Michelle Chandler risks her life every day as a firefighter in Prince Georges County, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. But as a member of the Maryland Air National Guard waiting to find out whether she ships out to the Persian Gulf, Chandler faces an even tougher job: leaving her 19-month-old daughter. A single mother, she depends on her family to look after her daughter while she is on military duty. “I don’t worry about where she is or what she’s doing—my family and her father’s family are very supportive. What I do worry about is my coming home safely to her.” 

This will be the third tour of duty in the Persian Gulf for Chandler, who joined the Air National Guard after four years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. While in the Air Force, Chandler, 31, was stationed in Saudi Arabia. This past January, she spent a month in Kuwait helping U.S. forces prepare for the war effort.

“I want to protect our freedom. No one wants to go to war, but we’re trained to do this. If we are there, we will do our job,” she says. “When I joined the military, I didn’t expect to fight a war. But everything changed dramatically after Sept. 11. I want to do what I can to support my country.”

A member of the Fire Fighters, Chandler says her union actively supports and protects the rights of reservists and National Guard members like her who serve their country. “I thought the union would just make a phone call to see if everything was in order for my deployment,” she says. “But the president of my local went to my lieutenant personally to make sure there were no administrative problems and that I got what I needed. I am very thankful.”

Union members also help keep tabs on her daughter, calling up family members to find out if she needs anything while Chandler is away. “They’re like another family. It definitely makes a difference that they care so much. It comes from a camaraderie and closeness that you develop when you risk your lives together like we do and you have to depend on your co-workers to save your life.” 

In the end, Chandler says, going to war means a lot more now that she has a daughter. “She’s my main concern. I’m trying to make the world a better place for her and to make sure that she has the same opportunities that I had.”