I Am A Marine Mom

[saslis]

 

I am the mother of a US Marine.  It wasn't my choice.  He enlisted and I was drafted.  There are a lot of us that  have been drafted.  Unless you have been touched directly by this war....you may not realize what these familes and mine deal with on a daily basis.  I know I did not know these things.

While our sons & daughters are serving their country at home & abroad......Families are serving all over this country of ours.  Although I can't speak to what the spouses & children are dealing with.....I wanted  to share  some stories of what the moms I know have dealt with.

We watch our little boys and girls make life changing adult decisions.

We pray for them day & night.

We send care packages and help with expenses, because they are not making a living wage.  There  are no FREE meals or housing....they are back charged for those.

I see families struggle to afford the trip to Boot Camp Graduation.

We deal with the changing orders......one mom has been on alert for 7 weeks expeciting her son to be deployed...trying to scrape up the money to see him before deployment...to have deployment cancelled.  These marines have put and paid for all their belongings in storage for the 7 weeks...ready and alert to deploy.

I have had a very good friend get the horrible visit to the front door, informing her her son would not be coming home.

Another close friend recieved a call in the middle of the night....her  son had seriously injured in Afghanistan.  He is recovering...the prognosis is still out on how well he will recover from his physical injuries and traumatice brain injury.  And the psychological effects......who knows?

I have watched pre-deployment leaves get cancelled as deployments are moved up by 6 weeks.

We connect online and off.  We rely on each other.  We rejoice when one of our children comes home safely.  We cry and pray for those who don't.  We worry about the long term effects.  We try to hold the family together during this time.

I needed to share these things - I thought everyone should know.  While you pray for our service men & woman , include a prayer for their families.

Thank you,

Lisa

http://www.nosickvisits.com/

 

 

 

 

[emhain]

Aug. 16, 2010 at 12:44 PM

Thank you. I was drafted too... by my little brother. I had to sit back and watch the child I believed I knew turn into the man he is now. I had to let him go. I had to sit here safe, knowing he was in Iraq doing god knows what. I had to hear people make their comments. I had to read his emails about his fallen comrades. I didn't choose this. But he did, and I love him, so what choice do i have?

Now he is home (or, in the US at least). His baby was just born. And now he is on Pack & Stand... waiting. We are all waiting. Waiting for something we don't even want.

I understand.

And thank you for this post.

[Lb128f]

Aug. 16, 2010 at 7:04 PM

Thank you for sharing this...so true! And, a BIG THANKS to ALL the servicemen and women who protect us! Keeping them (and their families) in prayer!