Mark Nielsen is a 32 year member of the Chicago Fire Department and is currently assigned as an Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner in the Bureau of Operations. His wife, Margaret is an emergency room nurse at a local Chicago hospital. Mark and Margaret have three children, Scott, Brett and Jill. Brett is a student at St. Patrick high school and enjoys hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors. Jill is a dedicated ballerina who attends ChiArts high school in the Brozeville neighborhood of Chicago. Scott is a USMC Corporal who will be ending his active duty military commitment soon. Scott plans to attend college and ultimately become a firefighter.
My Son: Boy. Man. Marine.
A Chicago Fireman Counts the Days Until His Son Returns From Deployment in Afghanistan
by Mark Nielsen
My Son: Boy. Man. Marine.
A Chicago Fireman Counts the Days Until His Son Returns From Deployment in Afghanistan
by Mark Nielsen
Published May 09, 2012
148 Pages
Genre: Non-Classifiable
Book Details
Scott has been in the hostile zone for a couple of days now, and we haven’t heard from him, nor do we expect to hear from him. I check out a website called “iCasualties Afghanistan” on a daily basis. Most columns in the database simply say “not yet reported,” so here I sit wondering if I’ll have the satisfaction of ever seeing my oldest son alive again. Lance Corporal Scott Nielsen was deployed to Afghanistan as a US Marine machine gunner from April to November of 2010. His father, Mark began keeping a journal to record his thoughts, the news, and the day to day happenings in his life during his son’s seven month absence. MY SON: BOY. MAN. MARINE is that journal. It gives us a glimpse into the life of a Marine who is fighting for our nation’s freedom in a far-off land, and it offers insight into the lives of the families who hold down the fort while waiting for their loved ones to come home.