A long time coming...

It has been a LONG time since I wrote anything....I could say I've been too busy, or I didn't have anything to write about, but the truth of the matter is that I just forget to blog about my thoughts and experiences.

It has been 7 1/2 months since Josh left for Afghanistan - his 2nd deployment. He was home for 18 days at the beginning of February.... in fact he was home for my birthday, which was about the best birthday present I could have had this year!

He returned to A-ghan in late February and things were going pretty well until the end of March, when Bravo Company lost their first soldier of this deployment. Then over the next 12 days another soldier was killed and 8 were injured seriously enough to be shipped to Walter Reed (loss of limb, serious head trauma, or multiple-compound fractures). The loss of the 2nd soldier + 2 of the serious injuries happened to the squad of guys Josh had trained for this deployment and he took it really hard.

As a mom it is really hard to see your child hurting and you cannot do anything to take the hurt away.....and so I spend a lot of time in prayer that God would give Josh a peace that only He can give.

And the clock keeps ticking

September 1, 2009 Josh went to Afghanistan again...this time to Helmand Province in the south of Afghanistan....thus the name of the clock has changed from FOB Warrior to Camp Diamond, but the time is still the same....and the second hand keeps ticking.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

It has been a LONG while since I've posted anything. My son redeployed April 30, 2008. His whole platoon returned, unscathed from Afgahistan - the ONLY platoon in BCo 2-508 NOT to loose a single soldier during the 15-month deployment! YEAH!

I flew down to Ft. Bragg, NC to be there when they arrived. It was great to meet up with people with whom I had corresponded over the last 15-months, to see what would be "home" to my son for the next 2 years, and to greet the soldiers when they returned!



Thank you, Lord for a safe return of our sons!!

Frustration

At the risk of sounding like a typical "mother" I'm going to vent...

My son is home for a 2 week visit...this is the same son who is currently deployed for 18 months to Afghanistan. He is on his 18-day R&R. The problem - for ME at least - is that he is using "home" as a parking place for his stuff or to come and go during the day while I am at work. But he's gone for days at a time and I'm not getting to spend time with him. He is spending more time with his friends than he is with his family.

I talked with one mother who said the only way she knew her son was home was that the laundry piled up and the food disappeared. I'm not even experiencing THAT! My son is doing his laundry when I'm at work and eating elsewhere so there are no signs that he was even home save the lonely glass with orange juice residue that he left in the sink....

Whining aside, am I asking too much for him to check in every once in a while so that I know he's okay? At least when he's in the war zone I know that "no news is good news" because should anything happen while he's over there, I know that I'd hear SOMETHING. This no-communication is killing me!!

OK, I'm done whining, at least for now.

Four months and counting

It has been four (long!) months since my son deployed to Afghanistan. Initially we had e-mail contact but that was before he was sent to a "fire base" which has no running water, much less E-MAIL!! Anyway, now we communicate the "old fashioned" way - via letters - and this is good for us BOTH because we can read and re-read the communication.

I was sent the following regarding "Military Life" and find it VERY appropriate. What do YOU think?! It may take you two minutes to read this, but if you do not take the time to read this you are one of the people this post is talking about.
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You stay up for 16 hours
He stays up for days on end.
____________________________________________________
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.
____________________________________________________
You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.
____________________________________________________
You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
____________________________________________________
You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
____________________________________________________
You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
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You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
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You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
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You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.
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Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
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You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
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You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
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You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
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You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
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You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.
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You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
____________________________________________________
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
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You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
____________________________________________________
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.
____________________________________________________
You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
____________________________________________________
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets awakened by mortars and helicopters all night long.

FOB Warrior TIME

The reason for the clock - FOB Warrior, Afghanistan - is that my only son is in the 82nd Airborne and was deployed to Afghanistan on Feb. 9, 2007 for 12 months (give or take a few). I keep a link to "time" in Afghanistan on all my computers and all blog-sites as a constant reminder of where he is. My prayers are with ALL our armed forces personnel who are keeping the battle "there" and helping to keep us free! God's grace on them all.