Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Blake is gone now. He flew out Saturday night. I got a text message from him early Sunday morning that he was in Germany, but that's been the last I've heard to this point. He had always hoped that he would get to spend a little time there, but when he messaged me, he said they would be leaving out in a few hours. Blake finally made it to Germany.

We got a call from him about 2:30 on Saturday afternoon that he would be in a gym on Ft. Hood around 5:00 and that if we wanted to see him, we should get up there as soon as possible. We jumped in the car and drove like maniacs to get there. When we were about 4 streets from the gym, he called again to say that the busses had just pulled up and he thought they would be loading right away. As soon as we got there though, he was in a line of soldiers putting their backpacks in a box to see if it was small enough to be carried on the plane.

The gym wasn't full, but there were a lot of soldiers going over with him. It was all kind of sad. Young families saying good-bye for who knows how long. For some it was their third deployment; for others, like Blake, it was their first. The mood was hopeful though as they all knew that it would not be a full deployment and they would be back with their families in just a few months. I was particularly touched by a young family and two small boys who stood next to their dad while he was in formation to file out to get on the busses. The older boy seemed to know what was going on and wouldn't let go of dad. Mom had to come over and pull him off. No screaming though, just a lot of red eyes and some tears.

I was taken aback at the courage of these men and women who were leaving. To the last, they were all enjoying the time with their families, but not a single one was slow in filing in when it was time to board the busses. I had to remind myself that a few years ago, many of these were in high school watching impatiently while the world revolved around them, and now look at them!

I was also reminded of how much things have changed for the soldier since Vietnam. In all the times we look at our country and see how far we've fallen, this is one area we've matured and finally gotten it right. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are heroes, and they deserve to be treated as such. Finally, we're giving them the respect and treatment they deserve.

God bless America, and God bless our men and women wearing the uniform of this country!