KIAMA FAMILY’S WARTORN FATHERS DAY

Major David Munro in Baghdad with a photo of his family back home in Kiama.

ARMY Major David Munro will spend Fathers Day many thousands of miles away from his young family this year as part of the Australian Army defence force presence in Baghdad.

Its not the first time the Kiama dads Army work has taken him away from family, but this time is definitely the hardest, he says.

This time around I have really, really missed them, said Major Munro of his wife, Kiama High School head science teacher Cathy and daughter Dana, six.

Dana was a baby when I was in Bosnia. Then I did six months in East Timor when she was four and Bouganville for a short while before she was born.

This time has definitely been the hardest.

Now six years old, he says young Dana is beginning to understand her daddys dual role as a TAFE tourism teacher and part-time soldier.

Its all gelled with her now before when I went away she wouldve been too young to have any real conscious memory of it.

Now its different. The night before I left to go I could hear her sobbing in bed and I went in and said to her, whats wrong.

She said, Daddy, I dont want you to die. I dont want you to go.

It was heartbreaking. I told her, Thats not going to happen.

With Major Munros exact location and activities guarded by operational security, the family must rely on a daily 10-minute phone call to keep in touch.

Things happen at home that I cant help with, thats hard, he said.

And Cathy is doing a full-time job as well as looking after Dana and

everything else without my help.

Its one of the sacrifices you make in this job, but I tell you, its

gutwrenching.

Cathy and Dana regularly send mail including copies of the Kiama Independent to David, who has already received his Fathers Day card, which was handmade by Dana.

You never know how long the mail is going to take, so theyve sent it in plenty of time she never misses the milestones.

What Ive missed is three months of Danas development. I miss watching her play netball and just sharing in her day to day life.

Major Munro will arrive back on Australian soil mid-September.

I cant wait. Its been pretty hectic here with certain events going on, theres a constant type of threat, but I cant really say any more than that.

Itll just be great to be home again.