Holiday Trouble for Soldier`s Family

The past few months have been hard enough for the families of American soldiers. And for many of them, it`s about to get harder with the holidays on the way. One military family says their budget is already strained, so there`s not much left for additional holiday spending. In February, Tammy Ragland`s husband, Sergeant Ricky Ragland, left with the Army Reserves 489th Engineer Battalion. He`s now in Tikrit. Tammy says when he was working as a self-employed drywall contractor, he made 2-1 1/2 times more than what he makes away at war. And she says every cent counts when caring for their seven children. "Probably close to $2,000 more a month...Right now the money that comes in basically pays the bills and groceries," said Ragland. She says they may have to cut back on presents this year and get more help from relatives. And she knows a couple of other families in that unit with the same problem. But leaders with the Battalion say this doesn`t happen regularly when soldiers are deployed. The change in income depends on the reservist`s rank and their jobs on deployment--compared with their jobs at home. But they say, the Family Readiness Office is available for when it does happen. Ragland says her husband`s unit isnt` expected home until June.