Last week my son in law got on a plane bound for Kentucky. That in itself isn’t all that unusual, but it does mean several more weeks separated from his wife and young daughter while he is away at work. You see my son in law Derek is a member of the U.S. military. He is in Kentucky, having finished up his basic training and has moved on to his advanced training related to the specific job he will be doing. He got two weeks of leave which he spent with his family.
Derek and Helene walking towards the car to take Derek to the airport
As anyone who has been in the military or is a family member of the military can attest, time apart from family and friends is a part of the job. Our military friends and family members provide a valuable service for us in their work at defending our country here and abroad.
Despite what people think about the political scheme of things, we still need men and women doing the work of providing the wide variety of services that are offered thanks to our nation’s military. We reap the benefits of training that these people get when they leave the service and enter the civilian work place. We gain more than we realize in technology that carries over to us civilians, as well as civilian technology helping to ensure the efficiency and safety of our military.
Of course, civilian technology has benefited our military personnel as well. Military folks may spend weeks, months and even years away from home in less then pristine conditions, and the people at home have to manage without them. It is difficult, but it is a scenario as old as the history of soldiering. We are seeing that simple fact first hand.
My daughter Ashley is handling quite well the lengthened separations from her spouse. They of course exchange frequent letters, and as Derek is still in training mode, phone calls are brief and very welcome. I personally was pleasantly surprised to see how much this young couple has matured in just a few short months. Ashley has taken to the position of military spouse quite easily, and Derek has gained greater purpose in his life. I am exceedingly proud of both of them, as parents, as a couple and as individuals.
The two weeks Derek was home was a bit of a whirlwind for him as all his friends and family wanted to see him while he was here. He wisely spent some time with extended family but devoted most of his time home with his wife and daughter. He didn’t even mind doing toddler diaper duty, and Helene’ loved playing with her daddy every chance she got. Sadly it didn’t take long though for his leave time to be up and it was time for him to make the trip back to base.
As they were leaving I managed to take the picture you see of Derek and Helene walking towards the car to take him to the airport. That picture may be a good representation of scenes repeated all over the country as other men and women were preparing to leave their homes and head back to base, or even to a place far away full of danger. We don’t know yet where Derek will be heading after he finishes his training in February. We do know that he will be reporting to his duty station, just not where.
We don’t know how soon Ashley and Helene can follow him, or even if or how soon he will deploy to places distant. Ashley and the rest of us must wait for word, and make plans for different scenarios while also making plans for a future Toy Strewing Toddler, due early April. It is all part of being the family of a man in uniform. It is safe to say that we are hardly alone in waiting for news, and making plans according to what that news reveals.
Sylvie Galloway
mom, hairdresser, writer, who is trying to stay one step ahead of marauding dust bunnies.
