10 years later.
Below is what I wrote on the five year anniversary, including my account of that day, and my aftermath.
Five years ago.
Now that it's been 10 years, my perspective on the that day, and the war, has changed slightly.
I'm 27 years old now. My father is a retired Navy veteran, my uncle is a Navy veteran, and my cousin is a Marine who has served in the Middle East.
And now, I am a Navy wife. Specifically, the wife of a Corpsman, men and women who serve as medical personnel for the Marines and Navy. On my husband's uniform is a red ribbon, which means he has entered service in a time of war. As of late, there have been 40+ corpsman who have been wounded or KIA.
Am I worried that my husband could get that call to train with the Marines and follow them out to the Middle East? Of course. He's done everything he could to avoid it, for my sake. He's studied his brains off, earned a high GPA so he could choose his specialty of lab technician, so that his main work would be in a hospital. But, military is military, and if they tell him "Go!", his response has to be "Roger that." It's not like I'm living in fear; I like to think I'm being realistic.
I started off as a Navy brat, then continued as a Navy wife. My patriotism was seeded in my brain, and it has gotten stronger since my marriage. And whenever my husband and I are out with him in uniform, we are always stopped by someone, who shakes our hands and tells him, "Thank you for your service" to him, with a "Thank you for your support" to me.
I'm part of the Home Front now. My primary job is to support my Corpsman. My secondary job is to support other military family members, particularly those who have someone overseas. It's a job I was put into without knowing, but I'm more than willing to take it.
Five years ago.
Now that it's been 10 years, my perspective on the that day, and the war, has changed slightly.
I'm 27 years old now. My father is a retired Navy veteran, my uncle is a Navy veteran, and my cousin is a Marine who has served in the Middle East.
And now, I am a Navy wife. Specifically, the wife of a Corpsman, men and women who serve as medical personnel for the Marines and Navy. On my husband's uniform is a red ribbon, which means he has entered service in a time of war. As of late, there have been 40+ corpsman who have been wounded or KIA.
Am I worried that my husband could get that call to train with the Marines and follow them out to the Middle East? Of course. He's done everything he could to avoid it, for my sake. He's studied his brains off, earned a high GPA so he could choose his specialty of lab technician, so that his main work would be in a hospital. But, military is military, and if they tell him "Go!", his response has to be "Roger that." It's not like I'm living in fear; I like to think I'm being realistic.
I started off as a Navy brat, then continued as a Navy wife. My patriotism was seeded in my brain, and it has gotten stronger since my marriage. And whenever my husband and I are out with him in uniform, we are always stopped by someone, who shakes our hands and tells him, "Thank you for your service" to him, with a "Thank you for your support" to me.
I'm part of the Home Front now. My primary job is to support my Corpsman. My secondary job is to support other military family members, particularly those who have someone overseas. It's a job I was put into without knowing, but I'm more than willing to take it.