Mom shows Saint Olaf students a slice of military life

Intermountain Catholic

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By Diane Parkin

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

Utah Air National Guard MSgt. Cate Mulder paid a visit to the second-grade class at Saint Olaf School, where her son Daniel is a student in Laurie Jacob's class. They were joined by her daughter, Jessica, and her fifth-grade classmates, to learn about Sgt. Mulder's experiences on her recent five-month tour of duty in southwest Asia. The students had followed the progress of her tour through letters and information she sent to her children. They were delighted to meet Sgt. Mulder in person and learn of some of her experiences.

She said that when she first arrived at her base, the weather was a real shock. It was very warm there, about 120 degrees, and the humidity was around 90 percent. This is a very great change from the weather in Utah and everything was constantly warm and damp. She said she could understand why the people who live in the area wear loose flowing robes to feel cooler and not be restricted by tight clothing. Sgt. Mulder showed the students her helmet and flack vest, which she had to have with her on the base. Because the vest and helmet weigh around 20 pounds, many of the students had a hard time standing up under the weight.

One of the most fascinating things that she experienced was to visit the local bazaars in the area. These bazaars, called souqs, are large markets where local merchants sell everything from jewelry and chickens to clothing and local spices. She enjoyed visiting the souqs and brought home various items from the souqs for her family.

She brought some honey dates and date cookies for the classes to sample. It was interesting to see the various reactions from the students which ranged from "mmm, good!" to "yuck!" Other types of food she tried there were hummus, pita bread and lots of seafood.

Southwest Asia is quite different from Utah. The land is very flat and sandy and the highest point she observed was only about 250 feet high. Frequent sandstorms in the area were just one of the different weather phenomena she experienced. She saw various types of animals such as different kinds of lizards, doves and desert foxes.

While out of the country Sgt. Mulder kept in contact with her family by means of SKYPE so that they could see each other while they talked. She also appreciated the letters the second-grade students sent to her while she gone.

Daniel and Jessica are very proud of the fact their mother was serving our country, but they are extremely happy to have her back home again.