WATERLOO - The Cedar Valley has received a Christmas card from a member of Waterloo's Marine Reserve C Battery unit in Iraq.

"I can tell you we are all well on this wonderful Christmas Day," Marine Reserve Staff Sgt. Arthur Roeding wrote in a e-mail to The Courier.

He reports the unit had a "Chem-light, instead of candlelight, vigil" at a Christmas Eve service, "which made us feel the absence of all our family and friends." A Chem-light is a stick with a chemical in it that glows when broken in two.

"We are all very homesick and are counting the days until we come home," Roeding wrote. The unit, Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 14th Marines, was called to active duty in June and deployed to Iraq this fall after training in California. They have been "in country" about 90 days.

"We are all very grateful for all the support we have received in regard to care packages that we have received from many support groups and churches around the state," Roeding wrote. One of those organizations, Iowa's Bravest, a group of John Deere workers and others based in Waterloo, sent out more than 450 package to the C Battery and various other troops.

"Glad to hear that you all will be having a white Christmas," Roeding wrote. "We are having fall-like weather here at the current time, mid-50s during the day and 30s at night. No snow yet, but the wet season is upon us as we all have had a few wet days here in Fallujah.

"As you may have seen on the news, we got a surprise visit from Secretary of Defense (Donald) Rumsfeld a couple days ago," Roeding continued. "It was very motivating to see him and listen to him tell us about the gains we have made here, that will help reduce troops from being deployed to Iraq. That is our mission here, to improve the Iraq army and life of all the Iraqi people, so they may live a better life and support and defend their own country.

"Our first 90 days have been safe for all our Marines from Waterloo, and we continue to support our commander in chief (President Bush) for being here," Roeding wrote. "Our mission of (being) provisional MPs (military police) to this point has been very successful as we look forward to more safe days ahead."

Roeding sent his e-mail in response to an inquiry by The Courier.

The Courier contacted Roeding after he sent a "soundoff" response to a current Courier online poll. The poll asked readers how they would spend New Year's Eve.

Staff Sgt Roeding wrote simply, "I will be spending New Year's Eve defending our country in Iraq."

Roeding is a 1987 graduate of East High School. He has been in the Marine Reserve 17 years and is a veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. He was part of the Waterloo Marine detachment, then Delta Battery, that served during that war.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com.