The Fourth of July started perfectly for Ashley Chitwood because her telephone rang.
For the first time in a week, she heard the voice of her husband, U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Kevin Chitwood, calling from 7,000 miles away in Afghanistan.
“It can be two or three weeks at a time when they’re on a mission,” she said. “I’m much luckier than some.”
Later Mrs. Chitwood stood at the Chattanooga Market coordinating an effort for the Family Readiness Group, which hauls in donations and materials to send to troops abroad. By the time the market wrapped up at 4 p.m., hundreds of household items surrounded the booth.