arts last fall - though that might be postponed as troops are kept on duty.

Richardson handles heavy artillery, his grandmother said, hopefully fortified by the Oreos and other goodies she sends in packages overseas.

``I just think about him every night as I go to bed,'' Simmons said. ``About all you can do is pray things go well. We can't keep him safe. Only thing we can do is pray for him.''

Marine Lance Cpl. Jon Sagranichne, 24

Marine Lance Cpl. Jon Sagranichne is famous at home for having cooked up enchiladas and other amazing meals as a little kid when his parents would leave him and his two older sisters home to go work at weekend swap meets.

``We would have the most delicious dinners,'' said his oldest sister, Abigail Karp of Valley Village. ``We'd just sit and watch TV; he'd bring us food.''

Sagranichne graduated from Taft High School in Woodland Hills and lived in Israel for a year before backpacking through Europe with friends. He never was much for school, his sister said, but as soon as he graduated, he started devouring books, mostly classics.

``You could tell he's always thinking,'' she said. After working for a few years at different jobs in the Valley, he decided the Marines would help give him structure and money for college. His family is worried, but proud. ``We try not to talk about it too much, even though it's on all our minds,'' said his sister, who supports the war. ``We're very proud of him, and we're honored that he's there.''

Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Stafford, 30

Jeremy Stafford grins into the camera from the Kuwaiti desert, his head sporting a freshly shaved 'do - a snapshot for his kids and relatives back home in Simi Valley.

The Canoga High School graduate and Los Angeles Police Department firearms trainer was sent to the Middle East in January, among the thousands of reservists called up to active duty. His wife, Julie, said her husband is in his element in Kuwait, prepared to handle a crush of refugees should war break out.

``He was made to do this,'' she said. ``A lot of people go to work and don't like their jobs. He couldn't have asked for anything better.''

At home, the couple's son just celebrated his third birthday, asking for military fatigues so he could be like his daddy. Their 5-year-old daughter keeps asking her mom tough questions about the war.

``He's very into this country, protecting everybody, helping,'' said Julie. ``He's a tough guy. He doesn't want our kids to have to go through the nonsense in this world. He wants to make it better.''

Army Pfc. Ryan A. Thordsen, 21

Army Pfc. Ryan A. Thordsen and wife Brenda got married in November at a simple ceremony at the Ventura County courthouse. She had been planning a bigger celebration in June, but those plans were put on hold when Ryan got orders to ship out to Kuwait.

``Before Ryan, I was never really interested in what was going on. Now I watch the news constantly. Today I went on www.army.com. I might be driving myself crazy, but I want to know - Are we going to war? When are they going to be home?'' said Brenda, 26, who lives with her husband's parents and little brother in Simi Valley.

Ryan and Brenda knew each other for years - he graduated from Simi Valley High and was a box boy at Vons; she went to Chatsworth High, then worked at an office in Simi Valley. He hopes to go into law enforcement when his time in the service is up.

She's heard all the teasing about their age difference - and admits being a little surprised herself at falling for the younger man, but gave in to his kindhearted, outgoing personality and the fun they share.

Marine Lance Cpl. Roland Vandenberg III, 19

Marine Lance Cpl. Roland Vandenberg III is as Southern California as they come - snowboarding in the winter, beaches in the summer, football on Sunday afternoons, a 2002 Mustang GTO waiting for him in the garage back home in Quartz Hill.

He was headed to the University of Hawaii to study and play football after graduating from Highland High School in 2001 when the Marines changed his reserve status and started preparing him for deployment in Kuwait.

Vandenberg, a high school wrestling star, was named to the Daily News' all-area wrestling team in 2001, then using the name Roland Ortiz-Eyritch.

``He was as dangerous as anyone,'' the Daily News wrote of the 275-pound senior.

Vandenberg had long considered having a military career - it just came a little sooner than he expected, his dad said.

``Not once did he ever say, 'Hey, dad, can we move to Canada?'' said Roland Vandenberg II, who started a newsletter about the deployment and gives his son's friends pre-addressed postcards to send to his son.

``When it starts, I'm going to root my son on like I did in every baseball, football game - him and every Marine and soldier that's by his side - I'm going to root him on. Go get 'em, and come home safe.''

LET US KNOW

The Daily News wants to know about your friends and loved ones in military uniform to profile them in coming weeks. Please let us know if you know someone in the military. E-mail their name, rank and branch of service, along with your name, address and a contact telephone number to: dnmetro(at)dailynews.com.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Jamie Takimoto shows a photo of her boyfriend, Army Staff Sgt. Bogdan Adrian Ionescu, who's stationed in Kuwait. His family keeps close watch on world news as the U.S. moves closer to war.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer

(2) Marine Lance Cpl. Jon Sagranichne

(3) Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Stafford

(4) Marine Lance Cpl. Dennis Duguay

Box:

LET US KNOW (see text)