By Tom O'Neill
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Aaron Norton traded Turkey for ham. For many Greater Cincinnatians serving in the military, especially those overseas, "home for the holidays" is a phrase they try not to dwell on.

For a fortunate few, however, including the 21-year-old Air Force Airman Norton, his Blue Ash home is where the ham is - his mother Cheryl's traditional Christmas ham. And mashed potatoes. Real mashed, not that military stuff.

"It's really good to be in a country that celebrates Christmas," said Mr. Norton, who until Dec. 8 was deployed for four months in Adana, Turkey. "And it's good just to be around people who really care about you, your family."

It's a feeling that resonates throughout the burgeoning network of local families with loved ones serving in the military.

"It's just a present" having him home, said Mr. Norton's mother, whose 11-year-old daughter Kelsey had but one big thing on her Christmas list: It was for her older brother to come home for the holidays.

Airman Norton, a 2000 Sycamore High School grad, had to leave Sunday for Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, where he is stationed.

The Nortons celebrated Christmas on Saturday. Complete with a broccoli casserole. It was a far cry from Turkey, where Mr. Norton spent 110 days working as an armaments specialist.

"They really don't like Americans too much," he recalled, "but the culture is very Americanized. They love our money, clothes, music. ... But it's completely different. The shops were right out of Indiana Jones, crappy, dusty. And no trees."

The best perk of his deployment in Turkey, he said, was the visit his unit received from Robin Williams.

"He just came in, shook everybody's hand," he said. "He put on a three-hour show in a hangar. He was hysterical. He gave every single person a hug. When he asked us questions, he looked at us and listened. A really cool, good guy."

But it wasn't home.

The O'Connors of Hyde Park got half their wish.

Their son, Christopher, 30, a Marine sergeant, flew in Friday night from his base in Pensacola, Fla.

But his brother, Michael, 28, serving in the Army, remains in Germany this holiday season.

"If (only) we could have 'em both," their mother, Ethel O'Connor, said Monday. "That would be greedy, I guess."

Christopher O'Connor, a Roger Bacon High School grad, returned in August from a deployment in the Mideast. He was aboard an aircraft carrier at sea.

He wasn't sure he'd be home for Christmas, which he'll spend with his wife and two young children at his parents' home.

"It's great. I missed the last two Christmases," he said. "We're ready for Santa."

His brother, Michael, a Purcell Marian High grad, is likely to be deployed to the Mideast by the first of the year, his mother said.

"You pray," Mrs. O'Connor said. "I go to Mass and pray. ... Even though you're scared to death, we're proud of them."

The O'Connor Christmas on Wednesday will hold no special events. Just being together, Mrs. O'Connor said, is Christmas present enough.

The McCauleys of Wyoming and the Eckerts of the Montgomery area should be so lucky.

Jennifer McCauley's son, Ryan, is a 27-year-old Naval officer stationed in Hawaii. There's a chance he might be able to come home soon, but Christmas is out.

"We miss him, but we know what his mission is," Mrs. McCauley said. "We're proud of his commitment. He was aboard the Carl Vinson on 9-11. Anything that happens now, we're thrilled. He's safe."

Deb Eckert still worries, even though her son Chad has returned safely from a Mideast deployment this year and is now stationed in Jacksonville, Fla. She's going to visit him there soon.

But for now, "It's hard not being able to see your child," she said.

Or being that child. "I was gone for Halloween and Thanksgiving," Airman Norton said. "That was terrible. And last Christmas I was in basic (training).

"I don't wish that on anybody," he said. "It's great to be home."

E-mail toneill@enquirer.com