PITTSFIELD — A video Mother’s Day greeting for Crystal Neace from her son serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan helps shorten the distance between the two.
Her son, Spc. Mark Neace, is almost halfway through a one-year tour of duty with the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Masum Ghar, Afghanistan.
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“I really like the greetings. Sometimes we’ll get a video feed with six or eight soldiers from the division, and that’s really nice to see. We’re really proud of him,” Crystal Neace said.
He also sent his family Christmas greetings shortly after his arrival in Afghanistan in December.
Her son’s video greetings are produced by the Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System, an Atlanta firm serving military units in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
Neace, 24, is a Maine Central Institute graduate who studied digital arts and design at Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla., and later had jobs in Bangor as an associate producer at WABI-TV and Omni Technical Consulting.
“I opted to join the U.S. Army under the college loan repayment program option,” Neace wrote in a Facebook message. “I knew I would be a good fit for the Army because I valued physical fitness and competition; and as a teenager, I was very straight edge (no alcohol, drugs or cigarettes).”
His father, Mark Sr., was also in the army, serving 11 years, including Desert Storm.
Mark Neace is in the intelligence field and said that his “skill set transitions surprisingly well.” In addition, the Pittsfield native’s artistic work is evident on the 3rd Stryker Brigade’s Facebook page.
“The deployment logo, posters and merchandise that is being produced for soldiers brigade-wide has been created by yours truly,” Neace wrote.
Peter Snow taught Neace at Warsaw Middle School and described him as “different, but a positive way.”
“He questioned things. He wouldn’t just take a pat answer,” Snow said. “I am not surprised he’s doing well in the Army and enjoying it. He was inquisitive and stood out in the crowd back in his middle school days.”
Crystal Neace was also not surprised that her son embraced the military life.
“He was born in Ft. Riley, Kansas, and we had to leave for Germany when he was a month old,” she said.
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