Friday, May 21, 2010
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Corinn Sanders has Buddy (left) and Ginger to keep her company while her husband Mem is away. He is a Senior Ariman in the U.S. Airforce and is currently serving in Iraq.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Though her husband is in Iraq, Corinn Sanders is able to see him more than four times a week. They communicate through Skype, an online communication service.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Corinn Sanders is awaiting the return of her husband, Mem, who is currently deployed to Iraq. They married in August and were high school sweethearts.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Loved ones who are thousands of miles away can be reached from the simple click of a mouse.
Austintown residents Mem and Corinn Sanders, who tied the knot in August, didn’t get to spend much time together as newlyweds. Mem was called March 6 for a six-month tour in Iraq. He is a Senior Airman in the U.S. Air Force and this is his first deployment.
Though the two are separated by thousands of miles, Corinn sees him more than four times a week through an online networking service called Skype.
Skype eliminates the need for phone calls. It allows recipients to see and talk to each other via a web camera. It is a free service that enables people to stay in touch, regardless of the distance.
“I can’t imagine what they did back in the day like during Vietnam, just hoping and waiting to get a letter.” she said. “I get to actually see him and see his emotions and everything that he is going through.”
Corinn said she sees and talks to Mem every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. If she is not home to talk to him from her computer, he calls her cell phone through Skype.
“I try to plan my day around when I can talk to him,” Corinn said.
Both attended Fitch High School and began dating at the end of Corinn’s freshman year which was the end of Mem’s junior year. Mem joined the Air Force right after high school, which was difficult for Corinn because she was so young.
“It was hard for me because I was still in high school and he missed a lot of the school dances and activities,” she said.
She wasn’t able to talk to Mem much while he was going through basic training, but when he returned home it was as if he never left.
Corinn is an employee at Ace Diamond and Jewelry Brokers in Boardman where she unknowingly chose her engagement ring.
“We had talked about it and he told me to pick out a ring that I like, and I did,” she said. “I thought nothing of it.”
Time went by and Corinn had forgotten about her selection until she found Mem in her grandparent’s garage on one knee asking her to be his wife.
Mem will be returning to the States in September and is planning on purchasing a new house. This is his eighth year as an airman and he plans to retire from the military.
“I can’t wait until he comes home, I’m sure we will have a big welcome home party for him,” Corinn said.