Speaking of selfless acts of kindness, imagine how lonely it can be to be in the military and away from families and friends during the holiday season. Imagine not being there to see the kids eyes light up when they first spy the presents under the tree on Christmas day. Imagine missing their birthdays, family reunions, or just being there to comfort your child when they fall and scrape his or her knee. Then imagine the place you are posted to is Iraq. Iraq, not exactly the safest place to be if you are in the US military right now.
Trying to be as fair as possible, and realizing not everyone could be home for Christmas, a New Jersey Army National Guard unit held a lottery to determine who would be the lucky few to be where all of them yearned to be. Specialist Jonathan Hinker, husband and father of a seven-year-old, got a number way too high to realistically have a chance of going home. So you can probably imagine the disappointment he must of felt. To be away in a foreign land where not everyone is overjoyed to have you there. To miss the family festivities. To not be able to hold his wife and son.
However, another Specialist by the name of James Presnall drew a high enough number to go home. But instead of thinking of all of the things he could do with his family, he decided to give up his ticket home and allow Hinker to go instead.
Presnall, a 20-year-old Galloway Township native who is not married, had planned to spend his leave with his parents, Howard and Toni Presnall. While disappointed about not seeing their son, they were overjoyed to learn of their son's selfless act.
"We told him we'd love to see him, but we are proud of him for doing this for a guy with a wife and young child," Toni Presnall said. While she and her husband saw Buffi Hinker at weekly meetings held for the unit members' families, they never told her what had happened because Jonathan Hinker -- who came home on Monday -- wanted to surprise his wife.
Buffi Hinker, a secretary for the Lower Township Police Department, has also been running the family limousine business since her husband shipped out in April. While doing all that work and caring for a young child leaves her little free time, she is not complaining.
"They (American troops) are doing something that's very important, so I'm able to go without a lot of sleep and get it done," she said. "It means everything to me that my son considers (his father) a hero. My husband wouldn't be the man he is if he didn't do this."
