Hollister
– Army Sgt. David Carte Jr. has been telling his mom not to
worry since he was in high school.
Hollister – Army Sgt. David Carte Jr. has been telling his mom not to worry since he was in high school.
And with his absence on yet another Mother’s Day, Hollister resident Vickie Carte has different reasons, but the worry remains.
Her 29-year-old son was deployed to Mosul, Iraq, more than seven months ago.
“I just miss his smile,” Vickie told the Free Lance on Friday.
The last time Vickie saw Carte was the day before he left for Iraq. She and her husband, 56-year-old David Carte Sr., had gone to El Paso, Texas, not only to bid their son farewell but to bring his prized 2005 Nissan Titan pickup truck back to Hollister.
Before embarking on the 22-hour drive, David Sr. told her that their son had left her a message. He pointed to the rearview mirror.
It read, “I love you.”
Vickie broke down for the second time that day.
Carte emailed the Free Lance this week, stating he couldn’t remember the last time he spent Mother’s Day with Vickie.
“It’s hard missing Mother’s Day,” Carte wrote Thursday from Mosul, Iraq. “I would say due to the fact I’m here in Iraq, my mom worries about me all the time. I love my mom so much. It just makes it harder being over here on Mother’s Day then any thing.”
The decision to join the Army came at the urging of his parents to find some direction, years after leaving San Benito High School and graduating from San Andreas School.
Carte was working at car wash when he came home one night and told the family of his decision.
Vickie was shocked.
But three years later, with a wall of photos telling the tale of a growing man, Vickie realizes what the Army has done for her son.
“We’re proud of him being in the military,” Vickie said. “He’s done a lot of growing up. You can really see it.”
An assistant manager at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Gilroy, Vickie sends her son candy to give to his fellow soldiers and Iraqi children as often as possible.
Last week, she sent a box of Tapatio packets. She said the soldiers love receiving the hot sauce.
She looks forward to her son’s return from Iraq and recognizes the commitment he’s made to serve his country.
On Mother’s Day, she’ll be waiting for a phone call.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mv*********@fr***********.com.
