War and a piece of cake

Deepa Bharath

A cake made with Meal Ready to Eat boxes may not seem too appealing

to many.

But that’s just what Cpl. Bryan Bergey got from his fellow marines

on his 23rd birthday bash in the Kuwaiti desert.

The Corona del Mar reservist was deployed in February. He has

since e-mailed home several photos, including one showing how his

resourceful buddies made him a “cake” with pieces of bread slathered

in chocolate sauce and decorated with M & Ms for his Feb. 28

birthday. They also remembered to stick a bunch of matches on top of

the cake instead of candles.

His parents, Pam and Scott Bergey, said they were delighted to see

the pictures. The last they heard from Bryan was almost a month ago

when he gave them a surprise phone call on a Sunday morning.

“He actually traded a pair of combat boots for a 20-minute phone

call with some British soldiers who had a satellite phone,” said

Scott Bergey, himself a former marine and army officer. “He’s a

typical good marine. He’s resourceful.”

Pam Bergey said hearing his voice and seeing his pictures gave her

some reassurance.

“Except,” she said, “there was this one photo of him sleeping with

his gas mask on and a machine gun by his side. That was kind of

emotional -- to see my first-born child surrounded by such danger.”

But Bergey added that her son had made a lot of friends.

“He told us it’s like having 1,000 brothers,” she said.

Bryan had his heart set on becoming marine. Enrolling in the

Marine Corps was the first thing he did after graduating from Corona

del Mar High School in 1998. He spent four years in the corps and got

out last summer, but got reactivated in January and was deployed

right away as part of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion

of the Alpha Company’s 2nd Platoon.

His job is basically that of a scout who watches out for any

danger, including those posed by the enemy such as land mines and

hazards presented by the hostile desert.

“He’s pretty excited about it,” Scott Bergey said.

He said they lost touch with Bryan completely once the war began.

“We know for sure he’s in Iraq now,” his father said. “Probably in

downtown Baghdad, who knows.”

They are also glued to the television, which can get a little

crazy at times, Pam Bergey said.

“I also have a 16-year-old daughter at home,” she said. “So I try

not to keep the news channel on all the time, so things seem a little

bit normal for her.”

Scott Bergey said he is proud of his son.

“I know he will do good with all those good soldiers around him,”

he said. “I know he’s safe.”

His mother, although worried, said her son “wanted to be there.”

“If he had a choice, he’d want to go,” she said. “He has a job to

do and his heart is in the right place.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].