Unity among four staff members at the Burke Conservancy begins with the "Support Our Troops" poster on the office door, adorned with pictures of military loved ones stationed in Iraq.
Although the women were united by their work at the conservancy, Heidi Bullock noted the bond that had formed after national tragedies. She compares the war in Iraq to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
"A tragedy like that will bring you together anyway," Bullock said.
Bullock's neice Judilynn Lilly is about to marry Staff Sgt. Ron Wolfe, a Marine over in the action on the way to Baghdad. He's on the poster. Wolfe is in the same unit as Cpl. Dustin Luttrell, who is also on the poster. He's the brother of Janette Luttrell who mans the front desk at the conservancy. Janette Luttrell graduated from Robinson Secondary School in 2000 and her brother graduated from the same school a few years before that.
Also on the poster is Air Force Sgt. Chris Basilio, brother of conservancy employee Lynn Denny, and helicopter pilot January Slyh, brother of conservancy inspector Michele Crivello.
As an officer, Slyh has access to e-mail and has been able to send messages home.
"I just got an e-mail," Crivello said. "They're on their way."
Basilio is stationed in Oman, a country on the Persian Gulf. He's a medical technician away from the front lines.
"As things progress, he may end up going forward," Denny said.
Basilio shipped out Dec. 11 and was thankful that he spent Thanksgiving with family.
Bullock and Luttrell's Marines are followed by correspondent Oliver North with Fox News. Although they know little about the whereabouts of the unit, whenever they see North on television, they know the Marines are not too far from that location. They watch the television news every night.
"They're getting ready to get in the thick of it," Bullock said. "We're always updating each other."
Luttrell noted that contact has been minimal since her brother shipped off in January.
"My mom received a letter that was written March 4 but that was it," she said.
She wasn't surprised at the lack of information. Before he left, the details were vague as well.
"For months, all he could say was they're waiting for the word," she said.
THE POSTER on the conservancy door unites the staff as well as advertises a "care package" program the women are embarking on. After contacting a Marine mothers' group, via the Internet, the women started a local drive to assemble packages of necessities for the troops in the field. The box has only a few items in it so far, but they are just starting to get the word out.
"When we get enough stuff in, we'll send it," Bullock said.
A yellow ribbon also adorns a tree in front of the conservancy to show support for the overseas military personnel.