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Her son's first tour in Iraq was difficult, to say the least.

So it's no surprise that Army Sgt. Patrick Johnson's second tour of duty hasn't been any easier for his mother, Alice Magnelli.

"I can't explain to the average person how much I miss my son, because they really don't understand," said Magnelli, whose son joined the Army in 2004. "Oftentimes over the course of a conversation, I will mention that Patrick is serving in Iraq, but unfortunately it quickly turns into a political discussion and that is not what I want to talk about."

JIMMIE PRESLEY / Daily News

Alice Magnelli and her son Sgt. Patrick Johnson, 24, sit outside House Master in Naples, where Magnelli works, on Friday. Magnelli wants to create the ability for families with loved ones serving in the U.S. military in war zones to get in contact with other similar families as a kind of support network. Johnson, a graduate of Barron Collier High School, is back in Naples on a two-week leave and will return to Camp Taji, Iraq. He has been serving in the Army for three years and estimates he will be finished with his term in June or August.

Instead, what the 54-year-old Naples woman would really like to do is connect with other military families in Collier and Lee counties.

"It's not about politics; it's about people," Magnelli said. "I just want to be able to communicate with others who are in the same boat."

With no military installations in Southwest Florida to provide access to family networks, she said it's been difficult to get in touch with others in her situation.

And although she's not looking to create a weekly support group, Magnelli said she is hoping to form a small local network of contacts that could meet over coffee or lunch once a month to share stories and experiences.

"It would be nice to know that there is somebody out there that is feeling the way you are," she said.

Luis Trevino of Virginia-based eMilitary.org, an online military family network, said it's not uncommon for families that aren't near military installations to face a disconnect similar to Magnelli's.

Many wonder what they can do, because they aren't in a community that fully understands what they are going through, he said.

"A lot of people have a sense of loss, because they don't have anyone," Trevino said.

He added that Web sites like eMilitary.org and even small local networks help families deal with the situation.

"It shows you where you can go and who you can talk to," Trevino said.

In Collier County, Magnelli isn't the only one who is interested in reaching out to Southwest Florida's military families.

Over the past few months, fellow Naples resident Gerry Ludwig, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary in Naples, has been working to try to identify local family members of troops serving in the Middle East so that her organization can recognize them at an April 29 luncheon honoring them as Blue Star families.

The Blue Star flag was first used during World War I and signifies that someone in that home is serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Ludwig said two World War II veterans are slated to present the flags to the families.

A letter to the editor that was published in the Feb. 19 edition of the Daily News seeking local family members generated little response, Ludwig said.

She also hasn't been able to track down a list of local families with relatives serving overseas. Security and confidentiality concerns are some of the reasons for the underwhelming response, Ludwig said.

"I know some people don't even have an APO (Army Post Office) address," because of their jobs, she said.

Regardless, Ludwig said she hopes to hear from more families in time for the lunch.

"If people can make the connection there, that would be wonderful," she said.

Although not directly involved with the luncheon, Magnelli said she was excited about getting to meet others in her situation at the event.

But with the luncheon a month away, this week Magnelli said her life has been about enjoying every minute she has with her son, who arrived Wednesday on a two-week leave pass to visit.

A 2000 Barron Collier High School graduate, Sgt. Johnson, 24, is scheduled to report back to duty at the end of the month.

He has been stationed at Camp Taji, Iraq, since August 2006.

Between friends coming over and quiet family dinners with Patrick and her husband, Arnold, 67, Magnelli said the time they have with her son means the most to them.

"It's just nice to see his face," she said smiling, while sitting in the family's living room with Patrick. "He's my baby."

For more information on the Blue Star luncheon, call Ludwig at (239) 417-1459, or to reach Magnelli call (239) 825-7250.