IT WAS NOT UNTIL THIS WEEK I REALIZED YOU HAD KIDS SERVING OVERSEAS. I AM,ALWAYS HAVE BEEN,ALWAYS WILL BE IN AWE OF THOSE WHO LOVE THEIR GOD,COUNTRY AND FAMILY SO DEEPLY THEY VOLUNTEER TO GO INTO HARM’S WAY TO DEFEND WHAT THEY HOLD DEAR. WHEN I READ ABOUT OUR BRIGHTEST AND BEST THAT FELL TODAY MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS OF YOUR FAMILY. MILITARY FAMILIES KNOW ALL ABOUT ‘SHARED SACRIFICE.’ THEY LIVE IT EVERY DAY.
IF ANYBODY HAPPENS BY,FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THOSE AMONG US WHO SERVE AT HOME. YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL TO ME, CHRISSY. KNOW THAT YOUR FAMILY ARE ALWAYS IN MY PRAYERS.
polination.blog 
Pete. I am so touched! It really helped to read this. Thank you!
At the moment, I actually have two kids in harm’s way and, yes, the headlines were tough. So far I’ve broken a bottle and gotten a splinter of glass in my hand … dropped a package of very juicy raspberries on the floor (they splatter!) … sent the mail flying every which way … given up figuring out why my bank ledger balance doesn’t match the online balance when all the entries DO match … dragged Dearest in to proof a graphic that didn’t look right to me only to have him tell me it was absolutely fine. Sigh.
Got pics from one of my kids of the assigned personal living space. Actual bed with a mattress, really posh compared with the cot from last deployment. Also an entire set of shelves, also really posh compared with the single plywood shelf from last time. But it’s a shared tent so no walls, doors, privacy or lockable personal space this time around. The dimensions of the space reminded me a lot of a jail cell except the ceiling is really low, you can’t put anything on the walls and, oh yeah, the bathroom is outside.
The following may be TMI, but for those who are interested in the nitty gritty of combat life …
I didn’t get pics of the “facilities” but my guess is it’s NOT more posh than last time. Ever hear of a WAG bag? They keep them under the bed.
Dark green, sturdy plastic zippy bag with a baby wipe and kitty litter inside. They do their business into the kitty litter and wrap it all up in the zippy bag, then take it to the nearest burn barrel.
When one of my kids got back last time, the two hardest things to adjust to were remembering to zip (combat pants button) and remembering to flush.
The facilities are the same for men and women, but the ladies have a harder time as you can easily imagine. I’ve heard of female soldiers being flown out for emergency medical care because of the severity of the urinary and vaginal infections these primitive conditions can provoke.
PMS is also not much fun. One of my girls said she got a bottle of Nutella in a care package and it came on a really bad PMS day. She sat down and ate half the bottle with a spoon, then sighed and announced to the crowd of gawping male soldiers she served with that NOW she was feeling much, much better.
You know that funny right wingnut poster about cranky chicks with guns? If you encounter one, feed her chocolate. 🙂
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Mwaaaaaaah to you, Chrissy. Being a soldier’s mom is the toughest mom-job ever!
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Amen to what Pete said.
Chrissy, I have you and your kids on my church’s prayer list, which means that every week you have 40 – 50 extra people praying for you.
(If others of you have friends or family members in the armed services that you’d like to have added to the list, just let me know.)
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I wish I could be as eloquent as Pete, Chrissy. Just know that you and your family are always included in my prayers with much gratitude and requests for Heaven’s constant protection. God bless you all!!!
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chrissy, although I don’t know you, please take comfort in knowing that my family prays for our troops and their families daily. My kids will never grow up questioning who the true heroes are and where their gift of freedom comes from. May God watch over your kids and bring you peace as you wait for their safe return.
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I am sure that your prayers will mean a lot to Chrissy. I add mine to yours, and so they will continue to grow and lift up all the troops and their loved ones here at home.
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I add mine to yours, and so they will continue to grow and lift up all the troops and their loved ones here at home. (Chrissy, you have just been “Tinged” = )
NICELY done Pete!
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