Beach House: Thoughts of a Navy wife on this day...

Today there was a ceremony in Iraq that closed the United States' military presence there. While watching the stories on the news this morning, a flood of memories came rushing back. When the war in Iraq started our tiny baby was only two weeks old. I remember that day so clearly and the feelings are some that I never want to know again. While I was at home with a brand new baby, my husband was on a ship (U.S.S. Nimitz) heading straight into the Persian Gulf. If you ask him about it he'll say "Eh, it was nothing." or "I was just on a ship, it's not like I was actually there". He wasn't part of the combat troops that were there on the ground, but for me and our families, it was still terrifying! All the rumors of things that were going on and that were being planned against our troops were so hard to hear. I spent hours everyday just watching the news and waiting. We usually got to talk on the phone every two weeks for twenty minutes. We had two video conferences the entire NINE month deployment. It was a VERY long nine months. If you've never had a close friend or family member go off to war it is not something that can ever be explained. The things that go through your mind on an hourly basis, it's just not explainable. Those were my feelings, but I cannot even begin to imagine what he felt. Leaving your wife and brand new baby girl not having any idea when you would see them again...sheesh! I know for a fact I couldn't do it. He is a strong man! I have the highest respect for my husband and the other men and women that serve our country. No matter how you feel politically, these are men and women that are willing to die for freedom. There is no other way to say it. Many did lose their lives, MANY! I hope that the Iraqi people can continue to build it's democracy. I hope that many of our service members did not pay the ultimate sacrifice for nothing. To all that serve or have served, THANK YOU for your service!