The Anchor of deployment

Recent events in the life of my family have reminded me of who really deserves the thanks for what we do: Families! Without them carrying on the daily routine back home, we couldn't come out here and complete the missions we're tasked to do. They are the anchor on which we ride out the stormy seas.

Spouses get the kids to school, nuture them, protect them. Grandparents pick up the slack for stressed spouses. Friends help spouses take care of the homefront as well. My buddy Steve back home helped my wife build a fence so our dog could run around in the freedom of our backyard. Without him, my wife would have spent tons of money and had to wait three months for a contractor to do it. Thank you Steve, that meant more to me than I can say.

My wife is dealing with finances, home stuff, her busy career. She has research to conduct, a tenure package to put together, an article or two to write. On top of that our precious dog has gotten sick. She handled it for several weeks without telling me because I was flying. She has suffered immeasurably and I love her for her strength. I admire those spouses who take on the world while we're away.

It's absolutely nerve wracking to be so far away and have my dog, my best buddy, going through something potentially life threatening. I still don't know how it will turn out. I agonize everyday, but my wife is there to take him to the vet, research, ask questions and also reassure me. I can't stand it at times. Flying to Kosovo yesterday was the toughest it's ever been. I had to compartmentalize my feelings and function as a member of the team. On top of that we had a minor malfunction and I had to figure out what to do. At least my mind was occupied.

I wrote this post to give thanks to my wife and all the other family members who do the dirty work and pick up the pieces while we're gone. Without them the system would have broken down a long time ago. If you know anyone who has someone deployed or feel like supporting the thousands of troops who don't have an anchor at home, get with the USO. I can tell you nothing beats knowing that you have a crowd supporting you and your team when your trying to do your job.