Small prayer request

[BedroomHowitzer]

I am spending 5 months away from my wife and daughter (20 months old). It is military related, so it's not my choice. My wife and I haven't spent more than a week apart from each other in almost 4 years of marriage. It is already tough, as I am missing my wife and daughter very much right now and this is only the second night. I know we will make it through this just fine, but I hate looking at 5 months from this point of view. I wouldn't mind it so much if I was looking at 5 months from the 4 months already gone, perspective. I have plenty to keep me busy with work, physical exercise, and contemplating trying to learn a second language, but where I am at, there is no wireless so no iphone facetime, and skype doesn't work almost at all on this wired network, both of which have made previous away times, regardless of how short, very manageable. Anywho, thanks for the prayers.

Adam

[Ysabel Kid]

Prayers up for sure! Hang in there. Thank you for your service!

[Blaine]

Five months is easy....keep your chins up, Man

[C. Cash]

Yes Sir! What they said......

[homefront]

I know how you feel... I used to work away from home a good bit. No more.

Better times will come and will be made all the sweeter by this separation.

Thank you very much for your service and your sacrifice!

[piller]

Done.

[Hagler]

Done.

Shawn

[1894c]

:( Five months is easy....keep your chins up, Man 8)

listen to BlaineG he knows firsthand the sacrifice you're making...you can do it...prayers sent...blessings... :)

[Blaine]

Five months is easy....keep your chins up, Man

listen to BlaineG he knows firsthand the sacrifice you're making...you can do it...prayers sent...blessings...

I've done nothing compared to those that have truly sacrificed.

[new pig hunter]

+1 Blaine.

"back when I was your age" we did 8 month WestPac deployments. Of course, we hit many hotspots and legendary fleshpots from Japan on down to Singapore and up & around into Bangkok. Party Time !! My shipmates and I did 2 of those.

And Al Gore hadn't yet invented the internet. Cell phones ?? yeh, right. GPS ?? you've got to be kidding. Computers ?? get real. Back then pencil, paper, envelopes, and postage stamps were relatively new inventions.

What I learned: the time passes surprisingly quickly. And if you're real lucky, you'll forge some friendships that will last a lifetime and then some.

You'll do just fine.

Cheers,

Carl
retired Navy Seabee (and occasional shipdriver)

[gcburt]

Prayers - YES

It can be done. My wife of 45 years spent 35 of them as an Army wife following me around the world. She spent much of the time without me close at hand. When we got our Apache's it was 14 to 18 hr days - never saw the kids awake (maybe one day a week).

Her hardest time was when I left for Korea for a year leaving her in Colorado with four teenagers.

Prayers - YES!

[gcburt]

By the Way - entering the Army wasn't my choice - Drafted during Viet Nam.

Staying in was my choice - they let me go to flight school right from the reception station at Ft Campbell. Then the Maintenance Officer Course and my Career was pretty well set.

My wife was a real trooper. In flight school I got merits from her spitshining my off-day boots.

I am thankfull every day in prayer for her support!!

[stepmac]

When I was playing around in the jungle in SE Asia a tour of duty was 15 months, quite a few stayed for 18. Later on it went to 12. Now I'm not saying that you should not miss your family. It is hard, but after a while one day sort of runs into another and time passes. Keep your head into what you are doing. It can be dangerous out there. Focus.

[rjohns94]

Thanks for your service and your families sacrifice. Prayers up for you all. Blessings

[EdinCT]

Praying for you and your wife. One day at a time. Also Thank you for your service!

[Hobie]

I get it. Such separations can be tough on marriages. So can 16+ hour days when you show up every evening to hit the rack and maybe eat dinner. The first 3 years my SECOND wife and I were married I was home 1 year in total. Still married after 27 years and now we're both retired. This is tough on us having to be together so much.. Hang in there.

[jeepnik]

Prayers up.

Got a question for folks with more recent service than mine. About the shortest permanent change of station one could get then was a year. There were TDY's but they were usually for only a month or so at the most. Now the question, are 5 and 6 month deployments the norm these days?

