Today is an extremely sad day for me and a group of Army Mom's that I belong to. I have been a part of this group since just before "oldest" went to bootcamp in 2006. These women are like family and their children like my own. All that deploy I send a card to or package.
I am in everyday contact with most of these women, some are closer than family. These Mom know my struggles as an Army Mom as they live the life. They've walked or walk in my shoes. Some of us have had boys deployed together, some just at the same time, some are stationed at the same base...but we all support and encourage one another daily!
Today a dear friend lost her 23 yr old son. No he did not die in Iraq or Afghanistan, he died because of his time in those horrible places. The details of how he died I don't think are as important as the message that we are sending our "children" to a place they shouldn't be. Seeing and living through things over and over again. With no real purpose. They go to these countries and fight an unseen enemy. They then come home and see our country struggle, our homeless, our injured, our elderly. They come home seeing a different world. They come home with a reality that we as Americans can move on, we don't see their struggle everyday. Some say they chose it, they knew what they were getting into. I say "BULL". How could anyone imagine, how could any child prepare. For many a soldier it is their first time away from family and friends. They deal with the loss of that comfort but stand ready to protect their NEW friends and family. They sleep with guns, they suspect everyone, they never feel safe, they miss the simple pleasures of life...how do you prepare for this?!
As an Army Mom I am of course afraid for my sons safety. I am more afraid of their mental well being. I have since they left for basic training. I wrote them everyday, I sent them jokes, I told them funny stories but most importantly I let them know EVERYDAY that I love them and that they are never alone!
Now they are off to war. I send them packages as often as I can. I don't go into a store without picking up something that I can send to them to make things just a little bit easier!
Where do our soldiers turn when they have psychological struggles? Where do we as civilians turn? Many of us don't due to the stigma of being weak or being an outcast. They call it PTSD, they talk to our soldiers about it. There just has to be a better way! There has to be something more that we can do as a country. There has to be something more the military can do. There has to be a way to make getting our soldiers back easier!
This soldier wasn't someone who everyone turned their back on. His parents called and called. They called his commanders while he was at his base. They called the VA hospital repeatedly while there son was home. Their appointment was for Monday...unfortunately Monday was too late.
RIP soldier...u truly are a hero. May you finally have Peace and rest in heaven looking down on your family! God Bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment