SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a Utah Marine serving in Afghanistan got an early Christmas on Thursday, thanks to a face-to-face visit over satellite.
What's Lance Cpl. Adrian Thayne's first Christmas away from home going to be like? "I guess it's like anyone else out here. We miss home, miss home cooking. But we're out here to do a job and we're doing it," he said during the Thursday morning interview.
Adrian Thayne is one of about 100 deployed service members scheduled for live satellite media interviews during the week before Christmas by the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System. KSL-TV responded to an invitation to interview the soldier, then let his family know about the interview so they could participate.
KSL's Carole Mikita let the Marine's parents and two of his sisters ask many of the questions.
"Do you have a Christmas tree?" his mom, Gina Thayne, asked. "Did your Christmas package get there? What do you want to work on when you get home?" his dad, Dennis Thayne, wanted to know.
There is no Christmas tree and the Christmas package had not yet arrived, but Adrian Thayne said he is looking forward to working on his truck with his dad when he gets home.
"It was very emotional for me," his sister Markie Smith said, after seeing and talking with her brother. "We've only talked to him on the phone. That's not the same as actually seeing him," his dad said.
Dori Myers, another of the soldier's sisters, said time zone differences make visits over Facebook rather disconnected. "It's really great to see him," she said. "I'm really proud of him."
The 25-year-old Utahn is among a group of 100 hailing from Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 — the Sandsharks — who left their duty station in Arizona on Sept. 2 for a seven-month tour. Adrian Thayne is stationed at an air base where he fuels Marine jets, a job where the hazards include putting volatile fuel in hot aircraft — and driving out in the open, in vehicles that make very explosive targets.
Gina Thayne said she only found out about the interview two days ago. The family rearranged work schedules and moved their Christmas plans to Thursday since the family was going to be together for the interview.
"Our Christmas dinner will be this afternoon. Today is our Christmas," she said.
The Marine's mom said she and her daughters are also working on a project to get care packages to the other Marines deployed with her son. She said they ran an "Adopt a Marine" advertisement on KSL.com and asked for donations for the care packages. "We've had a good response," she said. Those packages will not be on their way before Christmas, but Gina Thayne said they should be headed to Afghanistan soon.
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