Family Deals with Surprise Call to Iraq

By Chad Petri Reporter

Attorney Stephen Legg has been out of the military for six years. Earlier this month he was notified he’s going back into active duty. Family Deals with Surprise Call to Iraq

Published: Tue, November 20, 2007 - 4:26 am Last Updated: Tue, November 20, 2007 - 5:44 am

Chad Petri

Stephen Legg left the National Guard six years ago. He was part of the Individual Ready Reserve, it’s a group for servicemen and women who no longer have regular military responsibilities but can be called back to active duty.

In the six years since since his honorable discharge, Stephen created a small two man-law firm. He says the overnight letter from the National Guard took him by surprise.

“I've always been mentally prepared to leave my family, and I guess they were too, more so when I was in,” says Stephen. “Now that I'm out I guess all of us got a little relaxed and we have to get back into that mode again.” Stephen says he expected to get called back into service immediately after the Iraq invasion. As the years passed he thought military service was unlikely. Now he's being recalled for more than a year and trying to get his affairs at work in order.

“I want to do everything I can to fill those obligations and right now not knowing when exactly what I'm going to do and when it's going to happen,” says Stephen. “I have to keep trucking on and hand cases off to my partner.” On the home front, Stephen's wife is trying to hold things together. With the military comes a significant drop to the family's income.

“I don't think we're even going to know how we're going to be affected until we're living it,” says Sheree Legg. “It's such a huge, daunting thing hanging over our heads.” Sheree says she'll have to raise their two teenage children on her own for awhile. She says there's a lot Stephen will miss, like their daughter's senior year of high school. “We have a lot of family and friends, but it just won't be the same obviously.”

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wlb Says:

Wed, Nov 21, 2007 at 3:59 pm

i spent 4 yr. fighting the v. c. and total of 7 yr in the army..i still say all should serve…not the same ones over and over…it is easy to say send others if you have never been in any service..i was a.r. and went r.a. after i got in…no one wonts to go to war..but some of us do go others just talk about it..i wish him a speedy return to his life…

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Jason Says:

Wed, Nov 21, 2007 at 1:28 pm

what do you mean “it’s not right”?

kinda sucks for him… but he VOLUNTEERED for this to happen. When he was discharged, he signed up for the Individual Ready Reserve unit. THIS is EXACTLY what that unit is FOR.

If he did not want this to ever happen, he should not have joined that unit. Simple. Open and shut case. No one is doing anything TO him, he is only being asked to now fulfill the obligations that he promised he would should he ever be asked to do so.

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wlb Says:

Tue, Nov 20, 2007 at 6:50 am

this is not right this man has served his time…there are people who have not served one day…

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