Military Children ??

[royalstar09]

Boy this is the toughest thing I have ever went through, my baby went to the Army a couple weeks ago. I am missing him so badly. How do those of you who have went through this get through it?? I am a mess thinking about him. He is in Ft Benning Army Airborn Infantry. He had been in the junior soldier program and worked to obtain E3 before leaving for bootcamp. I went from having my baby, my son at home to having an empty room. I have had custody of my boys since they were 1 and 2 without a Mother in the picture. When my oldest graduated, entered the workforce and moved on it was tough, but he is still here in town which makes it easier. With my youngest it was like one day here, next day gone. I am sure he is fine. But I have always been there to make sure they were ok. Now I have to trust in my heart things are ok. Nights seem to be the hardest to get through still. I know it wil get easier as time goes by. Prolly just was wanting to vent a little.

Thanks for listening to lonely Dad.....

Back to your regularly scheduled programming

[Missionary Rider]

My son is an Army Chaplain in the midst of his first overseas deployment in Kandahar.

You raised your kids to be independent of you, to live their own lives, fulfil their dreams, and make a difference in this world. You have been successful. In those dark and lonely nights, think about how different it would be had you not succeeded. What would your son be doing? How would you life be different? I suspect it would not be better to have him home an in trouble than where he is and serving proudly. You have earned this. Enjoy it.

Pray for him and trust God to take care of him (if God isn't, you can't). Be proud of him. You have a right to be.

Lynn (temporarily in Australia. Coming home in time to welcome a son home from Afghanistan)

[Monty]

Just be proud of him for his decision. It will be a big step to becoming a man. I have 2 sons, and both of them are deploying overseas in August. It makes us nervous, as with any parent, but we are proud of them. I would rather have them serving their country, than being a druggie, alcoholic or in jail somewhere.

[jlh3rd]

i raised three of my sons by myself starting when the oldest was 12...the other 2 were 11 and 10...the two oldest were pa. national guard, airborn.....the oldest did 9 months in bosnia.....the second did 9 months in ramadi,iraq, survived two ied blasts within 10 mins of each other....i got the call from him in the hospital...he was fine.....but when i heard his voice on the call, my heart skipped a couple of beats......my third one is full time army, already has two deployments under his belt in iraq....his third is scheduled for april, 2012

missionary rider pretty much says it all.....you raise 'em to be independent, responsible, and proud.......and so far, that's what i've seen.......you have to let them go.......but, they are always your "kids"......so.....i just wanted to let you know, your not alone ....and i know how you feel..........hope this helps....

[rentalguy1]

Speaking from the son's side of things, he missed you just as badly at first. Now he is just too busy to think of anything besides the current task at hand. At night he is too tired to think of anything except sleep. You may not hear from him much for the first several weeks, and unless things have drastically changed since I did basic training, he will not get any mail from home for another week or two. They do this to separate the soldier to be from his old life. Be assured that he is in very capable hands, and is undergoing a major life transition right now. He went in as your baby, but when he comes out the other side he will be a part of a very small fraternity. Be proud, because no matter how insignificant things may seem to him, he is changing the world with his decision.

[Herb In Texas]

Be Proud I know I am. I have two serving. A daughter in the Army who has been to Afganistan. And a son in the Marines who has yet to deploy but undoubtedly will. When Kate was over there she had access to I-net and phones so that made it easier, but you still worry. Here is what I do know. since the begining of the war more of our youngsters were killed at home in traffic accidents that have been killed in the war. Not much comfort I know but those are the statistics. Get you some blue star stickers for your vehicles people will notice them and give you the opertunity to talk about it many of us are in your shoes and welcome the chance to share our the fact that our kids chose to stand the line to prserve our freedoms and way of life.

Thanks for raising fine children who have a sence of duty and honor and chose to make a difference and not be a burden on society.

[OldBear]

I'll echo the sentiments of the other guys. My son (only child) is a career Marine with 18 years in. He's gone to the sandbox 3 times and various other garden spots over the years. HE was a single parent when he went over in '03 and my 7 year old grandaughter crawled up in Grandpa's lap, looked me in the eye and said "Granpa, is my daddy going to die?" Talk about tearing your heart out! I told her, "No honey, your daddy's with a bunch of brave men and they will watch out for each other. We just need to ask God to take care of him and bring him home safe" (and all the time my heart was breaking and I was scared to death!!). You WILL miss 'em and worry your tail off, however remember young men like your son ARE the USA. People willing to stand up and be counted are what makes our country, not the spoiled, wristwringers who whine and cry 'cause things don't always go their way!...Be proud of him, praise him for being a Man and continually ask the Good Lord to watch over and protect him.

[Gray Ghost]

I was a military child, and now three of my sons have followed the family trade in the Army. Things change so the ability of your son to have access to mail, internet, etc will probably be greater than that experienced by those of us who went through basic some time ago. Most kids today use facebook, and it is a great way to keep up with them when they are away, even in the military. My oldest is currently in Afghanistan and while I love to hear his voice, I mainly get to chat and communicate back and forth on facebook. Seeing the photos he posts is a treat as well. Did the same thing when the other two were deployed.

 

It is understandable to be concerned over his safety. It is a dangerous occupation. But there are dangers in everything we do and at least your son has voluntarily chosen to take those risks in service to others. In my mind those are the ones who make this country as good as it is.

[BoomerCPO]

My oldest son leaves for the Army this coming September. I'm proud of his decision to serve our Country..... but worrying about him will never fade away I guess. Being a parent is not always easy..... even when they are grown and leave the nest.

Take strength from the fact that you raised him to the best of your ability and hope that God watches over him.

Boomer