Last evening, I took my son to the airport to return to base following leave. He said that he had a great time even though he complained bitterly about the myriad of Christmas gatherings my family has...and has always had because well, we believe in keeping Christmas.
He and several friends spent New Years in the City, watching fireworks and "clubbing." Since he is not all that familiar with the City, he managed not only to lose his car...but the entire parking garage it was parked in. He said it took several hours to locate it on New Years Day - and then he got lost leaving the city.
Our last celebration was on Thursday - a gathering of close family members in a favorite Italian joint to say goodby. He will deploy in the next several weeks and this was a last trip home even though he requested that I not point that out. "No tears, please Mom. I will be OK." I hope that is true. I pray that he comes back unscathed. I have been to too many "vistiations"...and have written too many letters of support for those that have not.
On his last day of freedom, he flew into Houston, to buy a buddy a beer (or several, who knows). They will drive back to base together today. Final preparations will begin tomorrow. Lockdown will occur in the next few weeks. He will be busy for a few weeks but once all equipment is gone, they will be bored while waiting for their transportation - so I expect I will hear from him often. He told me not to fly down for the deployment ceremony since he will be confined to post both before and after. I guess this is to minimize the possibility of desertions.
No one knows how long the deployment will be - I guess like so much else, it is "classified." Nor can I write of where he will go because that violates OPSEC rules. I can say that his mission is reclassified from what it was originally intended to be. I do not know if that is positive...or negative. And I have really never liked not knowing. It kind of goes against everything I learned as a parent...information, no matter how bad is always better than uncertainty. And despite the fact that my son no longer needs a parent, it does not minimize my need to be one.
So the next time I see my son, he will be a combat veteran. May God keep his burden light.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Today is Christmas Eve. I have a miserable cold...or possibly the flu. My husband has been sick for a week. But with that said, once again I anticipate sharing Christmas with all members of my family around the table although happily, that celebration won't occur until December 26 giving me a bit of time to recover from my least favorite and totally unreturnable Christmas "gift."
Yesterday, I picked my son up at the airport - complete with his usual travel drama stories and conversation peppered with bad language and Army lingo. He still has not figured that you attract more flies with honey when it comes to dealing with stressed out O'Hare employees who would rather be home with their families than dealing with stressed out and unhappy travelers. He wanted to talk into the wee hours of the morning...but with a snort and a sneeze, I slinked into my warm bed - complete with three down comforters and a heating pad for my back. I considered putting on my fleece hat but decided it was really taking the sympathy thing a bit far.
As I write this, my boys, now young men and my daughter...still the mature one have taken my folks to church after trying to get me "better" all day. I refused to be typhoid Mary to all of those who gathered today to pray for peace and goodwill among all peoples to honor the birth of Christ and will watch the midnight services on television with my box of kleenex, vaporizor and bottle of aspirin close by and my dogs who will lie strategically on my bed to keep me toasty warm. And I will dream of first Christmases with tiny babies - toddlers running around the tree with eyes full of wonder - school aged children who learned that giving was indeed as good as getting on Christmas.
With all of my heart, I will pray that next Christmas will see all of us gathered around the table again - safe and healthy (and perhaps without a cold but what can I say?). I will say a prayer for the thousands of families who have loved ones in dangerous spots and I will pray for comfort for those who will always have an empty place at the table and in their hearts.
Happy Christmas and Peace on Earth - Goodwill to all of God's Children.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
This picture first published as a Christmas card in 1917 shows a little girl waiting by a Service Flag for a loved one serving a world away. As we celebrate the upcoming holidays, I believe it is important to remember the families of those who serve...especially the children.
May their fondest wish be granted and their absent loved one be safe over the holiday...and on their way home soon so they will be present for all of those important family events and celebrations.
Elections
On Friday, the Iraqis voted in large numbers to elect their own parliament. I applaud their courage and hope that those elected representatives show the same courage as their supporters.
It is my belief that we, in this country, ought to demonstrate the same democratic principles that we are encouraging from the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Congress passed a bill forbidding inhumane treatment of any prisoner held by ANY U.S. entity and clarified in the Military field manuals what proper interrogation procedures entail. It is sad that our government did not appear to know any better when it scuttled the Geneva Conventions as they pertained to Iraq and Afghanistan. Extraordinary Renditions, CIA torture planes and sending people off to states where torture is permissable are not American values...and have proven to be poor substitutions for good intelligence.
