New father makes it home from Iraq

Dan Grist didn’t have much time to rest after getting home from Iraq where he is stationed with G Troop, 82nd Cavalry, Oregon National Guard. He went on leave to be home for the birth of his child with his wife Krista.

He wasn’t home more than two hours — just about to take a nap — when he ran out of time. It was time to get to the hospital. Kellan Grist was born on July 12.

Grist is a mechanic stationed in Northern Iraq near Kirkuk. He was an active duty soldier for four years and worked at the Redmond armory before deploying, so the grind of a long deployment was fairly routine to him.

It hasn’t been as easy for Krista.

She describes the past year raising two children (Spencer, 6; Henri, 2) and five horses by herself as “less than fun.” Being pregnant added to the strain.

But Krista said she is very grateful for the support she has received from neighbors and folks in the Sisters “horse community.” Just recently, with money really tight, she got hit with a a potential $300 vet bill for a lame horse. The vet, understanding the situation, contacted a horse rescue group who provided immediate care at no charge.

According to Krista, that kind of help has been typical and she said she is very grateful.

She’s also ready to be done.

“It’s already been a year, so it’s getting old,” she said.

Dan allowed as how being married has made deployment different than it was when he was a single soldier. But he said you can’t let being away from home get you down.

“I still put a smile on my face every day and go to work (in the motor pool),” he said. If you brood on what you’re missing at home “you start acting funny,” he said.

Dan said his sector is pretty safe — “it’s not like Baghdad” — and the troop has kept its spirits up.

He figures he’ll be home for Christmas — when Kellan will be six months old.