They work together. They laugh together. They cry together.

They all work in the patient accounts departments at Covenant Medical Center or Covenant Clinic.

But their bond is more than a place of business. They share more than a suite of offices in the Kimball Ridge building, the old Schoitz Hospital.

All of them have a loved one in the military. Almost all of those loved ones have served, are serving or will serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.

They figured their common bond just through office conversation, or through the grapevine. Some didn't know they had loved ones in the same outfit - the Marine Reserve C Battery - until they showed up at a troop sendoff picnic.

"It's like a family" said Sue Gress, whose son, U.S. Marine Reserve Pfc. Corey Gress, also is with C Battery.

The soldiers need "positive reinforcement" from people back home, said Monique Walters of Waterloo, whose husband, brother and cousin are all serving. "All we hear are the negative things."

Toward that end, one member of the group, Gress, got involved with Iowa's Bravest, a project which began with a group of John Deere workers who have been sending gift packages of snacks, toiletries and CDs and other items to troops with local ties, practically since the Iraq war began in the spring of 2003.

Members of Iowa's Bravest, which have seen public interest in its project ebb and flow, are selling patriotic flags to raise funds to buy packages for the troops, to send out for Christmas. They're also looking for donations of items and cash for boxes, and volunteers to package them this fall.

Gress and her co-workers at Covenant share some anxiety. But they also share pride in their loved ones - a pride they believe their friends and neighbor share.

"As far as my son-in-law, we're very proud of him," said Diane Bedard of Washburn, whose son-in-law. Sgt. Matthew Wagner is part of C Battery of the local U.S. Marine Reserve unit now training at Twentynine Palms, Calif., prior to deploying to Iraq. "He truly believes in what he's doing. We tell him how much we support him."

"They don't expect anybody to give them an award. It's their job. They volunteered to do it. It goes back to duty," Walters said. Her husband George is with the Naval Reserve in Dubuque; her brother, First Sgt. Donald Pint, is an intelligence officer in Arizona; and her cousin, Staff Sgt. Michael J. Smith, is with the Iowa Army National Guard 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry based in Oelwein and about to be deployed to Iraq, the units second call to active duty in three years.

The numbers are growing. "I don't have the anxiety some of these gals come to me with, but it's always disconcerting when you hear more and more, when you have more contact, more people that are sending people over. It's hard. But you support them. You support whatever they need to do," said Michelle Olsen of Winthrop. Her son, Sgt. Keith Wieland, is in a legal support organization attached to a mechanized infantry division in Fort Riley, Kansas.

"You feel anxiety and you feel fear, because you don't know what may or may not happen," Walters said. "But I think at the same time, you feel very proud. I know I am very proud of my cousin, my brother and as well as my husband, to do what they do."

It's the second tour of duty for Marine Gunnery Sgt. David Schares of Gilbertville, brother of Donna Schmitz of La Porte City. "My brother was in Desert Storm," in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, she said. "He was actually supposed to retire here in a couple months. But he wanted to go over there. Those are his boys."

With the call up of 600 Iowa Army National Guard troops with the Waterloo-based 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, in addition to the Marine Reserve C Battery, Iowa's Bravest co-organizers anticipate a challenge accommodating all those troops.

But not if people like Gress can help it. She jumped in with both feet. She's sold 50 flags already. Covenant itself has agreed to help pay postage for the boxes. And Gress hopes to enlist her colleagues to help with the project..

"I haven't talked to them about it yet, but I'm sure I can twist some arms," Gress said, getting a big laugh out of her co-workers.

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