My family and I have never believed it was necessary for our troops to be sent to Iraq — however, from the very beginning, we have never limited our support for the troops.

My sister, Amanda, who is a Specialist (SPC) in the 2133rd Transportation Company of Muscatine, was sent to Iraq after the war was supposedly “over.” This has had many effects on both my family and on my sister.

Although I wish change in Iraq could have occurred in a less dangerous situation and been one in which someone I loved was not on the other side of the world, I have seen many benefits come out of this situation.

Of course I want my sister to come home as soon as possible. On the other hand, I am happy with the growth she has experienced since she joined the National Guard. Also, it has brought my family much closer and has gotten my mother more involved in the community.

Since my sister joined the National Guard in August 2002, she has not been home for more than a few short months.

She immediately went to Boot Camp and then to Advanced Individual Training. Soon after she came home from AIT, we heard she would be sent to Iraq. Shortly after, she was sent to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and then deployed to Iraq last March.

People join the Armed Forces for many reasons. Some joined after the Sept. 11 attacks, knowing we would eventually go to war. But mostly, young people join because they need money for college. In my sister’s case, she was going through a rocky point in her life. She had fallen into the wrong crowd and was constantly struggling with my parents for more space and freedom, while my parents struggled to keep her on the right track.

My sister is a great person and she honestly wanted to turn her life around, but she couldn’t do it by staying home in constant contact with the same people. The National Guard was a viable option because a few of her good friends had joined as well.

But she never thought she would be sent to war.

Since she has been gone, though, I have gotten several letters from her apologizing for the way she acted before she left. She is aware now her actions affect other people. In fact, her experiences have completely changed her and made her into a better person.

Another change since my sister was deployed is my mom’s community involvement.

More than a month ago she became the coordinator for the Muscatine Family Support Group for the National Guard. She has taken on all responsibilities of organizing meetings and correspondence with family members. Before, she had been solely dedicated to her work and family.

I used to worry about her sitting at home all night while my dad was at work and my sister and I were both gone. Now I have to track her down when I want to chat because she is oftentimes at a meeting or having dinner with another member of the group.

Not that I’m complaining — I think it has been a great opportunity for her. She put in long hours two weeks ago to arrange a speaker to come and comfort families when Officer Bruce Smith of West Liberty died in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Nov. 2. She has been completely dedicated to keeping contact with family and troops open as the coordinator.

Also, my family has more discussions together since my sister has been deployed. I think, as a family, we are more sensitive to each other’s thoughts and emotions than before. People say a person’s true character shows during hard times; I have definitely seen the true characters of my family members in the past year. My parents send packages and cards to my sister at least once a week. They have also practically adopted my sister’s best friend, who is also deployed, since her parents don’t seem to have much time for communication with their daughter.

I still don’t understand why my sister has to be in Iraq, but I am proud of the strength she has shown while being there. It is also great to see my family pulling through this together. My mom says that although she would rather it be under a different situation, it is cool to be able to have relationships with people she would not have otherwise met.

Also, I have seen not only my family, but people all around the nation respond to our troops with great care. More than 1,000 people showed up at Officer Smith’s funeral in the small town of West Liberty to show their support of him and his family.

It’s small things like these that give you a warm feeling inside and make you feel good about living in a great country.