A homesick Bermudian sergeant in the US Marine Corps will get a little taste of his home island in the deserts of Iraq on Good Friday with the delivery of homemade hot cross buns.

Former Whitney Institute head boy Sgt. Dathan Byrd, 25, of Pembroke called his mother Deborah Byrd at 5.30 a.m. on Monday and told her how he craved the buns.

“The only thing he wanted was hot cross buns,” aunt Simone Barton said as tears began to well up in her eyes yesterday. “I'm happy to be able to it. It's just sad that that kid is now back there. He said he was going to miss the kites and hot cross buns.”

Mrs. Barton was allowed to send the buns via Federal Express because she made them herself. They are due to arrive in Iraq today.

Sgt. Byrd was the most active male youth volunteer at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, when he was a member of the Pink Panthers. His mother is the director of volunteer services at the hospital.

After serving with the Marines in Kosovo, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, Sgt. Byrd went with his Bermudian wife, Sonia Byrd, to a university in North Carolina.

“He made the national Dean's list,” his mother said. “He had done his four years in the Marines and got out. He wanted to have a baby. He's put his life on hold.”

Her son had one class left to do and was on his way to graduating a year early when one day last year he got a knock on the door at 6.30 a.m.

“He was recalled back to the Marines,” she said. As a recently discharged veteran in good standing, Sgt. Byrd was a member of the Ready Reserve - and subject to a call-up for up to eight years from the date of his discharge.

At first the Marines said he would only be in for seven months. However, once he got to Kuwait, the tour was extended to ten to 14 months.

“His baby will be a year old when he gets back,” she said. “He thought he had done his bit and it was all over with.”