A soldier's homecoming.....

I was driving home yesterday listening to my favorite radio station and singing along with the music. Between songs, the DJ said that 2nd Lt. Johnny ____ was on his way home and to be sure to turn on your headlights if you were on northbound 75 to show your appreciation for his service. I got a huge grin on my face thinking that someone had called in to share their happiness at their loved one coming home from war. I wasn't on 75, but wished that I was so I could share in the excitement. All I could think about was that next month we would be welcoming Seth home and that just made my smile bigger.

After another song, the DJ once again said to remember that 2nd Lt. Johnny ____ was on his way home and to be sure to turn on your headlights and that if you saw an Army van and a hearse....

I don't remember what was said after that. It felt like a ton of bricks had just been dropped on my chest...this was not the kind of homecoming I had thought it was. My heart began to ache and the road became blurry as the tears came. I immediately thought about this young man who was probably fresh out of college and officer's school and probably younger than Seth. I thought about his family, who I'm sure had hopes and dreams of welcoming him home at the end of his deployment like we all are hoping to do with our loved ones.

Lord, please wrap your loving arms around this family...give them the strength they need to deal with such a terrible loss and help them find some peace. Surround them with family and friends and let them know how many are thinking and praying for them right now...and that their son won't be forgotten...

The ups and downs of deployment

Well, we had a stunner this weekend. I was at my dad's house visiting with my Canuck brother who came in from Calgary and my other brother who drove in from Oklahoma City. We were doing our usual "someone's in town so we're having a gathering" cookout. We're a really close family...always have been...but when mom was dying of cancer 12 years ago, we came together tighter than I ever thought possible.

Anyway, back to the story...we were hanging out, joking around, and eating great grub, when Katie called...she was visiting her family in east Texas and signing for a house on base...woohoo...finally...but that's another story. She said that she'd gotten a call from Rear D (rear detachment, the guys on base who are supposed to keep soldiers' families informed). They told her that the guys would be coming home in a couple of weeks and said they'd call 4 days before their arrival to let her know what day and time. She was all aflitter...excited, yet upset, because she didn't know where they would live for the few weeks before they could take possession of their house on base. I told her not to get excited, it was probably a mistake, as Seth had already told us that he wouldn't be home this month. Sure enough, when she talked to Seth the next day, he verified that no one he knew of would be coming home in a couple of weeks. WTF?!?!?!?!

Now, I know that Rear D is trying to do their job and all, but for them to call and say that he would be home when he won't just kills me because it got Katie all wound up. It makes me want to strangle whoever it was that made that call and also makes me wonder if it was Rear D at all or some kind of prank call. I swear...the ups and downs of deployment are pretty rough sometimes. But I'm still smiling because the time is getting shorter every day, even though it's quite a bit longer than "a couple of weeks."

Keeping on......keeping on

I know I haven't posted in a while...I guess it's because I haven't had anything new to say. It seems that, as you get to the backside of a deployment, you've already said it all and just don't want to think about it very much anymore for fear of sounding like a broken record. But, I wanted to let everyone know that all is well and going about as expected.

I've also been very busy lately, what with Kevin being based closer to home. He was home a couple of weekends in a row and we were doing family stuff like spending the weekend 4-wheeling in the country and going to the Texas State Fair. Then this weekend, we went his way (can you say roadtrip???) to take him his 4-wheeler, trailer and a few other things and spent the weekend with him. We just fell in about an hour ago and I'm awaiting my turn in the shower before crashing. It's a rather long drive...7 hours to be exact...which doesn't seem very long until you're on the way home. When you're on your way there, you're excited and looking forward to spending the weekend with your son, so you're laughing, singing with the radio, and have your bare feet hanging out the window with the wind blowing between your toes and.....oh wait, maybe that's just me..... :) Anyway, you have alot to look forward to, so you're in a good mood and having a great time. On the way home, it's not as much fun. You're not looking forward to anything except getting home because the weekend is over and you've already said good-bye to your son and given him that last hug..... :( So yeah, not as good a time......but a good trip nonetheless. You know I'd do it again in a heartbeat..... :)

Anyhoo, I hope all is well with all my buddies out there in the milblogosphere. I miss you guys and will try to get back in touch when I return from yet another business trip this week. Till then, take care and keep in touch.