Like many other boys in Harlan County, Cawood native Charles D. Bryant spent a lot of his time outdoors in the lush mountains when he was growing up.

"In just about every letter he talks about missing the mountains and wanting to camp, hike, fish and hunt," said his mother, Donna Bryant.

Since he was deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division earlier this year, Bryant doesn't see much foliage.

"He said when he gets back the first thing he's going to do is hug a tree," said Donna Bryant.

A fuel-supply specialist, Bryant's job keeps him out of direct combat, but it often requires him to move into dangerous areas to service vehicles.

"When he was in Baghdad it as really dangerous, but now he's in Mosul," Donna said.

Sending her only son to war wasn't easy, said Bryant, who spoke of the day she learned he would be deployed to the Middle East.

"I was horrified because of everything going on over there," she said. "I didn't want him to have to face the rough parts of the war, death, injury, but I was more worried about him getting killed."

Since the major fighting has ended, Donna said communications between soldiers and their parents have improved dramatically from the earlier days of the operation. At that time, letters would often take a month to move from Iraq to the U.S. She receives letters from her son often and talks with him on the phone when he can call.

"He says most of the people there have been nice. Saddam's hometown was really pretty and they got to tour some of the castles there," she said.

While negative instances of interaction between Iraqi and American personnel get the majority of the press attention in recent days, Donna described a more pleasant meeting.

"When they were going to Baghdad, he said they had all saved their candy (from their MRE rations) to give to the kids. He gave some candy to a little boy who brought him a rose and kissed his hand," she said.

Bryant said her son's letters describe an intense loneliness.

"He wants to come home. I think they all want to come home," she said.

But while he's thousands of miles from home, Bryant is fortunate in that his girlfriend, who serves as a clerk in the 101st, is also in Iraq.

"Every couple of weeks he gets to see her," said Donna. "When they get back, he said they plan to get married."