ocilla
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Joined: 6/12/2007
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Oh Ghita I don't want him to do another tour. Its tooo scary. I've a friend same sort of situation...did 2 tours already...he is a hand to hand specialist....during his 2nd tour his wife dumped him hard for another guy. he came back and had the years to take retirement...did for a few months and then reupped cause he did not know what to do with himself. Then he got stationed in Georgia and that is when I met him. He will not be sent back out for at least 18 more months because with his experience and so many more raw recruits he is more valuable as a trainer. But he is itching to do another tour - but he wants to go cause he is feeling so crappy about his marriage and is definitely in self destruct mode. And yet the more he talks about his previous tours and his friends from those tours the more clear the PTSS issued and in particular the unique and new issues of concussions from the IUD's is coming to light. The equipment is keeping the American soldiers from getting killed better than in previous combat but the increased exposure to the waves of internal concussions from the higher incidents of nearby blasts is only now stating to show up as a huge problem with those who have completed tours. Many of his buddies who experienced 4 or more percussive waves are simply not the same person as they were before. And what he is hearing is that it is much worse and intense than it was before. His direct experience was that in the first tour the situation was much less dangerous and more manageable than in his 2nd tour...the escalation has increased and morale has seriously decreased as has the level of skill in training in colleagues. Plus it will drive me nuts with worry for you him and your babies...and we can't have me worrying like that... It is all about me isn't it??? Oh wait maybe it's not..hmmm?
quote:
ORIGINAL: GhitaAmati
Soo....heres my morning thoughts...
Daddy is considering volunteering for another tour in Iraq....Im not sure how Im feeling about this. Of course Im going to support him no matter what choice he makes...but, while I know I can handle it, this time there are small UMs to think about. Our oldest was old enough last time to kind of understand, and be able to talk on the phone and write his own letters and use the computer to comunicate back and forth. This time the two youngest are 1yo and 2yo. They arent gonna understand anything but the fact that Daddy isnt their. He has been away for a month or so at a time for training and the like, but never anything like a year or more while theyve been alive. I know physically I could handle it...Ive got the bobs...emotionally? I dont know....Ive been a single mother of one before, but never a single mother of three, and I hate to say it but while soldiers are overseas, the left behind parents are basically single parents. What Im afraid of is the oldest will suffer, because I will have to put so much energy into the babies that he will get left out, he wont have his fishing trips with daddy, and the evenings I take him to scouts while Daddy keeps the babies. I know the money is good....and I know he misses the military, he joined the day he got out of highschool and has been in the military ever since until retiring last march with 24 years of service. He is thinking about joining back up to get his 30 years...and if he retires off of active duty instead of reserve duty like this last time he gets much better benifits...so I can understand why he is considering it....he has been so frustrated since retiring, feelling like he is no longer providing for us like he used to...I hate it...because I know he works his ass off for us, and we have everything we need...I think my feelings will be different depending on what he is doing in Iraq also...if he can just go work corrections which some of the other guys in his MP unit are doing right now, I will sleep alot easier than if he goes back to doing convoy protection like he did last time. Id rather him not be hiking around the worst spots in Iraq protecting supplies and "diplomats"...I barely slept for months last time, freaking everytime the phone rang. I dont know...we'll see how things go, hes going to the unit this afternoon to see how much they will give him to sign back up...I think he's gonna insist on another rank if he goes back too...he was eligible for one when he retired, but they wouldnt give it to him unless he gave them two more years...which sucks cause it would have been a huge increase in the pension....
Ok..anyway, thats whats on my mind tis morning..thanks for the place to put it down....I have to run to Lowes now to buy some caulk to seal in my kitchen sink with WHOOHOO Im gonna have a sink!!
_____________________________
Ocilla
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
~ Gary Snyder
It takes a kinky village...
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RE: Arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhh! - 
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