I don't usually go crazy with blog hopping. I'm more of a "stick with what/who you know" kinda girl. But today, for some reason, I found myself reading the blog of a blog friend. Does that make sense? Anyway, the blogger is a fellow military spouse and her post was about her husband (who she doesn't name, before the OPSEC freak-outs start). Did I just lose anyone there? Stick with me, I promise not to use any more military lingo :)
As I was reading, the tears just started pouring. I mean, pouring. This sweet woman's husband is dealing with PTSD, a Traumatic Brain Injury (which he got while gone on a 15 month deployment), and several other issues from his past. He's hurting. She's hurting. And it made my heart hurt...for our soldiers, our families, and our country.
Unless you live the military life, you will never quite understand what it's like. Trying to explain deployments, or feelings about deployments, to people who have never experienced them is hard. And honestly, it just doesn't work...there really are no words to describe what those months are like for the families of soldiers who are away. It's not just the separation. It's the fear that holds your heart like a vice from the moment you see your loved one step foot on that plane/bus/transport car, to the moment they return again, that is so difficult. "Oh please, Lord, please please please let him return safely" is a soft prayer that I know all too well.
This isn't a woe-is-me thing. There are a million things about the military that I love, and I honestly think that the good things usually outweigh the bad. Plus, who doesn't love a man in uniform?! What reading that blog made me realize though (once I pulled myself together!) is how important it is to be informed. I realized that I hide behind the fact that my husband isn't (and never will be) on the ground, and it gives me a little sense of security. I cloak myself in a blanket of "well, that could never happen to us" because, well...sometimes I just have to. But the fact of the matter is, our country is still at war. Sometimes the ones we love don't come back. Sometimes they do, but they're not the same as they were when they left. And it's hard...all the time.
The blog, for me, was a wake-up call. There have been several changes this year regarding military benefits, and we need to be informed. We need to elect officials who have military experience (if they will be dealing with military affairs), and we need to get involved in our own future. I didn't know that there was so little available for families who have soldiers suffering from PTSD. I can't imagine how alone this woman must feel knowing that she can't help her husband. But I can pray for her, about the situation, and for our government officials. I can get involved by writing letters. And I can be a friend, maybe not to her specifically (though the Lord may be working on that!), but to other women in my community who I know may be suffering as she is. And you guys can do that, too. I think it's the least we can do.
