D Day

From the moment we started the Green Pages process, we knew a deployment was in our future. There was no escaping that ugly monster, it comes with the territory. 

Although now-a-days most deployments, ugh I shutter whenever I hear, say or type that word I feel like I am cursing, are shorter (9 months instead of a year plus) I feel deployments start as soon as the word comes into you life.

We knew we had to go to a place that was deploying ASAP so Fort Hood, Texas it was. Chris had to report 10 January and we knew he would leave shortly after we arrived but we didn't know the exact date. We were under the impression that his new battalion was deploying in February. Wrong! They were already gone and had been down range for a few months, both a blessing and curse. It was a blessing because that meant  Chris would be joining them for the remainder of the deployment and I count my lucky stars that translated into less than five months. Not knowing when he would actually be leaving was the curse because we had just bought a house, were in the process of unpacking and we had just gotten to a place that neither of us has ever been before. 

Chris had to do his in processing to the new post and to his new battalion before we would know more about when he would be leaving. Usually, when an entire battalion deploys the entire group travels to NTC for a month for training, families get pre deployment briefs (what to expect, establish the FRG, get emergency contact info, create CARE Teams, get a phone list), you and your spouse have time to get the correct paper work in order (THE hardest part for me, hands down. I mean c'mon what other couples do you know of that have to have a living will, make sure the life insurance policy is squared away, discuss a "What if" scenario pertaining to IF they don't come home (where they would like to be laid to rest, cremation, ect,  or something happens to them and you need to leave the country (so making sure your passport is up-to-date), going over how to pay the bills, squaring away finances and ect.

None of that happened for us. As soon as he in processed, he was off getting various vaccinations, collecting his gear, packing his gear and bypassed all the predeployment training. That made my head spin. I mean they have this training in place for a reason right? Now I feel like he is ill prepared and he's going to a unit where he knows no one, so who will have his back!?

We did get the house set up and unpacked, we did get our paperwork together, including tax stuff but in terms of the pre deployment brief and FRG support, I got nada, zilch. He's been gone over a month and I haven't gotten one phone call from the BN commander's wife, FRG leader, FRSA, no e-mails, no coffee invitations, no olive branches. Big. Fat. Goose Egg!

Maybe I am spoiled from having such an amazing support system in Hawaii, but this is Fort Hood Texas. This is the biggest post in the Army and they deploy units like its nothing. This should be a routine, right?

The one part I like about the Army is the sense of family and community and the coming together when spouses are gone. That's what makes being a spouse manageable. Being surrounded by like minded people going through the same thing as you to pow wow with. I don't have that. I don't have any unit support and my ass is chaffed about it. Really puts a sour taste in my mouth.

So what did I do about it? About a week into the deployment I emailed the FRG contact I had been given. After not hearing back in over a week, I called up the Rear Detachment Commander and he told me that person had stepped down and he just appointed a new person (the least she could have done was respond to my email saying she was no longer the leader for crying out loud) and he gave me her number. So I called her and of course I got her at a bad time, story of my life, but she indulged me and admitted she had no idea what she was doing but she was going to meet with the Rear D Commander on Monday and she would call me/email me when she wrapped her around it and let me know how I could help her out.

It's been three weeks and I have heard nothing. At this point I'm over it and i'm lucky that I have a friend from FLW that only lives a few miles away, and two familiar faces from Hawaii locally as well. 

I consider myself to be a pretty strong and independent person. I also knew what I was getting myself into when I married someone with the sense of service to their country. I've got my big girl panties on and I am facing this monster head on and have lots of things planned to get me through this.