Military family concerned with North Korea's threats against Guam

TOM BEAN, Texas - The threats against Guam are all too real for some North Texas families.

Many have loved ones stationed there and are patiently watching to see what may happen next.

At a military monument in the Grayson County town of Tom Bean, Carol Gilbert is trying not to let the news out of North Korea consume her.

“As I mother I know he is in a position that puts him in great risk,” she said.

Gilbert’s son, Christian Slagle, is in the U.S. Air Force. He deployed a few weeks ago to Guam and is stationed at Anderson Air Force Base, where he works as a mechanic on B1 bombers.

The bombers were part of a joint exercise on Wednesday with the Japanese military taking off from Anderson. That base is one of the targets mentioned by North Korea.

“My momma heart couldn't take it,” Gilbert said. “I just needed to take a few minutes and realize the reality of the risk that he is in.”

The deployment was first set to last about six months. Gilbert hasn't had a chance to talk to her son since the news broke of the threat. But she is confident that he’s focused at the task at hand.

“Whatever is required of him I know that he will step up to the plate,” Gilbert said.

Now as the rhetoric once again ramps up, American families like the Gilberts are hoping people are praying for Guam.

“I think what's important for us all to really capture is while Guam is distant from here it is American soil,” Gilbert said. “And we do have over 200 thousand civilians and military there, and I think that our government and our leadership recognizes that that is American soil.”

As much as Gilbert is trying to take a break from media reports of the situation unfolding in North Korea, she was aware of the news that a missile strike plan could be ready by mid-August. For her, it makes the threat even more real.