two strangers have forged a special bond.READ!!!!!!

On Mother’s Day,2005,Beth Belle’s son Nicholas died in Afghanistan.That same day Leesa Philippon lost her son Lawrence in lraq.Once strangers,the two moms have forged a special bond.Driving in circles around Washington D.C,Beth Belle and Leesa Philippon are having one of their Lucy and Ethel moments.like a couple of zany pals on a road trip.Belle, a willowy, ebullient 52. And Philippon, 45.They laugh,enjoying their own ditziness.But the mood turns pensive as they pull through the gates of Arlington National Cemetery.They try to come every sunday.Belle winds her honda through the stirring expanse of more than 300,000 headstones.Presidents and Buck Privates,Celebrities and former Slaves,from the civil was to last week.In section 60 the friends park and walk to the end of a muddy aisle of graves, then bow their heads. On the left lies Belles son Marine Lance Corporal Nicholas C. Kirven, a practical joker so fashion conscioius his squad buddies nicknamed him paris; on the right, Philippons boy,Marine Lance Corporal Lawrence R. Philippon, a star hockey goalie in high school who carred the flag at Ronald Reagans funeral and quoted whole scenes from Forrest Gump.Both were shot and killed while leading assaults on insurgent hideouts-Nick,cut down at 21 in an Afghanmountain cave; Larry,22, machine gunned in the face near al-qa’im,Iraq.And both died may 8,2005. On mothers day that brutal coincidence is what brought Belle and Philippon together.The two live 350 miles apart,Belle in Fairfax,Va……Philippon in West Hartford Conn…, and never met before their sons were laid to rest,the day after she buried Larry, philippon noticed Nicks marker next to his and felt a connection with this fallen marines mother,whoever she might be. finding Belle through a newspaper web site,she called her and they began an e-mail correspondence.they formed a bond that is at once universal and singular two women who now spend christmases togther. Also call one another in the middle of the night when grief overwhelms sleep.”Losing a child is an actual physical pain,like you exhale but dont inhale again-your breath is gone.”says Belle.Belle recalls her 51st birthday,her first on without Nicholas.Her husband,Michael had tickets to a musical for the two of them and their other children,pride,25, and Joseph,16,”But Nicholas wasn’t there.Her birthday had been two weeks earlier,and she said she didn’t want to celebrate.Because we knew there would be no card or phone call from Nick or Larry that bithday or any more to come,forever.I could be completely honest with her and not feel guilty.”In lighter moments,they swap stories about the boys their frist day of school,first loose tooth,first moment in marine dress blues.Nicks room in the Belle’s airy Georgian home is just as he left it:soccor and backetball trophies,mounted bucks head,but alson,arrayed on a shelf over his bed, a Dickensian Christmas Village.”Even as a teenager Belle says he’d always tell us he loved us.”Always drawn to the military, her son joined up a month after 9/11.”Nicholas said,’I know you’re scared,but I’ll always be with you,”Belle says.He was sent to Afghanistan as an assault climber,scaling mountains and rooting out caves.”peole said,’You’re so lucky he’s going to afghanistan,”She adds, ruefully.”It’s safe there.”A little before 9 p.m. that night she went out to walk the dog.Thats when she saw a military familys most dreaded sight:two unifored men approaching the door.”I saw the silhousettes of their hats,and I ran in screaming,for Ray-I knew then and there,”she says.At the same time an eerily similar scene played out in Fairfaz.”All day I felt something wrong,”Belle says.”I hadn’t heard from Nicholas.I knew he’d do everything he could to call me for Mother’s Day.I kept checking my e-mail.Then at 8:57 p.m. the doorbell rang.They kept asking,’Are you Elizabeth Belle?I would’nt answer.I knew what they were going to tell me.”The fallen Marines were buried with full military honors.Nicholas on may 16,Larry the next day.When Philippon saq Nicks marker,she posted a message to the Belles’ page on Legacy.com,the moms exchanged e-mails and met at Arlington the next moth.For now the two moms are here for each other.”When I see its Leesa’s number on my cell phone,its such a relief,”Belle says.”I finally have someone who understands my soul.”