It has almost been 10 months since my husband, my sons' father, has lived in our home for more than a week. 10 months! June of last year he started pre-deployment training 2 hours away from us. And no it isn't close to being over, we still have at least 5 long months to go. Our 2 year old asks me every single day when his Dad is coming home. I made the mistake of telling him that right after his Birthday Daddy will be home... now every day he asks for his birthday. He thinks that once he gets a cupcake and blows out his candles Daddy will magically appear. HUGE mistake on my part. Especially when we really have no idea when he will return.
Don't let anyone fool you, it is a TOUGH tough life to live. The strongest people I have ever met in my life are the soldiers my husband is honored to work next to, and most importantly their families. Every single Military wife I have met ( somehow I seem to have avoided the not so great ones) has influenced me, held me together when I wanted to crumble, and most importantly influenced me to be a better STRONGER person. They are all women that I never would have crossed paths with in my life had the Army not brought us together, but I thank God everyday that it did. Especially through this deployment. From the closest friends that know every ounce of my life, to the ones I merely get to keep up with via Facebook posts and pictures- everyone has influenced me in some way. And for all of them I am grateful.
The past week has been a rough week for Army Aviation. A majority of civilians have no idea that there were two helicopter crashes from the same unit in a 5 day span. 6 killed 1 injured. You know why You may have not heard about it? The news is busy covering BS like Justin Beiber's shenanigans, the latest youtube viral video,and how much everyone hates our president ( I don't know what the news covers actually, not only do I not have time but watching the frivolousness that our country reports while knowing what is going on behind the scenes in our war zones is infuriating ). Your FB friends probably never "shared" anything about it because they were busy posting their awesome pictures of how wasted they got on St. Patricks day or complaining about how much they HATE going to work on Monday.
Fortunately and unfortunately for us Army wives, we don't have to watch the news to find out. We get the text from our deployed husband that just says...
Our internet is being shut off. I love you and I'm ok.Watch for the news.
Your stomach ties in knots yet you want to feel relieved. Relieved that it's not YOUR soldier but sickness knowing it is someone elses' . Is it your best friend whose husband flies that aircraft and is in that unit? Is it the husband of that girl you met a few times during flight school but still keep in touch with via Facebook? It IS someone's pilot, it IS someone's crew chief. It is SOMEONE'S son/daughter, husband/wife, FATHER/MOTHER. Maybe you don't know them, but they are still one of your own. And all you can do is search the internet, text your friends, wait, and pray. Pray pray pray... sometimes with this life it is all that we can do.
The hardest part is seeing the pictures of these heroes. You look at them in their uniform and you picture your husband in that same uniform. You picture every service member you know. It could be anyone. And has hard of a pill as it is to swallow- in time it just may be anyone.
And we think that WE have it hard over here without them? Imagine what our soldiers are going through over THERE. We can't, no one can understand unless they've stood in their boots . All we can do is be grateful for what they do every single day to protect US over here.
Do what you can to show that you appreciate them- send a little care package ( it only costs 13$ flat rate) reach out to the families, offer an ear to listen when they need it, and most importantly DON'T take your freedom for granted... someone is working really hard to earn that just for you.
Chief Warrant Officer James E. Groves III, 37,
Brittany, I'm in tears. Thank you for so eloquently putting into words what some of us have never experienced.
ReplyDeleteI'm honored to be the daughter of a decorated WWII vet, the wife of a former Marine, and a friend to many who currently serve. I'm also a member of The Daughters of the American Revolution and I volunteer to help our Veterans. Recently, I attended the funeral of a Veteran who died homeless and had no family - so my chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution stood as his family, along with members of the Patriot Guard.
It was an honor to be part of it - and I was raised by my parents to always honor our active duty military and our Veterans and to never take my freedom for granted. Even with all of that, I will never know the life you have.
There aren't enough words in the world for me to convey how very grateful I am to your husband, to you, and to your family - and to all our military and their families - for the sacrifices you make every single day so that I can live a regular life.
I'm also a fellow blogger - and when I read your post, I knew I had to comment and show my support. This is me reaching out, girl...giving you the world's biggest hug...and praying that your family is made whole again soon - and for much longer than a week.
I'm likewise mortified on a regular basis that the names Bieber and Kardashian are famous, while the names Knutson...Shannon...and the names of all our other fallen heroes are never known by the masses. I will never understand why that's our culture - and I want you to hear from at least one person who feels the same way.
With a heart full of love and gratitude, I thank you and your family for everything you've gone through - and I will never forget that my freedom isn't free. ♥
I echo most everything Dianne wrote. I'm the son and grandson of veterans. WWI, Korea, and Vietnam. I think my widowed mom is as tough as she is because she was a military wife for over 15 years. You are special when you are military because just like cops or firemen, no one else really understands what happens within military families.
ReplyDeleteStand tall and be proud. There are many, many of us who love and support you.
Thank you to your husband for serving, and thank you to you for supporting him.
My hubby just left for there, we are aviation as well. My heartgoes out to the families and I know exactly the feeling you are describing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. My husband belongs to the group that lost these brave men and woman. It is devastating for the entire community. My thoughts and prayers are with all of our soldiers overseas, especially our group who is going through so much loss and heartache right now. I pray for these families, some who I never met and others who I hold dear. Thank you for posting this. Wish I could hug you right now.
ReplyDeleteDear Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI want you to know there are thousands and thousands of Americans that feel the same way you do and offer 100% support. I just returned from a four day conference of the Texas State Daughters of the American Revolution and I can assure you, every one of our members are extremely proud & supportive of our military and NEVER take our freedoms for granted. We know the debt we owe to our soldiers - beginning with the American Revolution through our present day.
Many thanks to to your husband and his brothers & sisters in harm's way & we pray for their safe return. We also pray for you and other military families that sacrifice so much. Hang in there-
we love you and feel free to vent anytime!
A grateful American,
Nancy
This. Times a million.
ReplyDeleteI dont know you, but THANK YOU for writing this. Thank your husband for his service for our country. My prayers are with our military families daily.
ReplyDeletePerfectly said.
ReplyDelete