Recent Blog Blackout

I have chosen not to update my blog over the last several weeks due to my son's deployment. The unit has deployed to Afghanistan and most of the soldiers are in their duty stations.

I heard from my Soldier when he was in about 4 hours out of Kabul preparing to enter Afghanistan via military transport. They were tired since the flight was very long and crossed several time zones.

Recently, I heard from him again - by phone and email. He is "somewhere in the mountains" of Afghanistan in a remote operating base. The Soldiers have assumed the care of three dogs who were adopted by the Soldiers that just left Afghanistan to come home. The dogs accompany the Soldiers on patrol and assist in guard duty patroling the wire at night. He describes the area as ruggedly beautiful and the people as poor and very uneducated.

On the first patrol, many of the Soldiers contracted a mild food poisoning and plan to schlep a refridgerator to improve sanitary conditions at their remote outpost. During the winter months that was not necessary because perishables could be kept in an underground locker but with the weather warming, that appears to be a bad idea. When they are not patrolling, they are working to improve their temporary outpost.

As he does his job in Afghanistan, I am pleased to say that the peace work at home has not stopped. Chicago held a large peace demonstration last week. It was significant because the march was held on the Mag Mile where activists were arrested last year because the City of Chicago had forbidden access. We were well guarded by hundreds of police in riot gear in what can only be described as a show of intimidating force. There were no arrests according to the Chicago Police. Prior to the Chicago March, a weeklong vigil dubbed Camp Bring Em home was staged by a new Chicago peace Coalition called the Anti-War Majority at the office of Dennis Hastert. Following the march for the next week Camp Bring Em Home was moved to the offices of Rahm Emanual. One of the anchor groups of the Anti-War Majority, the Christian Peacemaker Teams, received the news that three of their members held hostage in Iraq were rescued...and on their way home to their families. The fourth, Tom Fox an American citizen, had been found dead in Baghdad a few weeks ago.

I will post pictures of the activities in Chicago as I have time.

Deployment and the State of the Union

On Friday January 27, my son's unit had their deployment ceremony. In typical Army fashion, it was not announced until two days prior. The unit, although primarily still in the US, is now considered deployed according to the post's website.

On Tuesday, January 31, the President gave his State of the Union address. I went to a "watch" party. I am not now...nor have I ever been a fan of Mr. Bush. This speech, in particular, was grating. His same old platitudes were a bit tough to take: "Freedom is on the March", "The road home for our troops is victory" et al. It is really too bad that he is so oblivious to the will of the people who elected him. I believe that more than 60% consider the war a mistake - and nearly half are calling for immediate withdrawal.

But as I mentioned, it was a party. Some of the people there were even MORE upset with his remarks than I was.

Back to the Base...And What Comes Next

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.

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.