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It has been more than a month since Myrna and Richard Klokow have heard from their son Patrick. They send him letters, but the couple has no way of knowing whether Patrick is receiving their mail. The Klokows' son is 1st Lt. Patrick Klokow, a Marine who was deployed to Iraq last month.
In late January Patrick was deployed to the Kuwaiti desert. His battery was stationed there until March 17 when they were ordered into Iraq.
Patrick's wife, Lt. Anne Marie Klokow, a helicopter pilot stationed at Miramar Marine Corps Base in San Diego, put Patrick's parents on an email list that gives updates on their son's troop in Iraq. Myrna and Richard have heard that Patrick is safe and well, but they have not heard directly from their son.
"Of course this is difficult and since we don't know if he's received our mail, we hope he knows that we're thinking of him," Myrna says.
The Klokows have been Sunnyvale residents since 1977. Patrick grew up here and graduated from Homestead High School in 1994. He played baseball for Homestead under the leadership of Chuck Camuso, who awarded him with the Iron Man Award at the end of his senior year.
It was during high school that Patrick first expressed an interest in joining the Marines. He came across a brochure in the school's career center and from that point he couldn't stop talking about it, says his mother.
After high school, Patrick went directly into the Naval Academy in Annapolis and graduated in 1999. He continued to play baseball at the academy and won more baseball awards there.
After his graduation Patrick entered the Marine Corps and was stationed at the 1st Marine Division at Twentynine Palms near Palm Springs. He is the executive officer of the Lima Artillery Battery. "Patrick is familiar with the desert because there's a lot of desert area at Twentynine Palms," Myrna says.
"He's very excited about what he's doing, and he feels it's a great effort," Myrna says.
To aid the waiting here at home, Myrna, a licensed marriage and family therapist, has decided to start a support group for families with troops in the war effort. "I know how important it is to be able to have a safe place to share feelings. It's very helpful to hear others' stories and to share my story," Myrna says.
In the group, people can exchange ideas about how they have coped, she says.
The group is open to all Sunnyvale families and will meet Thursday evenings from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Myrna Klokow's office in Sunnyvale. For more information, call 408.738.8708.
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Contributed photograph