Perspective: The phone is always on

Lance Cpl. Benjamin Ford reacts last week moments after an insurgent shot at his unit

MONROE -- Denise Ford ignores requests to shut off her cell phone at the doctor's office and at movie theaters. When she leaves home, she forwards her calls. She drives back home if she forgets her phone.

"You are paranoid about missing a call," Denise said.

Denise's son Ben, 21, is in Iraq.

Denise is no stranger to the military, having served in the Air Force for five years in the 1980s. But that doesn't stop her from worrying.

Her son, Ben, a Marine lance corporal, has been near Haditha, Iraq since late last year, serving with the Second Battalion, Third Marines, Echo Company. It is his second deployment.

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