"It's better to know we're moving now, not just waiting around," said Sarah, 31, a Brandon resident who did not give her family's last name, citing the military's security policy. "I just hope it's quick, and that the loss of life is low. I just want my husband to come back."

In the greater Brandon area, sometimes called "MacDill East" because it is home to two-thirds of the families stationed at the military base, it seems almost everyone has a connection to the looming war.

A Brandon flag store has doubled its inventory to 14,000, and churches plan support groups and prayer sessions. Military spouses offer unwavering support for the planned invasion of Iraq.

"I am backing my president, and most of all I'm backing my military," said Michelle, 39, whose husband is a Marine. "Whatever they need to do, they have my full support because I think there are a lot of things we don't know, and (Bush) knows it. So I'm putting my faith and trust in him."

Other military folks mixed their support with caution for what could be a messy war and an even messier post-war occupation.

Lee Dunlap, 65, served in the Army for 45 years, with 22 years of active duty. He has lived in Riverview and worked at MacDill for 16 years. The Army major retired in October 2001.

Although he and his wife, Jan, are Republicans, and Jan went to high school with Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynn, Dunlap views the impending war with some reservations.

"Getting into a war is real easy," he said. "Getting out is not."

At Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, most of the students in Chief Gerald Bertucci's junior ROTC program spoke like the soldiers they are training to become.

"This is a war that's been delayed long enough," said Thomas Muscanana, 18. He enlisted in the Air Force and goes to boot camp June 3. "The president is trying to get rid of terrorism. Having that in our world just isn't safe."

Still, it's not easy putting up such a brave front when a loved one is wearing fatigues. Muscanana's brother, Daniel, is already in the Air Force, awaiting orders to ship out.

Michelle, who lives in FishHawk Ranch, doesn't worry about her husband's safety. She said Ray, a 38-year-old major, has served for 15 years with the Marines; he was sent to Qatar in January. He was on the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, when it hit a mine during the Persian Gulf War, so this experience is not new to her.

What is new is her ability to communicate with her husband via e-mail -- an important comfort for spouses who might not be able to hug or even see their loved ones for six months or more.

"In the first war, I would hear from him maybe once every two weeks, every three weeks," said Michelle, mother to Taylor, 8, and Torii, 6. "This is a way the children can stay in touch with their daddy so they feel connected."

Videoconference technology at the MacDill Family Resource Center helps folks back home see for themselves that their loved ones are whole and healthy.

Sarah brought James and his little sister Rachel, 20 months, to the center Tuesday morning to speak with their father.

They had hoped for a videoconference call, but the equipment didn't work, so they settled for a phone call.

James cradled the phone and gave his dad a simple message: "I love you. Come home soon."

-- Times staff writers Jay Cridlin and Janet Zink contributed to this report.

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