HOLIDAY SPECIAL FOR FAIRFAX SOLDIER & FAMILY

The following story written by Lee J. Kahrs was published in Friday, December 23, 2005 edition of The St. Albans Messenger and the picture below scanned from the front page article.

Holiday special for soldier, family
Fairfax man has respite from Afghanistan duty

By LEE J. KAHRS
Messenger Staff Writer

FAIRFAX — Bradley and Eric Hodet couldn't believe their eyes when their father Tim walked through the door of their Fairfax home Sunday.

"They were speechless," Diane Hodet said of her sons, ages 17 and 14.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tim Hodet has been on his second deployment to Afghanistan since April. He works full-time for the Army National Guard at Camp Johnson, and has been in the guard for 28 years.

Hodet is home on a 15-day leave to be with his family for the holidays. The Hodets will leave early Christmas morning for a four-day Carnival cruise in the Bahamas.

But the uncertainty of military life almost made the trip impossible.

The travel insurance companies refused to cover the cruise because of the potential for cancellation due to changes in military orders. Just as the reservation was about to be cancelled, Dick Malone, of South Hero, came through for the family.

The Hodets had taken a previous cruise when Tim was home on leave in Sept. 2004. Malone and his wife, Patti, are local representatives for CruiseOne, a travel agency specializing in cruises. They had booked the Hodets' first cruise.

When the issue of insurance came up, Malone contacted his sources at Carnival Cruise Line, and the company agreed to guarantee credit for a future cruise the Hodets missed their cruise because of a change in Tim's orders.

"Dick worked his magic and got us in," Diane said.

Diane did not tell her sons their father was coming home this year because she is well aware of how military plans can change. Tim had a leave planned last year that ended up being cancelled.

"They were so disappointed, I couldn't tell them this time," she said.

The Hodets celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary in June. Diane said she and Tim renewed their vows a few years ago before Tim left on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Tim spent a year in Afghanistan working on the country's rudimentary transportation system. He came home last year, and then was recalled in April by the guard for another year.

He is with Taskforce Catamount, the 86th Brigade Headquarters. Tim's current deployment ends next July.

For now, the Hodet family is grateful for their time together, knowing so many soldiers and their families are thousands of miles apart this Christmas.