I am reopening this for a few reason. One GF said he could ignore me. He can't. This is not a standard power tripping kit thread. I am going to write this from heart. You can call me a blind sheep and you can call it propaganda, but this comes from an American Soldier’s Wife‘s heart. I am not arguing his political stance nor mine… Just stating how I feel.
It is hard when you are looking at the face of death, when you are seeing the bombs on television and watching the mistake of a few soldiers get reflected on all soldiers, to see any good coming from war. One would almost think it is senseless and unneeded and one would almost be right. War is evil and should not be taken light hearted, but sometimes there is nothing we can do to avoid it.
9-11 taught us a few things. It taught us how two building could crumble and how our national military headquarters could shatter before our eyes. It brought to light a fearful time, the uncertainty and the vile smell of war. From that moment nothing would be the same….
See the day Bush decided that it was time to take out an old enemy Saddam and go to war with Iraq … That was the day my husband walked up to me, his head held down and a heavy breath of words upon his tongue. I can still clearly remember that moment as I felt my world change directly because of war.
He joined the service and I knew he would be going to war. War, to face death and I would be left behind. I would not get to follow, to protect him, to comfort him, to let him know how much I loved him. I would be left alone with in the shallow realm of not knowing and nightmarish vision of uncertainty.
“I am not afraid,” He said arms wrapping warmly around “To fight for what I believe in and to die for my country” he kissed my forehead and walked into the house with out another word. I stood there…
Though I may face uncertainty with my husband, I will always be proud of him and he will always be my hero. I have sacrificed a lot. My first anniversary, valentines day, Christmas, thanksgiving, a wedding, and 2 of every holiday you can picture right along with my husband. 586+ days 11 months boots on the ground. I have lost a 19 year old from my home area. I have written 8 sympathy cards. I have watched and heard horror stories over a mortar attack and my soldier losing everything over there. I know as well as any military wife would know, the full affects of war. I have looked upon a 22 year old wife receiving a flag and heard the frail shot of 21 last goodbyes go off, knowing full well that could very easily be me.
I heard my husband voice that was so stern and unchanged. “ I am not doing so good today hon. I watched 8 marines die with in 3 feet of me to a car bomb.” I knew I could not cry cause I had to be strong for him and I listened as he told the tale “The worse was picking up the pieces, but I am alright” That God, my soldier was ok, but I lost 8 others. Those soldiers who names I do not know, who died protecting my husband and servicing right along side my husband.
I know the changes that will take place in my soldier. I KNOW THE AFFECTS OF WAR. Are you haunted by the unknowing, by the nightmares, the sleeplessness and the feeling of guilt for not being there? You are not. You speak of this as Vietnam. This is a whole another war and different all together. As all wars are. My husband now sitting in Iraq does not hate every Middle Easterners or Hoggies as they call them. He wishes, as do most of the troops I know, they could be doing more and they should be doing more from what he tells me.
So now why you are reading this. Why you are thinking I am stupid and dolt. Who doesn’t know anything of this war. Who knows nothing of the psychological effects of a soldiers mind you can stop and think of this why you sip your cup of joe. That somewhere a far from here. In the land of good ole Iraq, some mighty fine fighting men, some might fine Iraqis are working there ass off to bring about peace to nation of bloodshed. Somewhere over there is a mother praying for peace for her children and a father facing uncertainty. Somewhere in the good ole United states, a wife prays for her husband… a Little girl awaits her daddy. A phone is ringing, a telegram is being sent that has the stale words of war… “Your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife will not be coming home… so here a Gold star for you to hang.” When you think of these thought till you can think of them no more, you can remember that there are those of us who can not forget… Where not a day goes by where the shallow hell of war do not echoes with in our mind.
War is never pretty and I can certainty paint an ugly enough picture for you. But each dawn that arise and each day that take pace, each step in that soil is another moment closer to a safer tomorrow, a peaceful tomorrow and an enduring Freedom for all. There are some things worth fighting for, there are some things that are unavoidable and sometimes the worst of things bring out the best of things. Some things are worth the sacrifice, be it unused wedding dress, two years, a life, or just a memory… Hope, peace and freedom are always worth the death and bloodshed that over shadow them in such tragic times. A greater good out the dismay and destruction of a greater evil…. The life of a thousand people for a better life of a million people. It is never an easy choice to make, but it sometimes one that has to be made in order for the beauty of change to take hold.
SO Do I know the affects of war? I think you now know the answer and you can never ever doubt my love, my understanding, my respect, my pride for all of my American Service men and woman over seas no matter where they are.
