ONEONTA _ Valleyview Elementary fifth-grader Amber Johnson said Friday she was kind of nervous about her mother leaving for Iraq.
But her sixth-grade sister, Jasmine Johnson, said she was looking forward to the adventure, including getting to know Oneonta.
Army Spc. Jessie Delker, 32, who leaves Monday, brought her two children to the city from Colorado Springs, Colo., in February.
They will be staying with her brother and his wife, David Delker and Shannon Cayea-Delker, and their family, while she is serving a tour of duty in Baghdad.
Her National Guard 104th Public Affairs Detachment out of Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado will be deploying with the 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment out of Salt Lake City, Utah. She will serve as a broadcast journalist, she said. The single mother got the notice in January and brought her girls to Oneonta soon after so she could begin her training. She began her Army service in March.
On Friday, she told her daughters' fifth- and sixth-grade classes about her preparations and training.
She will be stationed at Camp Victory and will be reporting on the war.
When she got the notice, her first thought was "Wow," she said. She had recently returned from Japan and immediately started to plan.
She joined the National Guard in July 2003, and being from a military family, she knew that day was probably coming. But when she told her daughters, "there was some crying," she said.
She will be coming home in a little more than a year, she said, towards the end of her National Guard contract.
It was shortly after 9/11 that she joined, she said, and she wanted to serve her country.
"I felt like I hadn't done everything in my life I wanted to do. I was stuck in a rut," she said.
Her civilian job is working as an administrator in the procurement and contracting department for El Paso County in Colorado.
In the National Guard, she regularly went to other countries for training and was deployed for about a month in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But this is by far her longest time away.
She has no regrets about joining the National Guard.
"I have been able to have some rewarding experiences," she said.
When she spoke with students Friday, she was asked about her training, which was similar to the basics for an infantry soldier, including the use of 50 mm machine guns and grenades, as well as urban warfare.
She may need these skills when she follows soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division while they are on patrol, she said, and she will be looking to tell their stories.
Her job is to present the news in an unbiased fashion. She has no opinion on the war, she said, but is looking forward to seeing what it is really like over there.
During her presentation, guidance counsellor David Ingalls asked her what she wanted each class to do, to help her family. Her response to each was the same _ just support her daughters and be there when they need someone to talk to.
"That helps me do my job," she said.
Delker said she will talk to her daughters regularly by cell phone and on the Internet.
The girls are already fitting into the community.
"I like it here," said Jasmine, saying everyone has been very supportive.
Her mother has been gone before, she said, though this will be different because of the length of time. Although Jasmine said she is proud of her mother, she didn't think she would follow the same career path.
"It's hard," she said.
Amber agreed that she enjoys staying with her aunt and uncle.
Although she will miss her mother, she said, "I understand the mission." She said she would consider joining the military.
Sixth-grader Alisa Bohle said she was among the people who will be there for Jasmine "whenever she needs me."
She thought it was "cool" that Delker will "get to video people," but she wished the war were over.
Madison Beckemeyer is one of Amber's friends, and said she will be there for her.
What Delker is doing to help protect the United States is important, she said.
"I've been very pleased with all the support I've seen from the school," Delker said.
About her daughters, "They are very happy here."
For the next couple of days, she said, she will be spending a lot of time with them. "I'm sure there will be a tearful goodbye."
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