It's a holiday that celebrates our nation and the freedom it affords. But for those fighting for that freedom this Fourth of July will have an unfamiliar feeling.

"It's not exactly weather you can prepare yourself for," says Springfield Native Captain Joseph Chretien. "It's very hot and more importantly really dusty, so it's not exactly something you can prepare yourself for."

Captain Chretien is serving as a member of the U.S. Army in Iraq. He joined us via satellite to talk about his deployment, and to have a chance to speak to his family, many of them for the first time since he left. And though he's served overseas before, an addition to his family has added additional worries while he's away.

"I have a daughter now," says Chretien. "When I was in Korea I was married but we could handle that. It's different with Sarah running around and her mother trying to take care of her by herself."

But dad took time to share a special moment with his daughter, even though they are worlds apart, but even those moments can't make up for the time he's lost while overseas.

"I will miss this Fourth of July and probably next Fourth of July," says Chretien. "For someone who's two years old I will miss two thirds of what she has done so far."