Deployment Over!

Cpl Honda returned from a seven month deployment last Wednesday. He was deployed on a Navy ship and got to see a bit of the world. Some of it he liked,  some he did not.

I am posting about the whole homecoming experience on my other blog, Life is Like a Box of Chocolates and posting pictures on my Shutterfly page. Scroll all the way down for the pictures. I also blogged the whole deployment there.

Please go read about my adventure. Trust me it was quite a trip!

I Feeeeel Good!

I usually post the Cpl Hond stories on Life’s Like a Box of Chocolates, but today I feel like putting it here. Why? Because I feel feel Good!

I now have a firm date for homecoming! Well as firm a date as the military lets you have. He will be leaving his ship with his battalion on helicopters! How exciting is that! I was hoping to see the ship come in but hey Helicopters are not two shabby. That is if we are allowed to see that. I won’t get my hopes up just yet.

Cpl Honda and I have come up with a better plan to get his car back to him too. We decided that I would drive the car out there and since he gets a 96 after he gets back, he will take me home. We were going to tow it behind our truck and basically do an overnighter and then return home and I was not looking forward to it. We did that when he left and trust me it what not fun.

So, I only have a few weeks to go and my son will be back on land and I will know where he is and be able to talk to him any damn time I want. Oh, and deployment gremlins, don’t even try it!

How do You Survive Deployment?

The Targets

As parents, we all worry about out children. Worry is something that starts long before our children are born. Then we realize the worry will never end. As parents of military members, we share another fear. Fear, we dread hearing the words, “Mom, Dad. I will be deploying on….” Those words pull on our heart even more because we know they will intentionally be in harm’s way.

What we try not to fear is when they are stateside on a base or post is their safety. The murder of 12 soldiers and 1 police officer on Fort Hood came as such a shock. Were they not supposed to be safe?

When my son deployed this fall on a naval ship I knew in my mind that all would probably be well. However, to be honest watching that ship sink smaller into the horizon left me with a pit in my stomach. I wanted to jump in the ocean and bring him back. I think about him every night before I go to sleep. I wonder where he is. I wonder if he will be safe while in port. No, I am sure I do not have the same fear as a mother of a service member in Afghanistan or Iraq, but fear is still fear.

When my son came home from boot camp, he told me that he is not allowed to travel in uniform. Why? Because he is a target. A target? My Son?

Last week we found out just how much of a target our children are. It is shameful, but real. It is why I lay awake at night.

A Christmas Tree for my Son

I am preparing LCpl Honda’s Christmas care package. Since he will not be here for the holidays I wanted to bring a little holiday spirit to him. I have been agonizing over what to send to him. He just keeps telling me he does not need anything. I know he is not deprived of anything since he is deployed on a Navy ship, but still I want to send him something!

Today I stopped at Walgreens and I this tree. I love it! The clerk loved it! Especially when she found out it was going to a deployed service member. Now my care package think tank is in full gear. Watch LCpl Honda, Christmas is coming!

My Son, Deployed

Visit my son’s deployment site:

http://jacksdeployment.shutterfly.com/

Military Monday – LCpl Honda at Sea.

Here is a pic of LCpl Honda working on the flight deck in Combat Cargo. He is the one one the right. The Marines are moving a net that is used to transport cargo, food and other supplies from the the cargo ships and between the Navy ships. Combat Cargo also aids in assisting visitors or military personnel arriving and departing from the ship. It does not matter how high up in rank the visitor may be. Combat Cargo personnel is in charge on the flight deck.

LCpl Honda will be home on leave this weekend and then will deploy in Sept. It is going to be a long 7 months. He will however get to visit quite a few ports in many countries. Anyway, here he is:

God Bless our Troops. Happy Military Monday!

Military Monday – At Sea

I am a little late with this. There is a new series, “At Sea” on the Military Channel featuring the US Navy and the US Marines. It actually started last night, Aug. 9th. It is a three episode special focusing on Naval ships.  The second episode airs tonight Aug. 10th at 10pm eastern time and concluding with the third episode on Tues. Aug. 11th. Hopefully it will repeat at another time. There is an excellent article about the series here.

The series focus is to let the American people know how the Navy and Marines work together and what these joined forces do when they are at sea. Our armed forces are made up of real people who have chosen to serve the American people and the series conveys this message to the viewer.

LCpl Honda is currently on the USS Bonhomme Richard preparing for an upcoming  MEU. This is why I am especially interested in this program. He currently works on the fight deck in Combat Cargo. He and other Marines and Sailors are responsible for loading and unloading cargo and making sure that people get on and off the Helicopters safely.

Go to the Military Channel website and you can explore an aircraft carrier interactively, find out more about the program, “At Sea” and learn about ships of the future.

Military Monday – At Sea

I am a little late with this. There is a new series, “At Sea” on the Military Channel featuring the US Navy and the US Marines. It actually started last night, Aug. 9th. It is a three episode special focusing on Naval ships.  The second episode airs tonight Aug. 10th at 10pm eastern time and concluding with the third episode on Tues. Aug. 11th. Hopefully it will repeat at another time. There is an excellent article about the series here.

The series focus is to let the American people know how the Navy and Marines work together and what these joined forces do when they are at sea. Our armed forces are made up of real people who have chosen to serve the American people and the series conveys this message to the viewer.

LCpl Honda is currently on the USS Bonhomme Richard preparing for an upcoming  MEU. This is why I am especially interested in this program. He currently works on the fight deck in Combat Cargo. He and other Marines and Sailors are responsible for loading and unloading cargo and making sure that people get on and off the Helicopters safely.

Go to the Military Channel website and you can explore an aircraft carrier interactively, find out more about the program, “At Sea” and learn about ships of the future.

Military Monday – Signs of Respect

In Sullivan Illinois, the residents have found a great way to honor their military residents serving in the US Armed Forces. When many were deployed to Afghanistan in 2004, the soldier’s names were nailed to lampposts. As more and more young people volunteered in Sullivan, population 4,400, the parents decided to keep up the tradition.

More than a hundred town residents have served abroad and dozens more will still deploy to either Iraq or Afghanistan.  Some names have hung more than once while spouses and siblings are displayed two to a post.

This is the town’s small, informal way of showing its respect to those members of the community who for the most part joined the military out of patriotism.

In Sullivan, the effort to support military personnel and their families includes churches, care package packing parties and coffee klatches. The wonderful thing here is the residents have taken their support an additional step by putting up the signs and honoring their military even further.

As we military family members know, support is imperative during deployment. It is hard for non-military people to understand the fear and helplessness when a loved one deploys for a war zone. The signs are a great way of reminding people on a daily basis that someone’s family member is in harm’s way and protecting each and every one of us.

Since my son will soon be deployed my need for support and understanding grows with each passing day. I think doing something like this in my hometown would be a great comfort to me. Maybe since this story is out other towns might want to do something like this too.

So I say spread the word and maybe this could grab some momentum and before we know it many towns and cities could be demonstrating yet one more way to say thank you to our brave military.

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