Mother Of Army Nurse Hanging Yellow Ribbons To Back Bosnia Troops

Yellow ribbons were everywhere during the Persian Gulf War.

They adorned telephone poles, mailboxes, fence posts and trees in front yards throughout the United States.

They were meant to show support for U.S. troops fighting the forces of Saddam Hussein in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq.

Now, yellow ribbons are cropping up again in the Spokane Valley.

The Ponderosa pine trees in front of seven homes near the corner of McDonald Road and Semro Avenue are currently festooned with the yellow plastic bands.

These ribbons, too, are meant to show support for U.S. troops, this time the ones enforcing a peace accord in Bosnia.

The ribbons of Mike and Carol Bray, who started the Semro-McDonald trend, are meant to honor a particular soldier who probably will be deployed to the war-ravaged Balkans in the next month or so.

“I have these yellow ribbons because I’ve got a daughter headed to Bosnia,” said Carol Bray, whose daughter Samantha Ruben is an Army nurse.

Ruben, a 24-year-old first lieutenant and a graduate of University High School, was recently transferred from her home base in Germany to Hungary and is awaiting orders to Tuzla, Bosnia, her mother said.

Bray said the family got the news just before Christmas.

“That put a real dent in our Christmas activities,” she added.

Shortly thereafter, Bray said she remembered the ribbon campaign of the Persian Gulf War and bought some ribbons to go up alongside her Christmas decorations.

She said she hopes the idea takes off like it did back in 1991.

“My hope is to see it go across the country,” Bray said. “These are our kids, our sons and daughters. Whether you agree with them being over there or not, we should all hope and pray for their safe return.”

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