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Wednesday, March 21, 2007
When the start of R&R brings the end closer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Every wife with a deployed husband knows what R&R means — having your husband home for two blissful weeks.
But there’s much preparation before he gets here. You tell everyone he’s coming home, you work out like a fiend, you buy new clothes, you clean every crevice of your house, you make plans for what you’ll do while he’s here, and when the long-awaited day finally comes, you show up at the airport hours before his flight arrives.
I was in the arrivals area pacing and bothering the volunteers at the USO booth until they informed me my husband’s flight had landed. I was so excited that the moment he walked in I threw myself into his arms and unexpectedly burst into tears from the sheer joy of seeing him again. Even after months away, it was as if he’d never left.
We did all our favorite things, talked into the wee hours of the night and savored every moment together.
Two weeks becomes mere days, and then stark reality hits and you’re packing up his things and taking him to the terminal to report for duty again.
Fortunately, the airport allows wives to go to the gate with their soldiers. I guess they know we need every precious moment we can squeeze out of their time here. As the hours pass and boarding time nears, the tears you were able to stifle earlier start trickling until you’ve run through all the Kleenex and your husband can’t hold back his either.
He promises he’s coming back and tells you how much he loves you. You send the man you love back to war knowing it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. Then, the wait for him to come home starts all over again.
How did you spend your R&R? Was your husband leaving after R&R harder than him shipping out initially?
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Andie Heffernan
How do we handle dissent against the Iraq war?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Though I never personally experienced it on my return from Vietnam, I recall the great amount of disdain, ridicule and animosity heaped upon our veterans who served in Vietnam.
Not so today. For the most part, our service men and women who served or are serving in Iraq receive the honor and respect their sacrifice deserves.
Though opinions and support of the war may differ greatly among the American people, I believe they overwhelmingly support the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines fighting it. For that, I am most grateful.
There are some however who by their loaded questions and actions seem to belie this sentiment.
Do we recognize them? Do we give them credence? Do we give dissent a voice?
Permalink | Comments (72) | Categories: Kenneth Hutnick
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