A Special Reunion Weekend for Bayport Military Mom & Daughter

Getting stuck in traffic for two hours on a weekend isn’t usually viewed as fun by anyone, but for Sarah Santiago and her mom, Michelle Barrett, it was more than fun. It was precious time together as the two hadn’t seen each other for more than six months.

That’s because Barrett enlisted in the Army last December as a way to help her family pay bills and start saving for Santiago’s college education, which will start in three years. Barrett is a soldier in the 14th Combat Support Hospital Unit of the U.S. Army and has been stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia, at a medical facility.

The time together came as a complete surprise to Santiago, a Bayport-Blue Point High School junior. She was quietly sitting in her health class this past Thursday when Barrett unexpectedly dropped in on a surprise weekend visit.

At first Santiago wasn’t sure who it was who walked into her classroom.

“It was a mixture of her hairstyle and the fact I couldn’t believe it. It seemed like a dream,” she told Patch.

Barrett and Santiago spent the weekend doing as much as possible as it’s going to be their last weekend together for a few months. Barrett is scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan though she will come home again in August before that assignment.

During the course of their visit the two went out to eat, shopping and just caught up with each other's lives. While they can communicate through email and in real-time with Skype, it’s nothing like being together.

“It’s hard, and Skype and the phone are never the same,” said Santiago, who hopes to major in anthropology or childhood education in college. “You can’t hug a computer screen.”

Having a parent away from home is hard for any child no matter what age, and Santiago said it has been a challenge coping with the situation.

“Everyone copes with this kind of thing differently. I know I took out any emotions I had by drawing, but everyone is different,” she said. “But what is really important is to talk to someone. Anyone. A teacher, a friend, any other adult you trust, even your pet."

The one thing the teen advises other children of military-deployed parents is not to try and cope all alone.

“Don't keep your emotions bottled in like I did; get it all in the open about how you feel. And try not to become pessimist, just think about the day your parent or relative or friend gets home,” she said.

Saying goodbye again to her mom was tough, but it also came with a strong feeling of pride.

“I’m proud of her,” said Santiago. “She has always worked hard for me and my sibling.”