This week the New York Times reported that the President had approved spying on Americans living in the U.S. Following the scandals of the Nixon era, laws were passed to stop that behavior. Appearantly, once again, our President feels himself "above the law" because on the extraordinary threat of terrorism. No public official is above the law and it is my strong hope that the Congress will inquire into this matter and sanction any violations of our laws in a non-partisan manner.
Closer to home, a group of 12 citizens delivered a petition from residents in our congressional district to our congresswoman who has stated that this district supports the President's mission in Iraq. Our petition requested an open debate to honestly discuss Congressman Murtha's proposal to withdraw troops back to a position that would protect innocent Iraqi citizens while giving the new elected government more room to establish its leadership role. Among those chosen to deliver this petition were 5 Military Family members representing all branches of the military, 1 Active Duty Military member, three vets representing service to this country since Korea, a flight attendant who serves on flights that take our young servicepeople to Kuwait and assists in bring wounded soldiers back from Germany and four peace activists representing different groups in the district. The petition had signatures of several hundred residents who live in the district. Similar petitions were delivered all over the U.S. to the offices of Congressional Representatives. We will have to wait and see what, if any impact, the petition will have on our hawkish Congresswoman. Happily, the district is fielding a couple of candidates who feel that war is not the first option of diplomacy.
On a personal level, rumor and speculation abound that deployment orders and dates will be cancelled and/or delayed while we re-evaluate our presence. My son's unit was one mentioned by name as slated for cancellation. However, they continue to pack their gear in preparation for war in anticipation of deployment early next year.
Hopefully, 2006 will be marked by peace and diplomacy in Iraq and Afghanistan....and the U.S.
It is time to bring our soldiers home. Merry Christmas, Happy Chunakah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all. May it be marked with peace, prosperity and hope.
It is my belief that we, in this country, ought to demonstrate the same democratic principles that we are encouraging from the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Congress passed a bill forbidding inhumane treatment of any prisoner held by ANY U.S. entity and clarified in the Military field manuals what proper interrogation procedures entail. It is sad that our government did not appear to know any better when it scuttled the Geneva Conventions as they pertained to Iraq and Afghanistan. Extraordinary Renditions, CIA torture planes and sending people off to states where torture is permissable are not American values...and have proven to be poor substitutions for good intelligence.
This week the New York Times reported that the President had approved spying on Americans living in the U.S. Following the scandals of the Nixon era, laws were passed to stop that behavior. Appearantly, once again, our President feels himself "above the law" because on the extraordinary threat of terrorism. No public official is above the law and it is my strong hope that the Congress will inquire into this matter and sanction any violations of our laws in a non-partisan manner.
Closer to home, a group of 12 citizens delivered a petition from residents in our congressional district to our congresswoman who has stated that this district supports the President's mission in Iraq. Our petition requested an open debate to honestly discuss Congressman Murtha's proposal to withdraw troops back to a position that would protect innocent Iraqi citizens while giving the new elected government more room to establish its leadership role. Among those chosen to deliver this petition were 5 Military Family members representing all branches of the military, 1 Active Duty Military member, three vets representing service to this country since Korea, a flight attendant who serves on flights that take our young servicepeople to Kuwait and assists in bring wounded soldiers back from Germany and four peace activists representing different groups in the district. The petition had signatures of several hundred residents who live in the district. Similar petitions were delivered all over the U.S. to the offices of Congressional Representatives. We will have to wait and see what, if any impact, the petition will have on our hawkish Congresswoman. Happily, the district is fielding a couple of candidates who feel that war is not the first option of diplomacy.
On a personal level, rumor and speculation abound that deployment orders and dates will be cancelled and/or delayed while we re-evaluate our presence. My son's unit was one mentioned by name as slated for cancellation. However, they continue to pack their gear in preparation for war in anticipation of deployment early next year.
Hopefully, 2006 will be marked by peace and diplomacy in Iraq and Afghanistan....and the U.S.
It is time to bring our soldiers home. Merry Christmas, Happy Chunakah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all. May it be marked with peace, prosperity and hope.
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