On Friday, May 15, 2009 under a cerulean blue North Carolina sky, my wife and I watched our oldest son, Marine Cpl. Nicholas George Xiarhos; go off to war in Afghanistan.
Earlier in the week we gathered Nicholas?s three younger siblings together and drove all night from Yarmouthport, Massachusetts to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., to visit with him and his brother Marines and then watch them get on the buses to start their important but dangerous 7-month mission to seek out and clear the enemy out of several vital areas and cities in southern Afghanistan. Nicholas is 21 years old and is a Class of 2006 graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School. He fought in Iraq last year, and thanks to his brother Marines, returned home safe for Thanksgiving. He now joins fellow DYRHS class of 2006 classmates, Marine Cpl. Andrew Coville and Marine Lance Cpl. John Tibbetts as part of the historic Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan. All 3 fought together in Iraq and now in Afghanistan.
We look forward to all of the Marines accomplishing their mission and their safe return this Christmas?that will be the best Christmas present ever!!!
– Steven, Lisa, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Ashlynne Xiarhos
– Yarmouthport, Massachusetts