Veteran's Day

In lou of veteran's day this year I decided to shared something very dear to my heart. When Aaron and I decided to get married in November of 2002, we had no idea that when we set our wedding date for Feb of the following year that he would get deployed six days after our wedding. I still remember the day that he left, I remember going to the armoury and feeling sorry for myself ( here I was newly married and my hubby of six days was going to war, what if he didn't make it back home?) well I got there and what an eye opening experience it was for me. When I left I didn't feel so bad I felt lucky. It was just me he was leaving. You see when a soldier gets deployed, every family has its stories. Whether someone is pregnant with their first baby or their third.. which children understand what the dads or moms are going out to do, I even had a very close friend who was very sick with cancer when our husband left. So I felt very fortunate that our family and friends were close by and I would be able to make do for a year till they got back.

That following sept... Aaron's unit got extended... there orders were now 365 boots on ground which in the military world means that since they spent 2 and half months in Fort Lewis Washington ( training) that their year long deployment didn't really start until they got over there. We dealt ok with that blow. The second blow came when they were about to come home. They had done their time, were packed up and ready to come home and waiting in Kuwait. About that time some real fighting began to happen over there, and they recieved orders that they would be going back in. I still remember that phone call as if it were yesterday. Aaron sounded so down, and all I could think was he's kidding.. in a second he will perk up and be like "just kidding! " But he didn't. I was so upset and began to cry..." why ?" was all I could choke out. I just didn't understand. Aaron told me then that things would be ok. Making the phone calls to the family were really hard. I prayed alot that things would change and they could come home. A meeting was held a wk later and the General told all the families what he could.. tried to help aid some of our hurt. I had women that told me that they knew that they were coming home, even though the orders had said different. I tried to have faith that they would. Well a little more than two wks went by and they hadn't moved their troop and they then on a MIRACLE decided that they had done their time and it was their turn to come home. They did come home a few weeks later. I stand by the fact that the Lord does hear and answer our prayers, he does show us miracles. I greatly appreciate all the troops that protect our freedoms. The sacrifces that not only the soldiers make but their family's to, is something that is truly a gift. I know that the sacrifice that we made at the begining of our marriage was hard, very hard in fact. But it was worth it. Our freedom to choose in this country is always worth fighting for. God Bless America!

The above photo is an article about us when their unit left... and yes its the day they left!