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HOMETOWN HERO: Spc. Mama

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Military service often calls fathers, sons, uncles and brothers.
One soldier from Bland County, though, answers to the name Mama.
Spc. Denita Harden, a 2002 Bland High School graduate, just returned to Bland in early September from a year-long deployment to Kuwait.
During her time overseas, Harden’s young daughter, Laura, went from being a toddling tot to a talkative 3-year-old.
“Being over there, it was being away from my family,” Harden responded when asked about the hardest part of her deployment.
Harden’s work days weren’t easy either. She said she often pulled a 12-hour shift doing “a little bit of everything.”
Ironically, Harden traveled halfway around the world and wound up back in Virginia. Her U.S. Army Reserve unit, from the 99th RRC’s 811th Ordnance Company based out of Rainelle, W. Va., was stationed at Camp Virginia in Kuwait.
Although Harden completed a number of tasks, her main job involved processing ammunition.
“I helped a coalition with the storing of ammo,” she said, adding that many of the weapons eventually were used in Iraq.
Harden is a single mom, so while she was in Kuwait her mother, Rita Harden, became Laura’s primary caregiver. Denita’s father, Denny Harden passed away in 1994.
“It was kind of rough while she was gone,” Rita said. “[Laura] didn’t understand why Uncle Sam took her mommy away.”
Nevertheless, Rita said both mother and daughter managed to make it through the year. She said that they were able to communicate through a Webcam with Denita so Laura could see her mom’s face and that Denita also was able to make occasional phone calls back home.
Rita added that she received lots of help from Denita’s younger sister, Madeline, who – when she wasn’t busy with her college studies –helped to take care of Laura.
Watching her granddaughter was eerily similar to taking care of her daughter, Rita said.
“It was just like raising Denita all over again,” Rita said, although she added that Denita claims she spoils Laura more than she ever spoiled Denita.
Although military service took her away from her family, family was also an important factor in Denita’s decision to join the Army Reserve.
She said she grew up among relatives who told stories about serving their country. One of her grandfathers served in World War II and her older brother, Wythe County native Sammy Lee Stoots, fought in Desert Storm.
“I’m just going to carry on the tradition,” she said.
Denita added that she plans to stick with the Army, and she hopes to make a move to a more advanced position. She said the diversity of people she gets to meet is one of the main enjoyments she gets out of military life.
Her experiences have even convinced some of her friends to consider military service.
“Since I’ve come back, I’ve had a lot of friends that have thought about joining,” Denita said.
Rita said she worried about Denita while she was in Kuwait, but that she supports her decision to serve.
“I was raised where we didn’t down the military or anything like that,” Rita said.
While Denita was deployed, though, Rita said she mostly tried to not think about the danger of her daughter’s activities.
“I wouldn’t hardly watch the news,” she said. “I just couldn’t handle some of the stuff they show.”
Now three generations of Harden women are back together in Bland, happy to be united once again.
“She’s a really good young ’un,” Rita said about her granddaughter. “And her mama’s done good with her…I’m just glad to have her home.”
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or .