Five years ago today

It was five years ago today our eldest son pledged himself to the United States Army. It was the first time I noticed the emotional battle between being fearful for his safety and feeling pride for this choice that he made all by himself. 

2011 was the year our troops were being withdrawn from Iraq, but our military was still heavily involved in Afghanistan. After the obligatory six weeks of basic training our Soldier was sent to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii to further train as a combat engineer with the expectation of being deployed to Afghanistan. Again the balancing of fear and pride weighed heavy in this mother's heart. Then, joy of joys, the Sequester put the kibosh on his being deployed. I attribute the power of a mother's prayers for President Obama's signature on the Budget Cuts of 2011.

Our young man spent his enlistment time enjoying the beauty and bounty Oahu has to offer as well as continuing his training in the duties of a combat engineer. He received numerous awards and added many accomplishments to his official Army record. However, his desire to be deployed remained at the forefront of his Army career goals. 

He re-enlisted and was sent to Ft. Campbell, KY, the home of the famed 101st Airborne and was attached to the 39th Battalion Engineer Brigade. He graduated from Air Assault School and continued his combat training and received another medal and additional commendations. 

PRIDE was winning!

During one of his training missions, he valued all the accumulative training he had received to complete an intense training mission on his own. He was the only soldier who remained 'alive' from his unit able to complete the mission. The photo of him being picked up after this mission shows a young man who is tired, exhausted, very hungry, and totally filthy, yet there was a look of genuine pride emanating from his whole being. 

Our soldier knew he was ready for deployment after that mission. He was very excited when his company got their orders to deploy to Iraq. They are among the 400 from the 101st sent to secure and rebuild Qayarrah (Qwest) Air Base located 50 miles south of Mosul.  Qwest is essential in aiding the Iraqi forces in retaking Mosul. He departed for Iraq at the end of August for not more than 270 days (9 months). 

FEAR was easing its way back on the scene.

We have received two brief emails from our Soldier sent during the first few weeks of deployment. It's been nearly a month without any communication from him. We rely on the news media reports on the offensive to reclaim Mosul by the Iraqi forces. While we are being reassured that American military will remain behind lines, Iraq is considered a combat zone meaning our soldiers remain on high alert 24/7. 

Without any communication from our Soldier, a mother's imagination can wander to some dark places. Enlisting support from family and friends near and far has helped to maintain my personal commitment to the idea that embracing pride is much better than dwelling in fear. I keep the words of my nephew who is veteran of the Marine Corps front and center. "He's with a group of men that are better equipped than any other unit in the world. They are also the best trained. Their cadre of leaders are the cream of the crop and most important of all - he's with his brothers. They've got each other's backs." 

I trust our Soldier's training and I trust his confidence to be the best soldier he can be. I, in turn, must learn to be a strong Army mom and maintain a strong stance to embrace Pride instead of Fear.