When I met my Husband he was on leave from the Army.
About a year and a half later he served in Desert Storm.
After he got out of the Active Army, He decided to join the National Guard. "Good." I thought "You won't be going anywhere just helping people here in the USA and at the same time work at a nice, safe, civilian job." Little did I know.
In 2003, Two weeks before Christmas (and two and a half years before retiring from the Army) he was told that he was going to deploy to Iraq. A different unit upstate needed someone with his M.O.S and so he was chosen.
Our baby boy was just two years old, our little girl was five. We waited until after Christmas to tell them.
She guessed even before her Dad said the words.
"You're going away. " she said as her little face turned red and her big blue eyes filled with tears.
On a cold January morning before the sun barely had a chance to shine we drove to the Hanger where an Army helicopter would take him to join his new unit upstate and then a few weeks later, Iraq. My children and I waved goodbye until the helicopter was just a dot in the horizon.
It was a hard year and it was the beginning of my Journey of letting God take charge and asking him to carry my burdens. I still can't think of it without getting teary.
One year later we were all at the airport waiting anxiously for him to come down the escalator stairs. The kids had made him signs. We all held tightly to small flags. I looked for any tell tale signs of a uniform. I saw his desert boots first. The first thing he did was scoop both of his children in his arms and kiss their faces.
To all of our Service Men and Women that have sacrificed so much for us...
Thank You with all my heart.
God Bless You,
Love and Prayers, Joanne
To my Husband, a proud soldier
I Love You
What a wonderful and touching post, and a great tribute to our servicemen. I am so glad he returned home safe and sound!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful beautiful post. Going to have to dry up a bit now before I move on to more reading this morning.
ReplyDeleteSo touching. I cried watching that video.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
what a lovely post and may i send my deepest Thanks for his service
ReplyDelete@ Ginny~Thank You Ginny
ReplyDelete@ mybabyjohn/Delores~ Thank you, I can't tell you how much I cried when I posted it. It takes me back.
@ Lena~ Thank you
@ Becca~ That is so sweet~ I will tell him
A touching tribute to our veterans. I never experienced it but I often wonder how the families manage while waiting for thier loved ones to come home.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. How proud you are of your husband, and rightly so. A lovely tribute!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Joanne...just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, a very poignant post. At least I was single when I got drafted, it must be rough on youngsters when daddy has to go away.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story here. And the clip is just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteTake care
x
I'm not a veteran, but I appreciate those who have served.
ReplyDeleteLee
Ann Carbine Best visits Wrote By Rote on Saturday 11/12/11