His wife noted, "We had an early Thanksgiving and Christmas in one week, and we got to exchange presents with him then."

But most of all, "Jacob wanted his Daddy to play with him," Kelly said. Quality time spent during the reunion included taking in a holiday film and visiting a popular children's eatery and indoor play area.

Kelly King is hoping her husband will be back in Latrobe for good in March. That's when his tour of duty as a transmission specialist is expected to end, allowing him to resume his job as a foreman-in-training with a local plastics manufacturer.

But, with Iraqi insurgents continuing to oppose the presence of troops from the United States and its allies, she added, "I know it's not certain until he actually gets his orders to go home."

Terry King will mark his seventh anniversary in the Army National Guard this February.

During the original Gulf War in the early 1990s, he remained stationed in Washington, D.C., part of his previous six-year stint in the Navy. But, his wife says, she knew if he were called to duty during the current conflict, that he would be headed overseas.

Still, "It was a shock when he got his orders," she said.

She explained her husband began as a member of the Signal Battalion's Company C, which now is headquartered in Torrance. "But when Company A got deployed, he had to fill in" a vacant slot for a transmission specialist. The latter company is based in West View near Pittsburgh, she noted.

While her husband is away, "I try to stay busy," Kelly said. That includes caring for and playing computer games with her son: "He's really good at it."

She also works part-time as a merchandise vendor at Heinz Field and as a representative for a line of culinary products.

When she has time for reflection, she is concerned about the impact her husband's absence and the images of war are having on her young son.

"He sees pictures of his dad in uniform and wants to know why he's carrying a gun," she noted. "He shouldn't have to think about things like that at age three."

Explaining the situation in terms that are more familiar to her son, she said, "I relate his dad to someone like Buzz Lightyear, a hero figure."

While her husband has assumed the task of hero, a group of volunteers has taken on the role of angels, giving both Kelly and her son a break during their stressful holiday separation from Terry.

Fellow Latrobe resident Laura Yuhaniak, who is an active volunteer in support of soldiers and their loved ones, learned of the Kings' situation and recommended them as one of three local military families which received a holiday boost from the Latrobe American Legion's Veterans' Outreach program.

In addition to gift cards from the Legion, Yuhaniak helped channel other assistance to the families from the Salvation Army, which provided food boxes, and Latrobe policeman Jeff Regula, who donated stuffed animals.

She and her family--husband Bill and children Jesse, 12 and Jenny, 3--provided additional gift certificates and 120-minute phone cards to help the families stay in touch with their loved ones overseas.

Yuhaniak also submitted Kelly King's name to a California-based, non-profit group, the Soldiers' Angels Foundation. Initiated in June 2003 by Patti Patton-Bader, mother of an Iraq war veteran and a relative of World War II's Gen. George Patton, the foundation's mission is to bring help and comfort to both service members and their families.

King was "adopted" by one of the foundation's volunteers in New York state, who responded with a series of cards and surprise packages which arrived daily at the family's doorstep last week.

"With each and every box, I cried," Kelly said. "I sent him an e-mail to thank him."

The presents she and her son unwrapped included clothes, a Fisher Price "Power Touch" learning game and even a trampoline. They also received admission tickets to the Overly's Christmas light display at the county fairgrounds.

When King and her son visited the Overly's attraction last Tuesday, she noted, "We both had a ticket to ride in a horse-drawn buggy and Jacob had a train ride and a visit with Santa.

"When we got home, there was a box waiting from Santa. That was the perfect day."

Though the Soldiers' Angels Foundation helps service members and their families year-round, Yuhaniak noted project volunteers especially want "to make things a little easier for the families at Christmas.

"Christmas is the hardest time for them to be away from each other."

Yuhaniak noted her family's ongoing crusade to help servicemen and their families began long before she and her husband became state managers for the Soldiers' Angels group.

She noted it all began about three years ago when Jesse saw a televised interview with a soldier who was in the Middle East, serving in the post-9/11war on terrorism.

She recalled, "The soldier said how he missed home and that they really weren't getting many things from home. So Jesse wanted to know if we could send things for the soldiers."

That launched the Yuhaniaks on a letter-writing campaign, seeking contributions for soldiers from local businesses. They also sparked a collection effort at Latrobe Elementary School, which Jesse attends.

"We were overwhelmed with the response," Laura said.

War in Iraq casts shadow over Christmas - PittsburghLIVE.com