Last year I had the unique opportunity to be a mom in a war zone. I spent the school year teaching in Kabul Afghanistan.My husband had been flying for an Afghan airline for two years, our daughter had been deployed there and I felt a call to serve in my own way. So I packed up by scarves and tunics and headed to Kabul.
My first days were punctuated by a massacre of aid workers, local disputes requiring school to be closed and then the threats to burn the Koran which raised the tension level a hundred fold. We lived by a code of colors which detailed out security levels and we hit red multiple times. But in the down times life was a series of days blending into each other-missing home and family and freedom to move about without restrictions.
So what exactly does this have to do with deployment? My active duty kids have completed three deployments so far-and one is currently deployed. They call my time in Kabul my deployment-I got a first hand view of what life is like.
It is boring. There are days of endless work, with little time off. And when there is time off there is no place to go so you tend to keep working. The folks I knew at the local base had Friday morning off -every other day they worked 12 to 14 hours a day.
Then the boredom vanishes with reminders that it is a war zone. Rocket attacks, possible shooters, suicide bombers-all combine to let you know you are not in Kansas anymore.You can rewrite the scenario about a lot of missions-whether on a Navy ship, or on an aircraft. It can be hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror -an old aviation saying that holds true in this scenario.
Of course those who are boots on the ground going house to house and interacting with villagers have much less boredom. But they share the second aspect of deployment-loneliness. It is a deep loneliness of absence of family and dearest friends-the people who know you and share your life and history. You may bond with your battle buddies in a profound way, but nothing replaces love from home, and family.
I saw packages arrive and be delivered by the chaplains, passed out hugs at chapel in my own mini USO attempts to disperse mom energy. I cried with losses and celebrated with people as they shipped home. It was a privilege to be there and get a better understanding of what my kids are facing as they perform their duties.
Two things I know about being deployed-you can never get enough mail and there is no place like home. Two things I know about being at home with kids deployed-the news is not your friend and you can never hear from them enough.
Deployments-a way of life for those who serve and those who love them...sigh.
My first days were punctuated by a massacre of aid workers, local disputes requiring school to be closed and then the threats to burn the Koran which raised the tension level a hundred fold. We lived by a code of colors which detailed out security levels and we hit red multiple times. But in the down times life was a series of days blending into each other-missing home and family and freedom to move about without restrictions.
So what exactly does this have to do with deployment? My active duty kids have completed three deployments so far-and one is currently deployed. They call my time in Kabul my deployment-I got a first hand view of what life is like.
It is boring. There are days of endless work, with little time off. And when there is time off there is no place to go so you tend to keep working. The folks I knew at the local base had Friday morning off -every other day they worked 12 to 14 hours a day.
Then the boredom vanishes with reminders that it is a war zone. Rocket attacks, possible shooters, suicide bombers-all combine to let you know you are not in Kansas anymore.You can rewrite the scenario about a lot of missions-whether on a Navy ship, or on an aircraft. It can be hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror -an old aviation saying that holds true in this scenario.
Of course those who are boots on the ground going house to house and interacting with villagers have much less boredom. But they share the second aspect of deployment-loneliness. It is a deep loneliness of absence of family and dearest friends-the people who know you and share your life and history. You may bond with your battle buddies in a profound way, but nothing replaces love from home, and family.
I saw packages arrive and be delivered by the chaplains, passed out hugs at chapel in my own mini USO attempts to disperse mom energy. I cried with losses and celebrated with people as they shipped home. It was a privilege to be there and get a better understanding of what my kids are facing as they perform their duties.
Two things I know about being deployed-you can never get enough mail and there is no place like home. Two things I know about being at home with kids deployed-the news is not your friend and you can never hear from them enough.
Deployments-a way of life for those who serve and those who love them...sigh.
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