Each of these deployments have lead us just one more step in a great direction. We have been blessed, and although at the time when we were actually going through these... the year felt so long during each one, sometimes time just plain stood still. Yet, we made it out on the other end and we were better than when we started.
The first deployment was right after 9/11. He and I had been dating for about 2 years. He had his drill weekends and 2 weeks training each summer... but that was it. I knew after 9/11 he would be going some where. Then in October he got orders. At first it was confusing, this was "our" first deployment, so I didn't fully understand it and had no clue where he would be going. Well we got lucky... he was stationed state side. Just a few states away.
The very first time I went down to visit him he was actually still stationed at Fort Dix in the mobilization process. We were able to stay off base for a night, and we ended up in Atlantic City the next day. At the end of the day...... He got down on one knee and proposed! It was awesome... however later that night I had to drive 6 hours away from him and go back home :( At this point we didn't know when we would see each other again.
It turned out he was actually able to make the 6 hr. commute home way more often than we ever expected and I was able to go down there. Which I did nearly every other weekend for a year. I'm pretty sure at the time I could have driven to NJ with my eyes closed. Man I hated that drive!! It was worth it though. We made it through that first deployment and we came out engaged!
The second deployment would come just a few months after we got married. We were married on May 3, 2003. We went on our honeymoon for a little over 2 weeks. We both went back to work, and a few days after getting back into the swing of things, after the "honeymoon bliss"..... He came home from work, sat on the chair in the living room looked at me and said "Cuba"... I of course replied "What?" I really had no clue what he was talking about.... other than the fact that just two weeks earlier we had been in Key West and set the timer on our camera to get a shot of us at the southern most tip of the United States "90 Miles to Cuba". Coincidence? Who knows.....
He explained the phone call he got earlier in the day while he was at work. Pretty much in a nutshell, while we were on our honeymoon, his unit had a monthly drill weekend. There they were given deployment orders. They were headed to Guantanamo Bay Cuba aka... GITMO. It was May when they got orders, they deployed in August.
This time was bit tougher than the first, of course we had just gotten married and now he would be leaving for a year, We had an apartment, so now I would be living alone, And he was going to be a lot further than a 6 hr. car ride! Not to mention this was much different than a state side deployment, he would not be coming home as much and I would not be going there at all. He was allowed to come home on R&R twice in that year for two weeks each time. We didn't have skype then, although we did have some pretty crappy webcams!! When I say crappy.... I mean CRAPPY! I can't even explain it, it was terrible, on both our ends. Half the time we didn't even bother with it. We just used instant messenger to talk and he could call sometimes (but not often) He didn't have his own computer, so he had to wait in lines at the computer halls.
However.... again, we made it! We saw each other when he came home on those R&R's and the last one worked out to be on our first anniversary. He then came home on July 2, 2004! Little did we know that almost exactly a year to the day.... on July 1, 2005, we would become parents for the first time to TWIN girls!
Then, after a few years of being out of the service... and after A LOT of thought, discussion and prayer, we decided together that he would re-enlist. We knew that another deployment was going to be in our future, we just didn't realize how soon! He signed his papers and was sworn in and a few days later the phone rang. He was at work, but the Sgt. that called looking for him, had a "tone" to his voice... and I just knew. I gave him his cell number, and then I dialed it myself as fast as I could! I told him and neither of us had to say anything, we both "just knew".
At this point he didn't even have a uniform... he had nothing, he hadn't even been to his first drill with his new unit. Things moved very quickly over the next 2 weeks. Yes 2 weeks is all we had and he was off. I think this was in some ways a blessing. We had less time to "dwell" on the fact that he was leaving for a year. We just got everything we had to get done... done as quickly as we could. Then we took off... we had to get out of here for at least one night. We headed up to one of our favorite places to go as a family.. The White Mountains. It was some pretty bittersweet time we had up there!
We managed to also get our family picture taken just days before he left also. Which was awesome, and even though i tend to tear up looking at them, just because I know what we were all feeling at the time.... we got some pretty amazing photos, and made and a great Christmas card!
Of course like the others... this deployment was different. Not only were we married with kids... we had 4 kids, and a house now. This was going to be tough... on ALL of us. This time he was only allowed 1 two week R&R. (15 days to be exact) although we did have skype which was just awesome! B our youngest, was only 10 months old when he left. We were so nervous she would forget who her daddy is, or be scared of him when she did see him again. She LOVED seeing him on the computer and "playing" with him. he came home for his 2 weeks after being gone for 7 months, and she ran right to him! (She was crawling when he left, so just seeing her run was pretty special)
Yet again... we made it. We survived! All of us! I truly believe that our family, is stronger for it. Kids included! they amazed me really... they were such troopers. Missed their daddy SO bad, but they were troopers!
Here we are... Deployment number 3 just a memory now. Of course it seemed long at times, but looking back, I can't believe it is already over. However, I am SO glad it is!
So as I reflect on these deployments and the impacts they have made on us... I see some great blessing we got from each one of them. All of them bringing us one step closer to being as strong and as happy as we are today!
I love how positive you are about the deployments. It's so wonderful and a true testament to your marriage that you all came out stronger after each time. The times apart really are tough and you're right, time stands still, but I believe that we will come out better for it in the end. We wouldn't be given this life if we weren't able to handle it I think! Glad you all are doing so well!
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