EATON RAPIDS – One day in late March, Kelley Rose’s cell phone rang. It was the Army. Her husband, Spc. Johnny Rose, a medic attached to an infantry unit, had been injured in an explosion in Ramadi, Iraq. How bad he was hurt was unclear.
“The people in the gym swarmed around me, “said Rose, who lives in Eaton Rapids with their two children, Owen, 4, and Isabella, 2. “They said, ‘Do what you have to do. Don’t worry about your kids; we’ll take care of them.’ At that point, I had known them a whole week.”
As it turned out, Spc. Rose’s helmet took most of the punishment. He suffered burns on his face and neck but was able to call his wife that night and reassure her that he was OK.
That crisis ended, but the instant extended family that materialized around Kelley Rose that day is still with her.
“It makes me cry just to think about how great they’ve been, “she said.
Show of support
If you were to describe a support system for a family like the Roses, you wouldn’t automatically think of wrestling. But the Everett Wrestling Club, Kelley Rose said, has been her family’s salvation.
Spc. Rose has been in Iraq for nearly a year. The absence has been particularly hard on Owen.
It became clear to Rose that the boy needed something to focus on other than the void in his life.
During one of her frequent e-mail exchanges with her husband, she asked him for advice.
A former wrestler, he told his wife she might look for a wrestling club that accepted 4-year-olds.
Rose found the Everett Wrestling Club on the Internet and e-mailed an inquiry.
Coach Steve Delaney II responded and also wrote to Spc. Rose in Iraq.
Within a few days, Owen was at his first practice.
Participation in the club has become, in Kelley Rose’s words, the family’s salvation. It’s been a healthy diversion, a morale booster, a social outlet and a solid rock.
“If a group of people can give somebody hope … well, that’s what the club has done for us, “she said.
Although Delaney is the Everett High School varsity wrestling coach, the Everett Wrestling Club is separate from the school.
It’s a freestyle wrestling club open to all. The wrestlers compete in weekend tournaments against similar clubs in the state.
The alarming call from the Army came during Owen’s first meet, which was in Grand Ledge.
“Since then, the support hasn’t stopped, “Rose said, adding that her husband told her that even the tone of her voice has changed since she became involved in the club.
“He calls the club, ‘the saints,’ ” she said.
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