THE TROOPS | DELAVAN - This city and its National Guard unit are like family. When the guard left for Kuwait in April, residents lined the streets to cheer their heroes. Since then, residents have sent care packages regularly and offered help to soldiers' loved ones left behind.

City Clerk Penny Bright tried to put the relationship into perspective.

"They (the National Guard) have had a presence here for so long that they become a part of you," Bright said.

So much so that all 60 members of the Delavan-based 1144th Illinois National Guard Transportation Battalion got Christmas gift boxes from residents.

Diane Pfeiffer, part of a Family Readiness Group that organized the gift box drive, said each box contained candy, telephone calling cards and pillow cases with embroidered American flags. The boxes were mailed the first week in November, getting to Kuwait in time for Christmas, when the troops also received letters from Delavan's elementary school students.

Though Pfeiffer was surprised at how well the community responded, she realizes in retrospect that she shouldn't have been. This guard unit and city of about 2,000 people are intertwined.

The pair are so linked that the first armory building was used for high school boys indoor baseball, with the current building hosting proms and community dances, said Mayor Liz Skinner, adding that Eleanor Roosevelt appeared at an armory dedication in 1939.

"We've always been a patriotic town," added resident Harriet Szadkowski.

The send-off of troops last April was a concrete illustration of that as soldiers left to a parade of yellow ribbons and American flags. Local students were allowed to play hooky to see their heroes off.

The sendoff was just the start.

"I think we keep pretty good track of them," said Pfeiffer, who has a son, Sean Pfeiffer, 34, in the unit. The unit has regularly received care packages of soap, combs, envelopes, candies, popcorn, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Staff Sgt. William Shawgo said the close connection between his soldiers and the community, which dates to the late 1800s, gives him a warm feeling.

"If every community was like this, that would be good," Shawgo said. "Somebody is always asking how the soldiers are."

The unit is expected back in April or May.

Beth Holland, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Dave Holland, hopes their return isn't delayed.

"All I want to do is have him home," she said.

Though she talks with her 36-year-old husband daily by telephone, she is fearful that he may be injured or killed.

Army SPC Ron Gebur, 23, of Delavan, made that ultimate sacrifice. He was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in May 2006 in Baghdad.

"It was a very emotional and sad moment," Skinner recalled, adding that residents lined the streets with flags when Gebur's funeral procession traveled through town.

Members of the 1144th, are constantly in our thoughts, Skinner said, adding that the troops are often mentioned in Delavan churches.

A return celebration is planned, but details are still in the works, she said.

In the meantime, soldiers in the 1144th take turns writing letters to the local weekly newspaper to keep Delavan residents informed of what the soldiers are doing in the Middle East.

Beth Holland, meanwhile, fears so much for the safety of her husband that she can't bear to watch news of the Iraq War on television.

"I don't watch. It's just too upsetting," she said.

Through these tense times, Delavan residents have been very gracious, she said, offering to help the mother of two young children mow the grass, shovel snow and rake leaves.

"The support of the community is very helpful," she said. "Everybody is so sincere, sympathetic and understanding."

While Holland can't bear to watch the news, Diane Pfeiffer watches but tries not to look at faces for fear she might see her son. The connection between the community and the Delavan guard unit helps comforts her, though.

"It tugs at your heartstrings," Pfeiffer said.

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