Long week

[*Kat*]

My husband leaves for Iraq this afternoon.  And of course, none of the stuff I wanted to get done for him is done yet - so I'm up at 2 am printing out pictures for him hoping the printer doesn't wake him up.  I should be laying down with him to sleep, but I'm still calming down a little bit.  6-7 months...  He was suppose to leave on the 1st, luckily they backed up his deployment date by almost a week.  I've been trying not to cry, but it's hard.  A friend and I went out tonight to Denny's for hot chocolate and brownies al lamode (sp)  ended up playing with the ice cream more than eating and such.  Her boyfriend is leaving tomorrow too. 

I think we're going to take his kitten with us tomorrow to tell him bye.  He's missing her one year birthday by 3 days.  He keeps having talks with her about how daddy won't be home for awhile, and to be good and not be a little terror.  I almost cried tonight that she wouldn't let him hold her. 

I know I'll be alright, and I know he will be coming home.  The first 2 weeks will be the hardest.  At least for the first week I have a friend of mine from college flying out for her spring break.  So she will help keep me sane.  Also 2 of my friends out here are going to be around a lot that week or so too.

[Bratratbeds]

6-7 months will fly by and you will be wondering how in the world they are already gone.  Having done this more times than I would want to admit and talking with Rat-O-Thunder he told me that one of the best things I have done for him is to not stay when dropping him off the morning of a deployment.  Sounds odd right?  Well we have what we call"Playing the game" which means I go and take him and leave him at the unit/gym/etc where they are congregating give him a kiss and drive away.  No clinging, no crying, no hanging around till the last minute that is done in the truck on the way home.  He said that by my doing that he was more able to get him mind in the frame of getting on with the job at hand.  He said the part of the deployment he hated the most was watching his people who had their family waiting and waiting. Watching them as the (usually) wife ends up all emotional and it get passed along to the kids  who see Mom upset they everyone is in an emotional uproar.  He said he thought that having his parting thoughts of us leaving upset was one of the worst things to have to deal with especially with a LONG plane trip there is a lot of time to think about how they are leaving the spouse to deal with everything AGAIN and from what he has seen its almost like there is a longer disconnect time to where the soldier  is able to get in the proper mind set for  what is coming up.   
I think the other thing that made our deployments much easier for him was that unless it was a MAJOR emergency (broken bones, surgery etc) I didn't tell him about the things going wrong until I had resolved them.  I didn't even think about doing that at the times it happened.  But looking back on it now what could he have done but worry and be concerned about us instead of keeping himself focused on the job at hand.  When friends at church ask my opinion on deployment things one of the first things I tell them is don't tell your husband every little problem...deal with it yourself, call me, or get ahold of your Rear Det Officer.  then if all else fails THEN tell your spouse.  Especially if your husband is in a leadership position...he has all the people under him he is trying to bring home from a war zone (and this is going to sound hard and I don't mean it to be!!) telling him about a situation he can not do a thing about just adds worry he doesn't need.

Soooo buck up put on your game face kiss him and be strong!!!  Then get home and cry a river   

[Nimue]

I would say that Bratratbeds has given you some sound advice.  Since I've never gone through it, I don't have any advice, but I want to wish you and your hubby the best.  Bright blessings to you both!

[*Kat*]

I did alright.  I didn't know how I would do.  We did wait until the bus left to leave.  But I didn't cry.  That is not the last veiw of me he needs to remember the entire time he is gone!  He means more to me than to make him leave worrying about me even more.  Even though I know he will anyways.  I'm actually calmer now that he has partly left.  No more worrying about what day he will actual leave (he was delayed leaving by 4 days)  Now, just keep busy, write letters, and wait for him to get home.  I started a letter to him already, even though I don't have an address yet.  Silly boy didn't take anyone's address with him either, so I put some in the letter for him. 

All in all, I'm doing good.  I know he's not going to let anything happen to himself, and I know a few of the guys who are over with him and I know they will take care of eachother.  He'll come home to me when his work there is done.  Plus it is not as though it is near as bad as it was lost time he was over there.  He'll be fine!  I'll keep everyone updated with when first letter comes, how he says he's doing, what food he's bedding me to send him (guess in the first year of marrage I did a good job really learning how to cook.  Besides me and his kitten, my cooking is high on the list for things he said he will miss!  His kitten turns one on... the 7th of this month - so I'll have put a candle in some wetfood for her and take some pictures to send to her daddy!  I sent him some pictures of me, of both the cats, and of his mom over with him.

[taku]

I'm glad you did alright. My husband is a former marine (once a marine always a marine) and we've watched many friends come and go to Iraq and Afganistan in the past few years. Soldiers like my friends and your husband, and all the families are always in our thoughts. Look forward to hearing stories from over there from him!! Lots of love and good wishes  and smooches to the kitty (pre happy birthday!!)

[*Kat*]

My husband is actually a marine.  Hence DevilDogWife.  Thank you for your thoughts.  I'm confident everything will be fine!

[Swedish Nightingale]

Your husband, as you say, is a marine. He's a hero. Heroes have to, unfortunately, take some time out of their lives for the other lives in the world -- whether they take in rats, or travel halfway around the world to help form a new country. No matter what they do, they're working to make things better for those who can't do it themselves. As difficult as it it is for the people closest to them, remember he's a hero, and he'll come back to you as such -- and then he'll be your hero alone again.

*HUGS* and well-wishes to you both. You'll get through it.

[Marybelle]

Also remember that whenever you feel down, or need someone to talk to, we're here.  Some of us understand exactly what you're going through.   I was engaged to a man who went to the first Desert Storm, and it wasn't easy, even though I was young.  We're here with a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on.  *hugs*