- THERE IS A WOMAN IN OUR AUDIENCE
WHO WROTE IN ABOUT HER AMAZING HUSBAND ROD,
AND SHE'S AN ARMY CAPTAIN AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHER.
AND WHEN SHE'S DEPLOYED,
ROD HAS TO TAKE THE ROLE OF BOTH PARENTS
TO THEIR SEVEN CHILDREN.
HERE'S THEIR STORY.
- HELLO. MY NAME'S MICHELLE CHERLAND.
AND I AM A CAPTAIN, UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE.
- HI. I'M ROD CHERLAND.
AND I AM CORRECTIONAL OFFICER.
AND WHEN MY WIFE IS GONE AWAY ON DEPLOYMENTS,
I DO THE DUAL PARENT ROLE.
- WE MET THROUGH A MUTUAL FRIEND,
AND IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
AND I SAID, "DO YOU HAVE KIDS?"
AND HE SAID, "YES, I HAVE A HANDFUL.
THEY'RE ALL GIRLS."
I WAS LIKE, "OH, WELL, I HAVE BOYS.
"LIKE, SEE? THAT'S GOOD.
I CAN GIVE YOU SOME BOYS."
WE GOT MARRIED,
AND WE DECIDED I'D GO TO THE ARMY RESERVE CENTER
TO GO GET MY NAME CHANGED FROM MY MAIDEN NAME TO CHERLAND.
WHEN WE GOT THERE,
THE FIRST SERGEANT PULLED ME ASIDE
AND SAID, "I HATE TO TELL YOU, BUT YOU'RE GONNA BE DEPLOYED."
AND SO IT WAS ACTUALLY 22 DAYS
AFTER WE GOT MARRIED THAT I HAD TO LEAVE.
- WITH HER ACTUALLY DEPLOYING,
I JUST FELT LIKE THIS IS MY DUTY
TO, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT HER AND SUPPORT THE TROOPS.
AND I REALLY EMBRACED IT
BECAUSE IT WAS JUST ALL NEW TO ME.
- HE ALWAYS PUT OTHER PEOPLE BEFORE HIMSELF,
LIKE, NO MATTER WHAT...
LIKE, HE-- HIS HAPPINESS DOESN'T MATTER.
IT'S ALL ABOUT EVERYBODY ELSE.
- LAST DEPLOYMENT BACK TO AFGHANISTAN,
I WAS A CAPTAIN.
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS MORE RESPONSIBILITY WITH MORE RANK.
AS A SOLDIER, YOU'RE SUPPOSED
TO BE REALLY TOUGH INSIDE,
AND THERE'S NO EMOTION BEHIND YOU.
YOU GO AND GET YOUR JOB DONE, AND THAT'S IT.
BUT THERE'S THE HUMAN ELEMENT,
AND I THINK AS A MOTHER, YOU NOW EMBRACE IT,
ESPECIALLY WITH MY SONS 20 AND 19.
THAT'S THE AGE OF THE SOLDIERS
THAT WERE DRIVING THROUGH THE COMBAT ZONE.
I'M LUCKY ENOUGH THAT EVERYBODY CAME HOME AGAIN
ON THIS TOUR AS WELL.
[laughter]
[squealing indistinctly]
SHE'S ON THE ARMED FORCES NETWORK,
AND WE WOULD JUST GATHER AROUND ELLEN'S SHOW
AND JUST BE LIKE--
'CAUSE JUST FOR A SECOND YOU'RE GONE.
IT JUST GIVES YOU THAT HAPPY FOR A SECOND.
IN THIS PLACE THAT'S JUST ABSOLUTELY EVIL,
THERE'S ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS BRIGHT LIGHT OF HAPPY.
AND SHE MADE EVERYTHING OKAY.
YOU KNOW, JUST FOR THAT BRIEF MOMENT,
EVERYTHING WAS-- EVERYTHING WAS OKAY.
- COME ON DOWN, MICHELLE AND ROD.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE MILITARY?
- OH, I'VE BEEN IN FOR 20-PLUS YEARS,
23 YEARS.
- 23 YEARS.
- YES, AND BEFORE THAT, I WAS--
I WAS WORKING OVER AT CHUCK E. CHEESE.
[laughing] AND NOW I'M ON THE ELLEN SHOW.
- YEAH. - [laughing]
OH, MY GOSH.
