This guy has seriously changed every perspective of the military for me. The ball was an eye-opening experience, especially when a WWII vet spoke to all of us about his experience.
This guy (haha, notice how nobody is named?) isn't one of those Marines who is a chef or does sonar or whatever. He's on a division shooting team - he's won medals for how well he handles and shoots rifles. He used to handle mortars (aka bombs). There are photos of him with guns bigger than me. He's a bad ass. And Marines are always the first ones shipped off to war.
As my feelings have gotten deeper and deeper for him, I took the time to face reality. "You do realize that he can get a call any time and be shipped off to some country for a year, right? You do realize that he may reenlist in a year, and if God graces you with true love, your entire life will revolve around the military?" My mom lived on base for a while with her ex-husband; my older brother was born on a base. They were all over the place. Is that a life I'm willing to have? To leave everything I've ever known to become a military wife?
Then, the really tough reality sets in. What if (God, please forbid this from ever EVER happening) something happened to him? There was a mortar accident in the desert in Nevada the other day - where he used to be; what he used to do. 4 people died. Roadside bombs happen all the time in the Middle East. People are shot and killed every day in the military. It brings tears to my eyes to think of anything ever happening to him...
Then real reality sets in; this happens every day. He is not the only Marine to worry about. He is not the only military member to worry about. There are women who go weeks without speaking to their husbands - unsure if he is even alive. Then, one day they get a phone call with them on the other line. Others get a different phone call.
Then, another really real reality came to me; I asked him about reenlisting when his time is up. He wasn't sure, and told me he still had a year to decide. "It's a love/hate thing. They put you through a lot of bullshit, but I love it. I just wish I would get deployed." It was a shock to hear, because that's everybody's worst fear - to be sent off to war, putting your life on the line. So, I asked him why he wanted that; it's terrifying. To which he replied, "I didn't join the Marines to wear some uniform, or put a sticker on my car that said I was a Marine, which a lot of people do. I joined because I wanted to be what it was all about. If you're going to join, you might as well get deployed."
Then it really sunk in. It scares me, but my love for people with a passion shadows my fear. Especially a guy like this. Selfless. Fearless. It's almost a little magical.
This guy (haha, notice how nobody is named?) isn't one of those Marines who is a chef or does sonar or whatever. He's on a division shooting team - he's won medals for how well he handles and shoots rifles. He used to handle mortars (aka bombs). There are photos of him with guns bigger than me. He's a bad ass. And Marines are always the first ones shipped off to war.
As my feelings have gotten deeper and deeper for him, I took the time to face reality. "You do realize that he can get a call any time and be shipped off to some country for a year, right? You do realize that he may reenlist in a year, and if God graces you with true love, your entire life will revolve around the military?" My mom lived on base for a while with her ex-husband; my older brother was born on a base. They were all over the place. Is that a life I'm willing to have? To leave everything I've ever known to become a military wife?
Then, the really tough reality sets in. What if (God, please forbid this from ever EVER happening) something happened to him? There was a mortar accident in the desert in Nevada the other day - where he used to be; what he used to do. 4 people died. Roadside bombs happen all the time in the Middle East. People are shot and killed every day in the military. It brings tears to my eyes to think of anything ever happening to him...
Then real reality sets in; this happens every day. He is not the only Marine to worry about. He is not the only military member to worry about. There are women who go weeks without speaking to their husbands - unsure if he is even alive. Then, one day they get a phone call with them on the other line. Others get a different phone call.
Then, another really real reality came to me; I asked him about reenlisting when his time is up. He wasn't sure, and told me he still had a year to decide. "It's a love/hate thing. They put you through a lot of bullshit, but I love it. I just wish I would get deployed." It was a shock to hear, because that's everybody's worst fear - to be sent off to war, putting your life on the line. So, I asked him why he wanted that; it's terrifying. To which he replied, "I didn't join the Marines to wear some uniform, or put a sticker on my car that said I was a Marine, which a lot of people do. I joined because I wanted to be what it was all about. If you're going to join, you might as well get deployed."
Then it really sunk in. It scares me, but my love for people with a passion shadows my fear. Especially a guy like this. Selfless. Fearless. It's almost a little magical.
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