(Lexington County) June 21, 2006 - Governor Sanford surprised troops in Tikrit, Iraq with a visit Wednesday. He sent home a message for a Lexington County mother, whose son is beginning a year long deployment.

Sanford wrote it down to get the message right, "Hank Holliday asked that I send along his hello and I ask that you would do the same, to his mom Claudette Holliday, who lives in Lexington, SC."

Claudette Holliday is the proud mama of Major Hank Holliday, with the Army Medical Corps. Last week, Hank left Washington, D.C. for a year in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

"He said he'd be okay, don't worry, everything's going to be okay," she says. But like any mother, not worrying is not an option, especially with news of two soldiers murdered a day after Holliday got there.

That scared Claudette, "Oh, it's frightening. It seems to me like they should have had more people in the group they were in."

She says, "That's part of the job and it's a horrible thing to hear about. We pray for the families and hope they get through this."

The veterans monument in Lexington is a reminder of local soldier's service. That becomes even more clear when your child is in a dangerous place. She may be worried, but Claudette supports her son, "But it's his duty, he feels like he needs to be there. He's been called to be there and we support him."

Perhaps they inherited that patriotism. Hank's family has fought in every US war since the Revolution. "You're going to worry, because your child is going to a dangerous situation, but being in Washington, DC, that was a dangerous place too in this terrorism war."

For now, she sends a hello and love back to her son.

Posted 5:58pm by Chantelle Janelle