On vacation from the war in Iraq
Soldiers fresh from Iraq reconnect with their families at an Army-run resort near Disney World.
By Amy Green | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the May 9, 2007 edition
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Joey Jacobsen's youngest daughter, Paige, was born during his first deployment in Iraq. She's 3 now, and Army Captain Jacobsen has been away at war for more than half her life. He's missed other important childhood milestones, such as 6-year-old Hailee's first lost tooth.
But today, the family is together. The little girls grin as they pose for pictures beside a 6-foot-tall Mickey Mouse statue whose chest is painted in stars and stripes. They keep grinning as they embrace their dad, tell shyly of the "welcome home" signs they made for his return less than a month ago, and imagine lunching with princesses at Walt Disney World's Epcot and swimming at Typhoon Lagoon.
The family is on vacation at Shades of Green, a military-run resort on Disney property outside Orlando, Fla., where soldiers and their families often come for a break from war and the burden of their long separations. The Jacobsens may be on vacation here, but their mission is serious: to reconnect in five short days.
"The goal is to just sit back and watch my kids' faces and emotions," says Jacobsen, a military intelligence officer who knows he could face a third deployment. "It's really to allow my kids to be kids, allow them to have their mom and dad with them and enjoy themselves."
Shades of Green is the only resort of its kind in the continental United States, operated at no taxpayer expense by the Army's Family Morale Welfare and Recreation Command, based in Alexandria, Va. The resort is for Department of Defense employees and their families. Some guests are retired, some are in civilian jobs, some are on temporary leave from tours, and some, like Jacobsen, are fresh from long deployments.
With rates starting at $80 a night, rooms here are much cheaper than at other Disney-area resorts, and theme park tickets are discounted, too. The rates are meant to fit into a soldier's budget.
The soldier families that visit Shades of Green can expect a typical Disney World experience, with perhaps small differences. For example, the staff is aware that the meals they are serving may be the last a family ever has together.
"It's harsh, but it's what our soldiers are facing," says James McCrindle, general manager. The ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make Shades of Green's relevance all the more poignant, he says.
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