Army Parent's Creed

I am the parent of an American soldier. 

 I will support, respect and honor the protectors of this great Nation, this team we call Army. 

I seek to serve by word and deed not only my soldier but all soldiers. 

I will always treat a soldier respectfully, always defending their service with pride. 

I will never accept disrespect or dishonor of my soldier or any soldier from anyone.

 I will never abandon a soldier, injured or otherwise and I will always fight for their right to be treated fairly and honorably, even by those with whom they serve. 

I will privately bear the pain of loss and separation from my soldier, always striving to be uplifting and positive in their presence for their sake. 

 I will always acknowledge an Army soldier in public or private, commending and praising them for their service to us. 

 I will never let them forget that we are proud of them nor of the deep appreciation we have for their sacrifice. 

 I will stand by my soldier and those who serve with them, confronting anyone seeking to harm, dishonor or deny them basic human rights. I am the mother or father of my child, I am an Army parent.

 

Be Safe - Be Good - Be Strong

The Call

So, as near as I can remember (it still seems a little surreal and cloudy), it went like this.  Picture, if you will, a busy, chaotic, way too much energy in this house, Halloween night.  It was 6:45 p.m.; prime time for trick-or-treaters, Halloween feast FINALLY spread out on the table, doorbell, dog barking, T.V. blaring, and yells of "your turn to get the door".  The phone rings.  I see son's cute little picture pop up on my cell (he'll ALWAYS be that cute little boy to me!).  Of course even in my holiday chaos( yes, Halloween IS a holiday..NOT an event as hubby would like us to believe ;) I quickly answer the phone.  Halloween is one of his most favorite times of year.  I thought the sad reluctance I heard in his voice was due to the fact that he wasn't home for Halloween.  I was trying to cheer him up a little and started telling him my lame Halloween jokes (I'll spare you all the details as I'm told there are times that I'm not NEARLY as funny as I think I am!), when the bomb drops.  In the middle of my joke (okay...now I just gotta share it.  What do you get when you goose a ghost?)..he stops me (Sorry to leave you hanging...I know your'e dying for the answer to the riddle!) he says, "So...Mom.  There was a change on my orders today.  Deployment."  I froze.  Okay...this was not a funny Halloween joke.  And if it was, MY joke was much funnier!  (Answer...a handful of sheet!).  I froze.  Did he really just say the "D" word?  My Army Strong instantly changed to Army Sucks!  I looked straight ahead and said, "Where?"

"Afghanistan."

"When?"

"It's pretty vague, Mom.  It doesn't really give an exact date.  Some time after the first of the year.  The 1st and 3rd Brigades are returning and xx00 troops from the 2nd and 4th are deploying. It says to report earlier, Dec. XX. (So much for Christmas at home.  Army TRULY Sucks!!!)  It says prepare to deploy."

I couldn't get out my next question..which was...WHY???  I knew why.  I still know why.  Because it's his job.  Because it's what he wanted to do with his life...what he was called to do with his life.  Because "they" need him.  After sitting in a freeze frame position for what seemed like an eternity, I snapped to.  I started to relay the information to his dad across the room.  Dad calmly looked at me and said, "I know."  I just kept talking.  Again, he said, "I know."  I kept talking louder and faster.  Finally he said, "Honey, stop!  I know!". I said, "How can you possibly know?  Can you HEAR him on the phone from across the room?"  He answered, "He's been texting me all afternoon.  He didn't know how to tell you and was worried about how you'd take the news."  Frozen....again.  That's my boy!  Worried about his mom.  Forever my little protector.    Change to Army Sad.  A snap back into reality.  

Son said, "Mom, it's going to be okay."

"I know, Bud.  It's going to be fine.  We knew this was a possibility."
"But...right out of the gate? Wow."
It's because you scored 100% on your final assessment, isn't it??!! (chuckle)

"Mom, you're taking it much better than I thought you would."  Oh...if  he could only hear how fast my heart is racing.  If he could see the pictures that are flashing through my mind.  Thank heavens he can't!

