[at-l] Military duty closes store

[bleederguy at adelphia.net (bleederguy)]

This military call up will affect Hikers.

Beau Bushor
"bleeder guy"

Military duty closes store 

By Matt Sutkoski 
Free Press Staff Writer

JONESVILLE, VERMONT -- The Jonesville Country Store, a way station for Long
Trail hikers, hungry meat lovers, and tired, harried commuters, will close
Nov. 24 because the owner is about to serve a military tour of duty in the
Middle East. 

Stanley Budziak, who owns the store with his mother, Irene, learned Friday
that he will be deployed in about a month. "It was pretty unexpected, but I
feel pretty honored they chose me," Budziak, 45, said of the deployment
order. 

The store is too much for his mother to handle on her own, so he'll close
it. He said he might reopen the business when he returns, in 18 months to
two years. 

The Jonesville Country Store on U.S. 2 is close to the Long Trail, making
the business a favored stop for hikers seeking refreshments. The store is
also a butcher shop -- Budziak was busy cutting up a moose Monday -- and is
a convenient stop for commuters heading to and from Jonesville. 

Budziak, a divorced father of two boys, said he has been a member of the
Army National Guard since 1983. He's never been called up for active,
overseas duty until now. The news came as a shock, but Budziak said he's
ready to fulfill his duty. 

"I've never done anything like this. It will be quite an experience. I'm
kind of looking forward to it, but then I don't think about it, because
leaving my boys is traumatizing, especially for such a long time," he said. 

Sons Jordan, 11, and Mitchael, 10, sometimes help in the meat-cutting room,
and Budziak said he will miss the time he spends with them. He plans to
communicate with them via e-mail as much as possible. They will continue to
stay with their mother, who lives in Coventry. 

Budziak says he supports the military and the president's policy in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The Jonesville Country Store has posters touting the Army, and
a display of brochures inviting people to join the military. 

Budziak and his mother, who live upstairs from the store, have a lot of work
to do before the business closes. They are notifying vendors they will stop
buying and gradually shutting down coolers and freezers as they empty out.
Budziak said he'll button up the store as best he can. He's also giving up
his part-time job delivering newspapers in the mornings. 

The store closing will come as a shock to Long Trail hikers, said David
Hardy, director of field programs for the Green Mountain Club. The
Jonesville Country Store is the closest store to any point along the Long
Trail. 

"I hope we see the store reopen as soon as possible. They've been good
friends with the hikers," Hardy said. 

Contact Matt Sutkoski at 660-1846 or msutkosk@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com