Jeffrey Semrow stands with his wife Sharon Semrow who holds a picture of herself and President George W. Bush, taken after receiving a national award for her volunteer efforts.

Many of us don’t know the heartache of seeing a loved one go off to war.

But in September of 2004, Sharon Semrow said goodbye to her husband when he left for Iraq, along with nearly 300 other family members of Fox Company 2nd Battalion 24th Marine Company soldiers.

While their loved ones were far away, family members often found it difficult making it through days that soon turned into months.

At times connecting with each other provided needed support. Semrow, who lives in Mukwonago, played a key part to that communication, serving as the key volunteer coordinator for Fox Company.

Her tireless efforts to help others involved with Fox Company were recognized by President George W. Bush himself. Semrow received the 2004-2005 Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW) Military Family Member Volunteer Service Award, a national award she was nominated for by the Mukwonago VFW Post 7221.

In addition, she also received the President’s Volunteer Service Award in May, accepting the award from President Bush personally. Though the meeting was brief, it was a moment Semrow won’t soon forget. "I could see the kindness in his eyes, but it was very surreal," she laughs. "We only met for a few moments, but he really took every moment to listen to what I had to say as if we were the only two people in the room."

Though she had no idea of the impact she would make when she volunteered for the key volunteer coordinator (KVC) position in 1997, Semrow admits being involved while her husband, Gunnery Sgt. Jeffrey Semrow, was in Iraq, helped keep her grounded. "There’s something therapeutic about helping others," she explains.

For Fox Company, Semrow served as the backbone of the family support network as she helped oversee a group of volunteers who assisted family members of those serving in Iraq. When Fox Company was called to active duty, one of the first things Semrow needed to do was arrange a phone tree. It may sound simple enough, but Semrow soon learned what an important job the phone tree was to keep the family members of soldiers in contact for overall support and to keep them aware of special events and holiday parties etc.

"That was a really big task because there are about 150 Marines in Fox Company and I had to compile a list of parents, spouses, girlfriends etc., and that quickly added up to 300 names I needed addresses and phone numbers for," she explains.

Another way for families to keep in touch was the Yahoo! message board that Semrow also helped create. Serving much like a support group, the message board became a way for family members to talk, share stories and relay messages from loved ones in Iraq.

"Sometimes someone would say they heard from their husband, boyfriend etc., and they’d tell you that your husband or son says ‘hi’ and he’s doing fine; it wasn’t much, but it was something, and that always made you feel better," she says.

While their father was away things were also difficult for the six Semrow children who range in age from nearly 2 to 14 years. Though the kids held up well for the most part, Semrow says holidays and birthdays were difficult. To help keep him close in spirit, Semrow says she and the children talked about her husband nightly and prayed for his safe return.

Then, on April 9, Jeff Semrow and Fox Company did come home.

"It was the best day, to just see him walking toward us," she recalls. "He tried to pick up as many of the kids as he could all at once and they just kept touching him just to make sure he was really there."

Though her duties have slowed down since the soldiers of Fox Company have come home, Semrow says the experience truly changed her life. "If you had talked to me a year ago, I couldn’t tell you how I would make it through something like this; I still don’t know how we made it through with him gone so long. You just take one day at time because you have no choice but to get through it."