Must learn to relax
Posted by Gypsy on Dec 19, 2005
I learned something about myself this weekend. I’m fully incapable of relaxing. With finals over and no school for the next few weeks, I found myself with nothing to do all weekend. Of course, I hit the bar for a little while on Friday, but other than that, I had absolutely nothing going on. It was awful.
By Saturday night, I’d already watched all the movies I had rented on NetFlix, cleaned the whole apartment, done laundry and finished up a final Christmas present I had to put together (which won’t be received until after Christmas, so anyone who knows what it is don’t say anything yet).
Sunday, I made a quick trip to Walmart, came home and alternated stares at my TV and my computer for about 8 hours straight. Lazy, yes. Relaxing, maybe. Boring, definitely.
Although there was a high point to this weekend of boredom. Jeremy finally called me yesterday morning. He’s doing well and back where he’s based. Still using a crappy satellite phone, so we couldn’t talk for long and I could barely hear him most of the time. After about 45 minutes, he just disconnected, which sucked. But at least I know he’s safe and sound, which makes me feel a whole lot better.
I realize this is the most boring post ever, but since I had the most boring weekend ever, I find it quite fitting. Maybe my week will get more interesting. Although I higly doubt it.
A tribute
Posted by Gypsy on Dec 15, 2005
I wrote earlier this week about an interview with a woman who’s husband was just killed in Iraq. His name sounded so familiar to me but it wasn’t until Wednesday when I saw a photo of him that I realized I knew him. We both arrived to Fort Irwin at the same time. A year or two older than me, he was fresh from training, a brand new soldier.
During the week we inprocessed together, we didn’t become great friends, but we did engage in small talk while running around post inprocessing. I learned he was from LA and married to his high school sweetheart. He had three children and came into the Army to make a better life for his family and get an education.
After that week, we never really spoke again. Just here and there when we’d bump into each other at Burger King or the PX. Each time I saw him, he’d tell me he was getting excited about his first deployment and was looking forward to doing what he was trained to do.
When I interviewed his widow, she told me what happened when she told her children there father had be killed. Her oldest son, who is 8 years old, said to her, “My daddy died a hero, and I’m very proud of him.”
Sgt. Adrian Orosco, you truly are one of America’s heroes and many people, those of us to wear the uniform and those who don’t, are proud of you courage and selfless service. You made the ultimate sacrifice for your country. May you now rest in peace.
I can’t imagine
Posted by Gypsy on Dec 13, 2005
Working in public affairs in the military is considered by many to be the easiest job you can get while enlisted. To outsiders, it seems like all we do it cover boring events, meet celebrities and go on all the cool assignments.But that simply isn’t true.
Today I had to face the bad side of my job. The part that no one on the outside sees. The part that takes rips at your heart and takes a little piece of your soul.
Another journalist, a civilian, said to me today, “how much longer until this job steals my soul?”
She said this to me as we were walking out of the home of a woman we had just interviewed. This woman’s husband was killed by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad on Friday. That woman’s life has just been changed in such a way that it will never be the same. In a way that I can’t and don’t want to imagine.
The thing that amazed me was her demeanor during the interview. She sat there, numb, telling us about what an amazing man her husband was, how much he loved being a soldier, how much he loved his family and his soldiers. She talked about the last time she saw him and how each of their children will remember him.
The part that amazed me the most was how she didn’t blame anyone for her husband’s death. She didn’t blame God or the men who served with her husband. She didn’t blame the Army or the government. All the things you would expect a grieving widow to do. All the things I’m sure I would do.
She just accepts that this is part of God’s plan and takes to heart the knowledge that her husband died a hero serving the country he loved.
Sandbox
Posted by Gypsy on Dec 9, 2005
So I finally got a chance to talk to Jeremy after a long week of nothing. Turns out he’s in an awful place with no Internet, minimal phones and no shitter. Well, I take that back. There is a shitter. It’s a wooden room with no door and a square cut out to shit in. Doesn’t that sound pleasent.
Since I’ve spoken to Jeremy and he’s heard the bad news, I can finally tell the Internet.
Are you sitting down?
I’ll be leaving the lovely Mojave Desert and heading to another desert much further away. That’s right, I’m off to Afghanistan in June for a one year deployment. I don’t have any more details than that, but as I get more, I’ll share the ones I’m allowed to pass along.
Needless to say, Jeremy and I are both pretty bummed. But we’ll get through it.
