Day 78; Holding My Breath

Monday, January 31st

Holding on and waiting to exhale... Just lying here in bed, staring at the phone, and willing it to ring...

Ok, almost midnight and I just received an email.  It will suffice:   

"At the airport in [classified location].  Gonna be leaving here soon for [classified location].  Shitty Internet, but enough to get a message across.  Love you."  

Thank you God.

:')

Day 73; Passing the Time

Wednesday, January 26th

Waiting, waiting, waiting. 

We are still here in beautiful Kona, Hawaii.  It's so difficult to truly enjoy my time here.  Can anyone out there understand that?  Each time I am alone, whether it be lying in my bed, sitting on the lanai, even today when I was riding my bike! I think about my son and pray to God for his safety.  Tears streamed down my face today as I rode toward home, occasionally taking my hand off the grip just to wipe my face. 

Sheesh, I am truly pathetic sometimes. 

Soon, my soldier will depart, but I as I mentioned before, I cannot disclose the date.  I talk to him almost daily, but the dark cloud still remains over my head. 

C Company waits to depart as well.  I often think they are, like me, crossing each day off the calendar as it comes, dreading the day they leave. 

Silly me. 

Here are some photos my soldier sent me, as they pass the time until departure.

That's my son in the middle.  You guess it, he's going down...

Just look at the expressions on their faces as they dump their officer into the mud.  Do these guys look depressed and low-spirited?  Obviously not.  My son tells me they are anxious to go and do their jobs.

God, I love soldiers.  They are America's finest men and women, don't you agree?



Day 60; Departure Date

I asked a question, and I got an answer.  My soldier has been given a definitive date for his departure to Kuwait.  They will spend a couple weeks there, then onward to Iraq. 

Although I cannot publicize the departure date on this blog due to confidentiality and safety, a dark cloud looms over the date on my wall calendar.  

Day 53; What Is It You Really Want To Do?

I received an email from a good friend of mine today.  Her son is attending a university and is involved in ROTC. 

I told her of my son's upcoming deployment to Iraq and asked her if she was feeling any apprehension about her son's decision to serve in the Army.  Here is her response:

Are you kidding???  We've talked about this, cried together, talked more about this, and cried more... My son constantly reminds me..."this is my life Mom--not yours!"

 

"But what is it you really want to do?" I asked him.  He responds..."blow up shit!" 

 

Isn't that lovely!?  My sweet little boy.

 

He is all about being the best he can be in life... He spent last summer qualifying in the Army's Special Forces Underwater Dive Team.  Currently, he's an EMT (certainly not for the money, but for the excitement) and says that saving lives is what makes him feel like he is really doing something. 

 

Bob has told him... you CANNOT be a medic in the military cuz they are unarmed!!!  That's why he is pursuing the dive training...and hopefully that will keep him out of Iraq and Afganistan???  This is scary shit!

 

I don't have the heart to tell my friend that I have heard diving operations are just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than going to Iraq or Afghanistan... 

 

God bless her son.  My heart fills with pride to know that our sons have made such an important decision to serve our country.

 

 

Day 50; Daydreaming

A boy and his dog. 

A friend sent me this photo on the day my soldier was leaving for Fort Hood.  He had stopped by with our dog, Tank, to say goodbye to their family. 

I like to dream when I see this photo.  I close my eyes and imagine the day when I will take another picture just like it when my son returns home, and boy and dog will be reunited. 

Or rather, man and dog.