http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_563_Left_Behind.mp3 When Joshua Bertelson was 9 his father was serving in Iraq for the second time. Joshua talks to Dick about coping with his dad's absence. Plone 2.0 http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_563_Left_Behind.mp3/logo.jpg http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_563_Left_Behind.mp3 <h4>Left Behind</h4><p class="imageleft"><img class="image-left" src="resolveuid/feae42d05b4db76109c3b3f122466639" alt="Joshua Cari Maryann" height="305" width="100" />Joshua Bertelson, Cari Bertelson, and Maryann Williams</p><p>When Joshua Bertelson <a title="Left Behind" href="resolveuid/2411948a12a07e78f512329d13b9e615" target="_self">first spoke</a> with Dick Gordon, he was 9 years old. His dad, an Army medic, had just been sent to Iraq for the second time. According to a Pentagon study, nearly 180,000 children have a parent serving overseas.</p><p>Now that Barack Obama and John McCain are talking about appropriate troop levels for missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, Josh's story continues to have resonance: what effect does the prolonged absence of a military parent have on a child?</p><p>Josh talks to Dick about how hard it is not having his dad around.  They're joined later by Josh's mom, Cari, and one of his teachers, Maryann Williams.<br /></p><ul><li><p>See <a title="Bret Bertelson's homecoming" href="resolveuid/b3949bc27a37f2e7701ea38806f1cfdd" target="_self">pictures of the family</a> when Josh's dad, Bret, returned from his deployment</p></li></ul><a class="addbtn" href="http://www.publicradio.org/applications/formbuilder/user/form_display.php?form_code=608cc948ba9b" target="_self">Contact Us</a> Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:00:00