[Birdman]

I know what yur going through. Prayers sent. Every day down is one day closer.

[Blaine]

In WWII, the tour was "duration + one month", or so my Uncle told me....I did two years unaccompanied in Panama....prolly led to my divorce, which was probably not a bad thing....

[Tycer]

Prayers up. It's hard on you both. You'll make it. Put pen to paper and send it snail mail.

[FWiedner]

I remember having to deploy on short notice and my bride being stuck state-side with two kids in diapers, and then I was gone so long one time my daughter cried when I came home because she wasn't sure who I was and got scared. I think in '85 I might have been home all of 2 months and I never even left CONUS. Thank the Lord for base housing and direct-deposit.

Prayers up for you and your loved ones.

[gcburt]

(snipped) Got a question for folks with more recent service than mine. About the shortest permanent change of station one could get then was a year. There were TDY's but they were usually for only a month or so at the most. Now the question, are 5 and 6 month deployments the norm these days?

The Air Force has short tours to Afghanistan - my son leaves next week and returns the end of May.

The Army likes 12 month tours.

[stepmac]

Of all of the issues that we had to deal with during the VN War, Dear John letters were some of the worst. There was just no way to consol a man whose wife had just told him to take a leap. Especially when his affection for his wife/family were his saving grace when things got tough. During the VN front line soldiers were young and not particularily emotionally mature. One of our "lessons learned" while studying that war was to keep young soldiers back and send in the veterans first. Then the Clinton administration cut the Army in half....brilliant.

Wives should consider themselves as soldiers too, because they actually are. Their spouse, who is in harms way, is deeper in harms way, without the support of their wife/husband.

My rant, when we fight wars we should fight them to win. We are about to lose this one just like we lost the last and for the same reasons. We tried to learn from our failures in Vietnam, but apparently no one was listening.

[KiwiKev]

You and her will be fine. Write her good old fashioned letters. They are personal - seeing the other person's handwriting is comforting. Include photos from home and from wherever you are at. Those vows are a done deal - 100 %. Some of us blokes don't do emotions too well but now is the time to write you love someone daily.

Prayers and God bless.

[olyinaz]

It gets easier after a few weeks also (or at least it always did for me). Hang in there and YES - prayers up!

Oly

[gcburt]

Even when communication got better through the years - I made a habbit of writing something to my wife everyday - I only mailed once a week. Mail from combat areas often takes a long time - the problem is usually solved before your response gets there.

NOW with email - it is much easier. Skype and other messaging programs let you talk and see one another daily. When you go out on an exercise - that kind of communication will be limited - but you should rotate back to base on occasion.

My year in Iraq was the easiest of my years away - as far as being able to communicate.

Success to you!!

[Dave B]

Prayer sent for you and your family.

Dave B

[M. M. Wright]

Been other places, done that, prayers up. Thank you for your service.

[BedroomHowitzer]

thanks for all the prayers guys. I am not in harms way. Right now, I am not deployable. I am in technical training, or re-training as the case is with me. Moved into a new career field and had to go back through their school. But I am 12 hours away so it's enough that I may only get to see my family once during the next 5 months. I will write some old fashioned letters (are they really that old? up until about 8 years ago, I used to write them all the time....weird...). Anyways, I do appreciate it. I am trying to find stuff to keep me busy. This weekend me and a couple classmates are headed to a PBR rodeo here in town, and then to Dallas for a Ruth's Chris steak (I hear they are fantastic), but there is no beating being home.

[JReed]

Keep your chin up I am heading out this summer for 7. Havent deployed in awhile myself looking forward to it truth be told. Think of the up side its a good chance to sock away so gun money

[JReed]

(snipped) Got a question for folks with more recent service than mine. About the shortest permanent change of station one could get then was a year. There were TDY's but they were usually for only a month or so at the most. Now the question, are 5 and 6 month deployments the norm these days?

The Air Force has short tours to Afghanistan - my son leaves next week and returns the end of May.

The Army likes 12 month tours.

Marine Corps does 7 for the most part.