Carrying the Burden....**

Dear B to the L to the O to the G:

Weather Report Brought to you by TANK GIRL: Its warmer .*D

I think GOD answered my prayers yesterday.  When I went to Yoga, it was only me in the class so........one of the 'Elusive Officer Wives' asked ME to Coffee. .*D  It was nice to talk to another person that endures the same things I do on a daily basis.....I am grateful and blessed to have this precious 1/2 hour of time with Miss Rico.



We were the only two people in the bowling alley at 730am, but it was the only place open on base that served coffee (kinda weird being in there that early).....we discussed how we both do not always comprehend fully what our husbands do everyday.  I think that it is a coping mechanism, if we were to really deal with the fact that they get into a helicopter and do a dangerous job everyday we would be utterly exhausted and unable to go on......we also discussed 'deployments.'  


Mimi is from Germany and she was talking about 'Going to War.' I was interested in her vocabulary- we say 'deployments', but isn't that minimizing in words the fact that our men/women are 'Going to War?' Is it because her country has actually experienced WAR in her homeland, and America has not?


I went to my Doctor's appointment with all this on my mind. (side note: I brought some coffee to the Doctor's appointment, I always hate when they say 'Please no food or drink in their office'- um excuse me I am not a child and neither are any of the patients that go to this particular office- irritating!!!)


I sat in the waiting room which was packed full of people and thought most of these people probably don't even consider what I do on a daily basis- not that I hold it against them.  My Doctor is a very politically minded man, luckily he and I see eye to eye on politics and he thanked me for what LEGS does......I wonder if he could see that I was struggling with the emotional baggage this lifestyle comes with?



(Side note: while I was in the Doctor's office, this young lady got up when they called her, and she asked if they were going to do the Ultra Sound first, when the nurse confirmed that, like 15 people got up and followed her into the back.....I am not sure if I would want that big of an  audience for a Ultra Sound!, is that normal?)



When I got home the newspaper was at the end of my driveway.  I went and picked it up, grabbed the mail in the mail box, I looked down at the paper and could see the story through the transparent plastic.  It was the picture of a marine, 'Daleville Graduate Killed in Action.' 


Stacy Green was a star football player for Daleville High School (Daleville is located 10 miles away from where we live), he was a Staff Sergeant in the US Marines and died while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. He was around the same age and rank (when he was in the Marines) as LEGS. 



I was thinking no matter how blissful, happy and content I am there is always a reminder......a reminder that LEGS is a brave man and I could lose him early. 


Sure enough I got on facebook and  Flora (a military wife wrote):

'Being a military wife really wears on me sometimes... Constantly having to say goodbye to amazing friends that you don't know if you'll ever see again... Its a vicious cycle & it never ends & it never gets easier... Said goodbye to one of my best friends this morning and next month will be saying goodbye to my husband... once again... :'('

 

LEGS got home from his last check ride.  He passed.  This is supposed to be a joyful time full of elation, instead he said 

 

LEGS: 'do you want to hear the bad news?'

 

Of course I didn't who knows what it could be.......he told me it didn't have anything to do directly with us.....which relieved me briefly....then he told me.

 

Last night a Kiowa Helicopter crashed.  The Instructor Pilot died.  The student is the in the hospital.  

 

I broke down and cried......it is very tiring and hard to carry this burden, to walk this path, how ironic that I was just discussing this and thinking about this all day?  

 

We were asleep last night, we were peacefully asleep and didn't even hear it.......if LEGS ever dies, many of us will be asleep, some of us will never even know.....

 

This is why they say that there is a wife for every Warrant Officer Promotion, this is why the divorce rate is so high in the military......Do you know how many times this week I have been asked if this is my first marriage- Hell yeah it is! 

 

The student was in LEGS' primary flight class.  He has some pretty serious injuries.

 

I have made friends with many of the Instructor Pilot wives.  They too travel a hard road.  Many of the IP's are prior military, they love teaching students how to fly.  My prayers are with the families of these incredible individuals......I hope the IP's and their wives know, we are thankful, and we realize how dangerous their jobs are as well.....

 

If you haven't today, you should thank a military wife/family- because we too carry the burden......

 

Just another day in the life of an unlikely military wife.....**