As we near the sixth anniversary of the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom (October 7, 2001), we have all seen different kinds of courage.

We’ve seen the kind of courage found on the battlefield.  Over and over,  we’ve seen what that kind of courage looks like.

We’ve seen a second kind of courage.  The kind of courage it takes to overcome wounds and injuries.  I wrote a post at Spousebuzz a couple of days ago about how there were 17 Marines who suffered amputations, went through recovery and rehabilitation and are currently serving in Iraq.

As I thought of those young men, I thought that their families had to have a kind of quiet courage as their servicemember dealt with recovery.  Here at Parents Zone, we have such a family member in Some Soldier’s Mom  SSM’s blog is found here: http://somesoldiersmom.blogspot.com/       (Wordpress is not loving me today).

And still, there is that third kind of courage: the kind that our Gold Star families show us.  I can’t even begin to do her courage justice so please just click the link, read her story and share it with others.

Go, Amy, go!!!!!

LAW

But at the other end of the deployment, there be dragons as well….

For starters, you end up playing homecoming date roulette with your Family Readiness Group/Family Readiness Officer.  There’s a “window” of homecoming.   That window can be as long as 7 days or as small as two but the bottom line is that nobody really knows when EXACTLY your loved one is coming home at the beginning of the homecoming phase..  It wreaks havoc on those who are coming in from out of state and trying to make hotel/flight reservations.  For this deployment, we are in that category.  It’s frustrating but trust me…everyone else is frustrated as well.  If you are dealing with this right now or soon to be dealing with this, you’re in good company.  We all are playing on that roulette wheel.

If you are traveling to a homecoming, make sure that you have the FRG/FRO/Battalion contact phone number.  This will be your lifeline once you get to where you’re going and awaiting your loved one doing the same.  They will have the latest updates/ changes in times and locations, etc.  Tattoo that damned number on your arm if need be but make sure you have it.

Be flexible.  In the Marine Corps, we refer to this as Semper Gumby.  I know that’s an easy thing to type and I also know that’s not an easy thing to do  You.still.have.to.do.it.  Things change.  Quickly.  Be ready for that.  As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, things will change.  It’s the one thing you can count on.

Between now and the actual homecoming, there are things that you can do to keep busy.  Make a welcome home sign for your son or daughter.  I’ve seen some very clever signs so I’m a little intimidated as I contemplate what I want to put on a sign to welcome my son home.  I’m not very artistic so if you saw a cute sign at a homecoming, comment here and let me know.  I don’t mind being a copycat.  I just mind not having a cool sign.

Get with your FRG/FRO and see if they need folks to make the beds in the barracks for the guys coming back.  Seriously, if you just got off a 30+ hour flight from Kuwait..the last thing you want to do is make your own bed.  This is something that we as milparents/families can do to help welcome our guys home.  It doesn’t take long but it does help pass the time as you wait for your loved one to come home.

If your child left all of his civilian clothes at home (mine did as well as giving me some clothes that had been cooking in his room for several days before he left..ugghh!!) , you might want to consider bringing some of them down to him/her.  They will just love getting out of their utilities/cammies.

Most importantly, savor the moment of homecoming.  You have earned this moment too.    Don’t dwell on the stuff you didn’t do or the problems that you had with the deployment.  Those are things for another day. On the day of homecoming, pat yourself on the back for surviving and hug your child.  Hard.  Close.  Revel in the moment.  There are few moments as joyous as this one.

Urrahhh!!!  Hooaahhh!!!, etc…..

The actual panel I was on discussed the importance of remembering that the military blog community is NOT just the uniform members, reporting on conditions downrange, or talking about the conditions they are in. The community is held together by the “others”, the parents, the spouses, the volunteers. I won’t be reporting on the other panels, as those are being reported on by the uniform milbloggers - or by other bloggers who could take notes.  I find it amusing that most of the uniform bloggers that I have read so far - didn’t report on our panel!  But from where I was sitting, on the other panels, there is some debate about our “relevance” (if we have to ask whether we are relevant, I’d say we probably aren’t), some debate about how milblogs should be “used” or whether we need some sort of training.

Secretary Geren was on the phone for a while, on a different panel. I met with his assistant, who told me that one of the authors you have been enjoying here - Some Soldier’s Mom - has been on his Roundtables and informing the Secretary of Army (in her own inimitable and no nonsense fashion) that Parents aren’t being heard, and that single soldiers need more from the Army when they are offduty. The assistant told me that SecArmy is very happy to hear from SSM and she was very kind in allowing me to get put on the list for Roundtables as well. This is where I may be able to bring up what YOU - The Parents and Siblings, Aunts and Uncles, grandparents and friends - want him to hear.

At the Milbloggie awards - SOME SOLDIER’S MOM won the Milbloggie for Parent’s sites. CONGRATULATIONS!  As soon as she gets a chance, I’m hoping to get some more posts from her.

We’ll be putting up the survey results soon. I’m still trying to get some rather well known names to answer the survey - if you can think of someone that is in the public eye we should send the survey to, let us know.

LAW

I’ll be online Saturday, to report to you!

LAW

LAW

Speaking of the MilBlog Expo - I have been incredibly honored (and scared) to have been invited to be a panelist! I’ll be on a panel talking about the following:

MilBlogging as a Community. A fascinating look at how deep and wide the reach of the Milblogging community has become. Through Milblogging, many programs providing comfort, support, aid and tangible benefits to the military community have been conceived, proving that Milblogging is about more than just writing. We’ll explore how milblogging gives a voice to supporters, parents and spouses of service members, and how that voice is effectively used to support an entire military community.

So - please please, even if you have never commented before, let me know what you want me to tell everyone. As you can see, there is a lot going on that day - I want to make sure that the Parents of Service members are heard! (click on the underlined to see all about Milblogging Expo). If you are going to be there - please say hi.

I’m excited, and I’ll be frank (it’s just us here, right?) I’m a bit intimidated by the thought of representing YOU, the Parents. As a Parent of an Iraq Vet, and In-Law of another Iraq Vet, I do know from experience and my own journey through this, how you feel, what you want, what you need to ask - but it sure would be great if I could get your input. I am taking the information from the 10 questions we asked a couple of posts ago, so if you have a few minutes, fill out the survey.

LAW

p.s. I just looked at this and realized - not everyone knows what MilBlogging is! It’s just Military Blogging, from service members, spouses, parents, supporters, veterans - anyone who has a connection of any kind to the OnePercent of the Nation who are members of this military family.

LAW

To those of you who watched your sons and daughters sign up after that day - Thank You.

LAW