- AS CHUCK E. CHEESE.
- YEAH, I WAS.
- YOU WERE ACTUALLY CHUCK E. CHEESE HIMSELF?
- I WAS. SHH, DON'T TELL YOUR KIDS.
[laughs]
IT WAS ME.
- SO YOU'VE BEEN IN THE MILITARY
SO LONGER THAN-- BUT YOU WERE A MOM.
DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU BECAME A MOM,
DID YOU THINK MAYBE, "I SHOULD LEAVE THE MILITARY"--
- I WAS ACTIVE DUTY FIRST,
AND THEN WHEN I HAD THE CHILDREN,
OR I HAD MY SON DYLAN,
THAT'S WHEN I DECIDED TO GO LEAVE THE MILITARY.
BUT THEN I COULDN'T STAY AWAY,
AND I LOVED THE CAMARADERIE,
AND I BECAME A RESERVIST.
- YEAH.
AND SO WHEN SHE'S GONE-- THEN YOU GET MARRIED,
AND WHEN SHE'S GONE,
THEN YOU HAD TO TAKE ON THE ROLE
OF BOTH PARENTS, AS WE SAID.
- CORRECT, YEAH.
I MEAN, WHEN SHE LEFT,
A LOT OF IT WAS JUST TRYING TO GET THE ROUTINE GOING,
KEEP THE CONSISTENCY AND STUFF.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF IT--
GOING THROUGH THE DAY
WHERE THINGS WERE RUNNING A LITTLE PRESSED AND STUFF
AND THE KIDS WERE, YOU KNOW,
WORRIED ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD LOOK AND STUFF,
YOU KNOW, I USED TO BUILD MODEL CARS
AS A KID AND STUFF, AND I THOUGHT,
YOU NEED HELP DOING YOUR NAILS?
I MEAN, I CAN DO THIS.
YOU KNOW, COME ON.
YOU KNOW, I'D SIT THERE, PAINT THEIR NAILS.
YOU KNOW, HEY, FLOWER, NO PROBLEM--YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
WOW, YOU CAN DO A FLOWER ON A NAIL? THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
- YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS THE BRUSH IS FINE,
I'M GOOD.
- WOW, YOU KNOW THE BRUSHES TO USE--
THAT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
AND YOU'RE A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AS WELL, RIGHT?
- I DO, I TEACH KINDERGARTEN AT CARRILLO RANCH
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
- YEAH, AND THAT SCHOOL IS BASICALLY--
WELL, TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE SCHOOL.
- THE SCHOOL IS A MAGNET SCHOOL FOR VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.
AND WE GOT A GRANT THAT WAS FANTASTIC.
YOU KNOW, AND WE-- NOW THE GRANT IS ENDED.
IT WAS THREE YEARS, AND NOW IT'S GONNA--
BUT WE WERE ABLE TO GET KEYBOARDS
AND GUITARS AND ALL THESE THINGS.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST PAYING FOR TEACHER SALARIES,
SO WE'RE DOING A LOT OF FUNDRAISING.
BUT IT'S A VERY NICE SCHOOL.
- THE TEACHERS HAVE TO BUY A LOT OF THE SUPPLIES
AND EVERYTHING.
- WE-- - YEAH, MOST OF THE SUPPLIES.
- WE DRAIN--I BUY A LITTLE TOO MUCH,
I THINK, THAN WHAT HE WANTS ME TO, BUT--
- WELL, WE WANT TO HELP OUT THE SCHOOLS,
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT MEANS A LOT TO YOU,
'CAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO SCHOOL
TO GET YOUR MASTER'S AS WELL.
SO MY FRIENDS AND SHUTTERFLY WANT TO HELP,
AND THEY'RE GONNA GIVE YOUR SCHOOL $15,000.
- WOW. OH, MY GOSH.
- THAT'S AWESOME.
[cheers and applause]
- AND...
- OH, MY GOSH.
- AND THE TWO OF YOU,
I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WANTING TO GO ON A FAMILY VACATION,
SO SHUTTERFLY WANTS TO HELP CAPTURE ALL THE MOMENTS.
THEY'RE GONNA SEND YOU ON A SEVEN-DAY--
YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY--
ON A SEVEN-DAY CRUISE TO THE MEXICAN RIVIERA.
- WHOA!
WHOO!