BANGOR – Having spent 27 years in the Air Force, Lawrence Puls and his wife, Bonnie, know all about the demands of military life.

So when the Bangor couple’s son Eric, 32, a U.S. Army captain specializing in helicopter maintenance, shipped out of Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday to join Operation Iraqi Freedom, their concern was tempered with confidence and pride.

“He was proud to be selected and proud to go,” said Lawrence Puls, a former master sergeant who worked on the first generation of cruise missiles before retiring to become a schoolteacher. “This is what he’s been paid to do for 10 years.”

Eric Puls was a University of Maine student when he joined the Army National Guard in 1989. After receiving his commission through ROTC in 1994, he attended flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., training on UH1-Hueys. As his career progressed, he flew and serviced the more sophisticated OH58 Delta-R choppers. He is currently a maintenance commander.

But he is bringing more than his considerable skills to the war, said his parents.

“He is exactly the kind of person you want there,” said Bonnie Puls, who works for the Army-Air Force exchange service at the National Guard base in Bangor. “He’s dedicated. He cares for his troops. He loves his family. He’s very proud of what he does. That’s the kind of person you want representing your country.”

Still, Thursday was a difficult day for the Puls family. Eric Puls is leaving behind a young family in Killeen, Texas – his wife, Monica, and two children, Katherine Elizabeth, 2, and Alexandria Royce, 7 months. An Associated Press photographer caught the moments of their separation and Eric was clearly emotional. His parents understand the sacrifices service families make.

“There’s a distinction about someone who gives their time [to serving their country], whether for a lifetime or a short tour,” said Bonnie Puls, a Bangor native who met her husband more than 36 years ago while he was stationed here. “They do it for us, like firemen and policemen.”

Despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of the war available to them, the Pulses don’t plan to be glued to the TV for the foreseeable future hoping to catch a glimpse of Eric. They plan to continue on with their lives in as normal a fashion as possible, monitoring the combat in Iraq in moderation, secure in their knowledge of their son’s character and abilities.

Lawrence Puls, who teaches in Glenburn, offered these parting words to his son during a telephone conversation Wednesday night:

“Take care of your troops and they’ll take care of you, keep the dirty side [of the aircraft] down, and we love you.”