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"We were just elated," said his mother, Cheryl Rega. "It was wonderful to see him ... He's there for that liberation. I was so glad to see that look on his face -- he's liberating those people."

A photo of the 22-year-old soldier being kissed by a thankful Iraqi citizen was shown widely on network news as U.S. troops reached the center of Baghdad yesterday and were greeted by jubilant crowds.

"I saw it on the Fox News Web site about 5 o'clock, and then I turned on TV and it flashed as a lead-in to a story," Cheryl Rega said. "We just started to scream when we saw it."

Cheryl Rega, her husband, Michael Sr., and 19-year-old daughter, Lindsay, have been watching television war coverage daily.

"It's so stressful," Cheryl Rega said. "We're glued to the TV."

The family received a letter from Michael yesterday that he wrote March 18, the day before the war started, saying that the troops were ready for whatever lay ahead. "He said, 'It's either go to war or chew bubble gum, and we're out of bubble gum.' That's the kind of humor he has."

They got a phone call from their son last week during the early morning hours when one of the embedded reporters let the soldiers use his phone to call home.

"He just said he had been in a battle ... but he was fine," his mother said. "He was really upbeat ... he said to ask everyone to pray for the troops. ... He's proud of what he's doing."

The 1999 graduate of Mt. Pleasant Area High School joined the U.S. Army Reserves after completing one year of college. He is a member of the 305th Psychological Operations unit, which is based in the Pittsburgh area. He was deployed on a peacekeeping mission to Bosnia from September 2001 until March 2002.

Cheryl Rega said her son's duty in Bosnia was similar to a public relations job -- talking with the local people and trying to build ties with the community. He and another soldier also had a radio program there called the "Mike and Jim Show," which was broadcast to the Bosnian people.

She said her son didn't think he would be deployed again so soon but was called up in December. One job of the Psychological Operations unit is to study the culture of the local people and learn how to communicate with them.

"They do loud-speaker work and ride through the streets and talk to the people," Cheryl Rega said. "They say things like, 'Put down your arms and go home to your families.'"

But his duties in Iraq expanded.

"He's usually a peacekeeper, but they had him go in with the troops," his mother said. He has fought in two battles with a Marine unit.

Seeing their son's photograph on the news yesterday was a special gift for the family, who were celebrating the event with Michael's grandparents -- Lou and Betty Rega of Mt. Pleasant and Catherine Adams of Uniontown.

'It's a wonderful photo," his mother said. "We're so glad to know he's safe. We just wish they all come home safely. They can feel proud of themselves."

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