I assured him that I knew it was coming.  (I did. I truly knew. Mother's intuition? I just didn't want to believe it.)  I assured him that all would be fine.  He would be taken care of.  His "brothers" will always have his back and his Heavenly Father will always protect and watch over him.  He knows him and loves him and knows his needs and desires.  (My heart is still racing.  Am I even remembering to breathe?)

He's nervous.  I can hear it in his voice.  I ask him how he's feeling.  He tells me he's worried he doesn't know enough....hasn't had enough training.  He's worried he'll mess up and that the guys won't respect him.  He tells me if the guys don't have faith in you and respect you as a medic then the entire morale of the company is lost.  He said, "I want to be the one the guys call "Doc", not the one they're sorry to have to have follow them on patrol."  Then he said, "What am I going to do the first time I lose someone?  Mom, we all lose someone. It comes with the job.  It's inevitable even for the best.  We've had training for that, but how can you prepare for that?"

I answered him the only way I knew how. ( Army Strong again?)  I said a quick prayer in my heart.  Then I told him to rely on his Heavenly Father; ask Him for help and guidance and always stay close to Him.  To remember that he prayed long and hard before he enlisted so he would know, without a doubt, that it was the right thing for him to do. I told him to rely on his knowledge and his training; he is of the best of the best.  Be confident.  Be a good example.  Be a friend.  I told him he could do this.  He's got this.  He was a natural at this.  (He really is...and I'm amazed at how quickly he's picked it all up.  Amazed!)  And I told him not to worry about his old Mom!!  Then he said, "But who will protect you when I'm gone.  I've always protected you, Mom.  It's my job."  True.  Why is he so protective of his mom?  Why he's always thought it was his job I will never know, but I think it's sweet.  With that, he had to leave for formation.  I told him I loved him and not to worry.  We've got this.  We've ALL got this.
The next morning....after every one left....Mom was finally able to have her moment...and the tears fell like rain.  (Welcome back to Army Sad).  I turned where I often turn when I need help and reassurance and I feel like I have no where else to go.  I said a prayer, opened my scriptures and read:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear.

But of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

2Timothy 1:7

Back to Army Strong!  We got this, Bud!

Be Safe - Be Good - Be Strong

Fort Campbell Here We Come!

The awaited day arrives!  Son received orders to Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault)!  Home of the Screaming Eagles! The 101'st has a TON of history behind it.  It also holds the record for the most deployments.  We're all a little excited and anxious...Son included.  He's hoping this means he can be an inflight medic.  No word on further training, but being assigned to the 101st is a good sign!  He was the only Private out of the company to be assigned there.  All the other guys were Specialists.  He has no idea what this means exactly, just thought it was kind of cool.  One of the other guys pointed it out to him. 

And the best part of all???  Ready???..........

HE'S HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!   HOOAH!!!!!

Congrats on the NREMT: FSH Update!

I'm not sure what's worse....car trouble or computer trouble....UGH!!!  But we are once again up and running thanks to our friends at Office Depot (gotta love those little boys!).  I don't know about you, but I feel like we're in need of an update and some good news from Son and the good ole boys at FSH!!!

First on the udpate...a BIG congrats to the guys that passed their NREMT certification last week.  HOOAH!  This means they are official EMT's and have completed the first step to becoming "official" combat medics.  It was a long, exhausting and stressful haul and quite the hurtle to jump.  Now it's onto "Whiskey Phase"!  Boys, if you were thinking the stress was long since passed, think again.  The first few days of Whiskey Phase proved to be just as stressful as the last four months, and from what we've seen on YouTube (which I'm quickly gaining a love/hate relationship for) I don't know that we can say you're in for a treat.  LOL....Definitely not MY kind of treat anyways!  First couple days consisted of learning injections (yes...on each other...GROSS!  And to the poor gal that messed up on him...he'll be fine...once he can move his arm again!!  :)   Lots more homework and learning to do blood draws on the second day.  This week has been extra draining as they've had some long days learning suicide prevention.  How sad it is that this has to be part of the training and has ended up being such a devastating affect for some of these soldiers and their families.

