One of the things many mothers on Mother’s Day enjoy is spending time with their children and grandchildren, but not all mothers have that option.
Cathy Carpineti of Little Falls is one of the countless mothers who will have a son or daughter in the armed forces stationed overseas this Mother’s Day.
Carpineti’s son Bill is stationed at Camp Speicher in Iraq and serves as a gunner with the 101st Airborne of the United States Army.
She said having her son overseas is very hard when thinking about holidays.
“He will be 25 next week,” said Carpineti. “His birthday is even harder than Mother’s Day.”
Carpineti doesn’t watch any news broadcasts on television because she said they are “too live,” but she does look on the Internet and try to find things that pertain to her son’s unit.
“I try not to think about it. I realize this is what he wanted to do, the guys are doing the best they can,” said Carpineti.
The Internet has become Carpineti’s lifeline to her son. She and her husband, David, have created an account on MySpace.com, which has enabled them to communicate with their son more frequently than talking on the phone with him. She has also become friends with other mothers who have a son(s) or daughter(s) overseas and has gotten tips from them.
Bill Carpineti began his 15 month deployment last September  and he is scheduled to come back to the U.S. this December.
His mother said because of his job with the Army, where he can be standing for 12 to 14 hours a day, he has injured his leg and is currently at a military hospital in Germany.
“He and his fiancé set up a countdown (for when he returns) on his MySpace page and I check that,” said Carpineti.
She said soldiers overseas need everyone’s support and many people don’t realize what is going on over there.
“News shows show some things but it is different. I hope and pray they come home safely,” said Carpineti.
Carpineti, who also has two daughters and a grandson, will spend this Sunday with the rest of her family to celebrate Mother’s Day and also her grandson’s birthday.