International

Minn. Military Families Cope With Long Deployment

By John McChesney

Published March 25, 2007 at 8:08 AM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

Jodi Kramer and her six children at their home in Ellsworth, Minn. Jodi's husband, Don Kramer, is now scheduled to return home in July, after a 22-month deployment with the Minnesota National Guard.

Several weeks ago, the 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard were preparing come home from Iraq. But they were soon notified that they would need to stay an extra four months as part of President Bush's troop increase.

By the time they return home in July, they will have been deployed for a total of 22 months, the longest brigade-level deployment in the history of the National Guard.

Family members across the state are trying to cope with the extension.

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International

John McChesney

Since 1979 senior correspondent John McChesney has been with NPR, where he has served as national editor (responsible for domestic news) and senior foreign editor. Over the course of his career with NPR, McChesney covered a variety of beats and traveled extensively throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. His reports can be heard on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and newscasts.

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