For family and friends.....Son is doing great and hanging in there.  Some days are better than others, but then isn't that how it goes for most of us?!  He would feel soooo much better if he had a Battle Buddy to go to church with on Sunday (Hint hint for any guys in his company that don't have much going on on Sunday morning and need to get a good deed in for the week  ;)  *wink wink
Seems they can't do much of anything without a Battle Buddy these days...and it seems way different than when he was in BCT at Benning.  Like Son said, at Benning all you had to do on Sunday was clean so guys were all sorts of willing to go to church with him.  Here at FSH they have a little more freedom.  Okay...a LOT more freedom.  Sort of tempting to choose a sports bar at the River Walk over going to church to sit in a hard chair while trying to stay awake... and takes a lot more convincing.  So kudos in advance for anyone who would be willing.  As soon as you're allowed goodies, Mom will gladly compensate by keeping you in carbs for the remainder of your Army careers!  Ha Ha

Son found a way to keep himself and a few of the guys busy on the weekends when they need a break from studying...it's called "Welcome to football season!" Not sure what they'd do without it at this point!  He bought a projector and shows the games in his room.  Aye yi yi....he looks at it as an investment and being frugal and cost effective as it saves him money from not going out on the town.  LOL...way to justify it son!  ;)  LOL...I guess as long as it keeps him out of trouble.  Then again, he did get yelled at by the Sgts for waking everybody up at the end of a not so good BYU game the other night.  Yes, he gets a little feisty when his team loses.  Apparently they thought a fight had broken out in his room.  LOL....maybe it's a good thing his roommate never seems to be around.  Literally...where does that boy go?  Nobody seems to have a clue.

That's about it for the update.  As always letters, cards, jokes, pictures, words of encouragement etc. are ALWAYS welcome!  He texted me with an "I LOVE YOU MOM"  around midnight the other night (getting a little homesick maybe?)  Ahhh...sweet!  Dad thought maybe he was drunk and it was meant a little slurred..ha ha..NOT!  When I asked him about it the next morning, he said they were watching "Saving Private Ryan" and in the middle of it he said, "I need to text my mom."  He said most the other guys in the room followed suit.  Have I said I LOVE THESE BOYS???!!!!!

Be Safe - Be Good - Be Strong

Shame On You!

As a new Army Mom I think one of the first things you realize/learn is to stay away from the news (oh, and YouTube videos...yuck!).  LOL...it usually just causes "UA"...unnecessary anxiety (which is not good for my OCD or as my kids call it...CDO!) Not to mention it has been known to cause a few bad dreams and nightmares every now and then.  (Oh come on now, you Army family members KNOW what I'm talking about! As strong as we are, there's some things we just have to take in small doses!)  I've been pretty good about this if I do say so myself.  I've learned the art of deciphering the real reality from the media sensationalized reality, and if all else fails I've learned to just tune it out or turn it off. That is until this weekend when I came across an article from FoxNews.com on how our nation's enemies are using social media networks like Facebook and blogs (yes, much like this one) to get information they can use against our soldiers.  Seriously?  That's pretty low to use someone's little ole family blog to try to get information that could be potentially damaging to our soldiers. So much for freedom of speech :S
I was taking this with a grain of salt until a post from a friend and fellow army mom told a story of how a gal from Pakistan contacted her on Facebook and told her she  knew a lot about her and had some information on her son and wanted to know more.  She said she didn't realize he had left to BCT and wanted his address.  My friend looked her up on Facebook (see kids....the best of moms know there are times that "Facebook Stalking" is warranted  ;) and saw that she was from Pakistan.   At first my friend didn't give it much thought as her son had done some traveling out of the country before he joined the Army.  My friend did not give her the information and contacted her son to let him know. (Again, so thankful our boys have their cell phones back!!)  He told her she was right in not giving this gal any information and that there is no way she would "know a lot about her).  Crazy!  After hearing this, I thought...hmmm....let's check the stats on our little soldier blog.  (There's an "audience" link you can click on to see where in the world people are viewing your blog from.)  This makes it quite exciting to think your little blog has been halfway around the world...and then some!  When I looked at the stats I saw "hits" from around the world in places such as Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan.  I'd like to think maybe this was from fellow soldiers, or at the very least far away friends of our U.S.A.  Now I'm beginning to wonder.  Isn't that sad!  Something as simple as sharing one of the greatest achievements of your child with your family, friends, and others that are going through the exact same journey just became a source of anxiety!! And yes...I'll admit I did have horrible dreams last night.  And then, well, I just got mad.  I'm mad that something I'm not even really sure of could make me that worried.  I'm mad at the feeling of possibly being stalked and, in a way, violated.  I'm mad that something valued and precious to me could possibly be used for something deceitful, corrupt, and horrible.  I'm mad that you (whoever YOU are) made me feel frightened, timid, and small.  I guess I'm mad that I felt something was taken away from me.  That's it! Shame on you...whoever you are. Shame on YOU!

