'Army Wife' Remains Strong, Earns Degree at John A. Logan College

As Victoria Legere-King, 23, clutched the latest photo taken of her young family, she pictured in her mind what it will be like on May 16th when she graduates from John A. Logan College.

Victoria Legere-King, 23, holds the latest photo taken of her young family.

"I see the most happy time," Victoria smiled. "I will be so proud to be able to accept my diploma in front of my husband and daughter. I can't fully put into words what it will mean to me to have him back home. I'm ecstatic."

As it stands, Victoria's husband, Daniel J. King, Jr., will be on hand at the college graduation, fresh from battlefields of Baghdad, Iraq, where the 21-year-old serves as a combat medic with the United States Army. When he returns, it will be the first time in nearly a year that Victoria and the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Alexia, have seen their soldier.

Victoria keeps her fingers tightly crossed because as an "Army Wife" she has suffered a number of let downs in the past. In the military, especially with those serving their country in Iraq, plans can change quickly.

"One of the hardest things for me to do was to understand that in the position my husband is in right now, the Army has to come first," Victoria said. "What he is doing in Iraq - saving the lives of others - is most important."

In some ways, she said, taking college classes has been therapeutic, helping her to focus on more than just the danger her husband faces in a war that has taken the lives of more than 4,000 military personnel.

"Sometimes it is just very overwhelming because I know so many things can happen so quickly over there," Victoria said. "I know that it is a very dangerous place. Recently, I went a week without hearing from him - the longest I had ever gone without hearing from him - and I was a nervous wreck. There are days I get so upset that I cannot leave the house, but I am very proud of him and I just trust in him and his training that it will be alright."

Victoria and Daniel are high school sweethearts from Manchester, New Hampshire. They moved to southern Illinois in 2005. Victoria has family members living in Carbondale. In 2006, Daniel began his military career.

Victoria will receive an Associate of Arts degree from John A. Logan College. Following graduation, she will move to Kansas with her daughter and attend Kansas State. She hopes to become a child psychologist and work with abused children.

At Logan, Victoria said she has had only good experiences. She praised her speech instructor, Laura Warfel, for inspiring her to stay in school and remain committed to obtaining a degree. "She was very inspirational to me," Victoria said. "She taught me a lot about speech, and also a lot about life."

Overall, Victoria said, she is very proud of her family. "My husband is doing so many great things each day in Iraq, and I am also very proud of what I am accomplishing here too. We are both doing what we feel is necessary to be good people and to provide for our daughter," she said.

At the end of the day, Victoria said, she finds it impossible to watch the news or read a newspaper. "You just can't let your mind focus on all the bad things happening that you will find in the news," Victoria said. "I keep busy with my homework and raising our daughter and wait anxiously to hear from my husband. I can only imagine the relief I will be able to feel for awhile when we are together again and I have that diploma in my hand."