But you are one lady no one should step on.
It usually goes “With this ring, I thee wed,”
But add in “Even if it means me in an empty bed.”
“and the weeks in the field with many late nights,”
“which will at some point lead to fights.”
Yes, a military wife is courageous and strong,
Even when the days seem so long.
When you feel like you’re at your wits end,
You “Suck it up” and start to mend.
You learn the Army language,
All those acronyms, “How can I manage.”
PX, AAFES, LES, MOS - the list goes on and on,
All those letters would make an ordinary woman yawn.
But those letters are part of your life,
The life of a proud military wife.
You move too much and decorate too little,
Because you always seem to leave in the middle.
Don’t get too settled and make lots of friends
Because home is wherever the Army sends.
And then one day the orders come down,
Your husband soon will be leaving town.
“Up to 365 days or until mission complete”
You know your heart just skipped a beat.
You stare at the orders in front of you,
This was a possibility you always knew.
Now life takes on new meaning
And the tears start streaming.
You hug each other tight and kiss farewell,
How you feel, words could never tell.
You go back to an empty home,
And try not to sit by the phone.
You wait, wonder and worry,
And hope this year goes by in a hurry.
Things are different now.
You’ll do things you once did not know how.
Yellow ribbons are a new accessory,
You make your outfit match- it is a necessity
You cry when the National Anthem is played,
And you get your child that much needed band-aid.
You have your daily chores, as always,
Except now you’re the only one to sweep the hallways.
You’re “IT”- the only one
But you do it and try to have fun.
You say your prayers and wish on a star in the sky,
When he’s back in your arms, you’ll forget the year that went by.
And you’ll think how strong you had become,
When you were truly the army of “one.”
~Letisha E Wheeler October 16, 2005~
hey girl... i've got a couple of questions for you.. i figured u would know since u have/are going through what i am about to go through. how does the communication work while they are in afghanistan? (i know they won't be able to know how often they can call/email/etc or even if they will be able to, but just in case...) aside from skype, how do they call home? do they have phones there? use their cells? calling cards? i know its silly & probably dumb, i just want him prepared for those times he may be able to get in touch with me..
ReplyDeleteHey girl. Hopefully this reaches you. If not, I will have to try a different form of communication. :)
ReplyDeleteCommunication varies depending on what COP/FOB he is stationed at over in Afghanistan. If he is a lucky one and is at a bigger FOB then more than likely he will have better phones and internet connection. Now when I say better, take that with a grain of salt. Afghanistan internet SUCKS. And is slow, cuts out, and is grainy when using Skype. (at least for me). There are landline phones at either an MWR or a place that they can use. It does cost some money (not sure how much) and depending on how big the FOB/COP is there may be a line he has to wait in. They always can purchase satellite phones or Afghani phones that do cost some money but they work just as well as the landlines without the waiting. My Soldier's parents bought him an international blackberry through Verizon that costs some money but he is able to text every so often, access his email through his phone (not that he emails me) and also can make phone calls. The dollars per minute is like 2$. So it's expensive and he only uses that on like rare, rare occassions. You are able to purchase calling cards for the satellite phones and cell phones, I have not personally used though so I do not have information on those. These are not silly or dumb quesitons at all! I had and still have the same questions today and this is our second deployment.
The best way to prepare is "he will call when he can" don't expect it to be tomorrow and don't expect it will be in a week. Prepare for the longest and hope for the shortest. Try not to think about it all day, everyday. Just keep thinking. He will call when he can. Let me know if you have any other questions. I am always here to help! Xoxo! :)
Thanks girl!! I really appreciate it!! & I'm sure I will have some more questions to come very soon! lol.
ReplyDelete