A Combat Medic's Prayer

Oh Lord, I ask for the divine strength

to meet the demands of my profession.

Help me to be the finest medic,

both technically and tactically.

If I am called to the battlefield, 

give me the courage to conserve our

fighting forces by providing medical 

care to all who are in need.

If I am called to a mission of peace,

give me the strength to lead by caring for

those who need my assistance.

Finally, Lord help me take care

of my own spiritual, physical,

and emotional needs.

Teach me to trust in your presence

and never failing love.

Amen.

(Author Unknown)

What Do You Love About Being a Military Mom/Dad?

Last week we went to our military families on FaceBook and asked them what they love about being a Military Mom/Dad.  Here's some of their responses:

"Better future for my son and his future family."
  ~L. Velez

"I love seeing the pride in my son's face and hear it in his voice when he talks about what he gets to do in the Army.  I love knowing that he is strong, and brave, and honorable; all the things I've tried so hard to instill in my children as they were growing up.  The love and compassion he feels for the human race and all things living makes me a very proud mom period!!!"
~ S. Hixon

"I love that my son has taken a step that he is proud of, that he is taking control of his life and reaching for a goal and a dream instead of wishing.  Mostly I am proud to hear him say "I believe" and is willing to show it in God and country."
~J. Guderian

"I love that my son is there for our country and our freedom if needed, and that he grew up even more than I thought he could.  I love how he looks and how he enjoys his family even more than he already did.  I love that he is there to help all other soldiers out if needs.  Most of all...I love that I'm so stinkin PROUD...HOOAH!"
~ S. McQuillen

"Besides meeting other wonderful military moms?  ;)  I love it when neighbors, friends, etc tell me; please tell your son thank you!  We appreciate his sacrifice and courage.  I am so proud of his decision (even though it wasn't an easy one on me and I still have days) and the soldier he has become."
~ D. Marble

"Even though my son has made it past BCT, I still listen to him tell me about the PT tests that he still has to pass, about the higher ranks that still give them a hard time...But I also HEAR the sense of pride in his voice that he's doing this.  He hasn't...and he won't give up.... 

It's an HONOR and a PRIVILEGE to be part of this elite family, and my son and the other soldiers make me such a proud mother."
~D. Davis

"What really struck me is how proud I was that "B" had and felt such a huge belonging and purpose.  My heart swells with pride when I see "B" in his uniform."
~C. Pajeau

"Proud to see my son become a man.  But as most parents, always worried because I'm not there to help if needed."
~J. Kent

"See how hard my son is working to achieve his goals makes me a very proud Army Dad."
~M. Dudash

"...Oh my, look how far our boys have soared!  Each moment of every day is filled with thoughts of love for our children.  But we can take solace in knowing they have grown into the men we were striving to help them be all through the years.  I've never been more proud and he always knows I am 100% with him no matter what!"
~ B. Mehelcic

"Watching son become the man he is ...and watching the soldier he is becoming has been a priceless "mom moment" that I wouldn't trade for the world...good days and bad!  I've said this a hundred times before....the Army didn't make me a proud mom...it just made me the proud mom of a soldier.  I love that he has direction in his life, that he gets to do what he has always wanted to do; help others, and that he puts his love for family, God, and country above all else.  He's a great example to our family and those around him.  He is by far one of my greatest blessings and one of my greatest teachers."
~K. Schofield