I Love My Soldier

I know some of you can relate to this. Just a little background info...my husband is a Chinook Pilot in the US Army (completing flight school this week) and he has been deployed 4 times. Family day = a day where the pilots get to bring their family's out to the airfield for lunch, a video and to see the aircraft and operations (some of them) up close.

After family day (last Friday) the hubs walked me and our two kids out to the car to leave. He had to go back into the hanger so he could get ready for flight that evening. We were all in the car as he made his rounds to each window. He kissed our daughter goodbye, then our son and next was me :-). I rolled my window down to get one more kiss before he left. He leaned in, kissed me and smiled. As he walked away, I yelled out "I love you!" and he turned around and said, "I love you too!" with a big smile. At that moment, it was as if a camera went off in my head and that emotion was forever captured and remembered. Then I thought, "oh shit!", this is like in the movies. Then the soldier dies and I'm left with this last great memory of him. A memory that will play back in my head night after night as I cry myself to sleep. "Damnit," I said.

Of course, I didn't tell my husband about this until after he was home, but I was nervous the entire night. Many people don't understand the long, hard and heart tugging day's a military spouse has. Day's where you just hope that your loved one will make it back home or back to their tent unharmed. Of course, anyone can die at anytime and anywhere, but when your loved one is a soldier, it's always in the back of your mind.

To the people out there with loved one's that are deployed, I appreciate you. I also appreciate your husband, wife, son, daughter, sister or brother for all that they do. Because of them, my husband is home right now. And maybe in a year or two, my husband will be there and your loved one will be home with you. Hopefully this rotation will end, sooner rather then later.