By JENNY DERRINGER
derringer@crescent-news.com
HOLGATE -- Two young Holgate brothers have served their country well and are now reunited with their family in Henry County. Their mother can now breath easier and take down her blue star flag from the porch after 17 months.
Andy, 21, and Matthew Behnfeldt, 24, sons of Ron and Sandy Sonnenberg and Roger Behnfeldt, all of Holgate, have returned home after deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps. They are graduates of Holgate High School.
Andy had finished boot camp and additional training in the summer of 2007. During a move from his Holgate home to the University of Toledo, he answered his phone only to learn he was being deployed to Iraq for a year.
"In a few days," explained Sandy, "Andy had to move out of his new house, report to his home unit, 'dis-enroll' from college, say good-bye to his friends and family for a year and report for his pre-deployment training."
Andy returned to home to northwest Ohio on Aug. 25, 2008, as a 2nd Battalion 24th Marines targeting non-commissioned officer. Unfortunately, his brother, Matthew, was redeployed on Aug. 24. The siblings missed each other by less than 24 hours, something that had happened previously.
Matthew, who had already served three years in the military, was deployed one day before Andy graduated from boot camp.
Over the years, Matt has been assigned to a crew of California-based CH53 helicopter squadron and served as day supervisor of the ordnance shop, noted Sandy. "He and a group of Marines he trained were assigned to a Forward Operations Base near the Syrian border. Matt was an aerial observer and in charge of all ordnance."
The Behnfeldt brothers have also been honored for their military service. Andy was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for developing a strategy for locating insurgents that is currently in use.
Meanwhile, Matt, who returned home in the early morning hours of Friday, earned a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and is nominated for an Air Medal and Citation for his combat hours from the president and an Ordnance Marine of the Year. He still has six more months to serve in the Marines.
Andy is currently attending Trine University, Angola, Ind., with Matt is considering the same school once he is out of the military, explained Sandy.
"They were both ready to come back home," said Sandy. "They are really proud of what they accomplished.
"My stress level has gone down from my throat to my ankles," she joked. "I was in a constant state of alarm." Each morning while her sons were deployed, she would continually check the television news and Internet for any reports of military attacks.
"I often worry about other parents with children deployed presently and belong to two organizations to support other parents," she added. "My turn could come again but for now, I'm just going to live for this moment. My two sons are home on U.S. soil and have made me proud."