Jordan has moved 10 times in the last three years, but his most unsettling news came when his mother recently sat him down and asked, "How would you feel about your dad going to Iraq?"
"My heart kind of dropped. I was like, 'Wow,'" the 15-year-old boy told CNN.
His stepfather, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Lester Williams, 35, is preparing for his first deployment to Iraq and told his stepson that he needs to be strong over the next year.
"He said he's going to be gone and he wants me to watch over my mom and my sister," the boy said softly, with a broad smile. "I think I can do it. I should be able to."
Jordan, whose family asked that his last name be withheld, tries not to think about that day in August when his stepdad leaves for at least eight months. But he concedes it's on his mind "most of the time." 
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CNN's Gregg Canes and Traci Tamura contributed to this report.
All About War and Conflict • Afghanistan War • Iraq War
