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Holidays on hold
 Josh Ohrenberger, whose father is serving overseas again this Christmas, looks over a scrapbook of his father's service in the military in the Attleboro home of his dad's fiancee. (Staff photo by MARTIN GAVIN)
Top Headlines For Josh Ohrenberger, Christmas can't come soon enough. But it's not because he's hoping for a new baseball glove or video game. For Josh, whose father has been away the past two Christmases serving in Kuwait and Afghanistan, Christmas means a reunion is right around the corner. "I pretty much try to keep to my regular routine," said an otherwise patient Josh, a shy 13-year-old who's in the eighth grade at Brennan Middle School. But his dad is clearly on his mind. Josh's mother died nine years ago, leaving his father, Rick, the single parent to Josh and his two older sisters. Josh now lives with Donna Gwynn, Rick Ohrenberger's fiancee, and her daughter, Mallory. "For the kids, it's been kind of sad to have their father overseas at Christmas," Gwynn said. 28 years Ohrenberger has been in the military and the reserves for 28 years, serving first in the Navy, then the Army and finally the Air Force Reserve in Chicopee, for which he serves full time. He's currently serving with the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron as a staff sergeant specializing in mechanical maintenance. When he returned from a previous, four-month deployment to Kuwait, the family made a scrapbook covering his time in the service. Josh and his two sisters, Dawn and Kristin, are working on a new scrapbook to present to their father on his return. Based on previous experience, Josh says he expects his father home in January. In the meantime, Josh writes his father letters, which he prefers to e-mail. Gwynn, a manager at Brockton Hospital, communicates with Ohrenberger through e-mail and occasional phone calls. "Sometimes I worry," Josh said, waiting for his father to return from a far-away land he can only imagine. He bides his time studying his social studies lessons and playing chess, of which he's an avid fan. An up-and-coming pitcher with aspirations of making the high school team, Josh can only look ahead to hashing over the Red Sox' latest free agent signings when his father returns home. It won't be long, Josh's expression seems to say. Other members of the Ohrenberger and Gwynn families also look ahead with an anticipation that easily matches the Christmas spirit. Since Rick Ohrenberger is part of a large family, Josh and his sisters can probably look forward to an epic celebration. "Last year when Rick came home, we had a big banner and everyone came over," Gwynn said.
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