Taxi Away

When the plane taxis away your heart feels so heavy. In the small windows of the plane you can see their faces..the same faces�that just walked past you to the plane. Some will wave the tiny flags they have. Others will just look..taking in every detail of home. I can't help but wonder what they're thinking.

God Speed

I've given you a look inside a deployment thru my eyes. Unless you have actually been there just reading about it isn't enough. It's something that you must experience to get the full impact. You see these men and women come thru the doors and you look at each one. Some of them are scared and it shows..others have been thru this before and know the sooner it starts the sooner it's over. It's very hard on me to stay positive when talking to them. I always worry I might say the wrong thing. So I just do a lot of smiling..it's dorky but it works. �

�I� think time stands still sometimes from the time they begin loading the plane until it takes off.� They put the last of the soldiers on and close the door. The hardest part is seeing those stairs pull away from the plane. Reality sets in then..and we all just stand in silence. When the plane taxis off the other volunteers go inside and clean up. But not me...whether it's raining, freezing or hot as hell I stay on that tarmac. I stay until that plane takes off and is totally out of my sight..night or day. I'd be so heartbroken if even one person on that plane looked back one last time and saw that no one was there. What would that tell them? That we put them on the plane and forgot them. That's something I can't live with. These soldiers are giving up a year of their lives to protect me and my family...I can wait for them to leave. I'll make sure I'm there when they return also...when they come back as veterans. I will make sure I say thank you and tell them how grateful I am. How lucky I feel knowing that when my children put their heads on their pillows they feel safe. That I have an undying respect for those who are willing to put their lives on the line for a country that doesn't always deserve it. As long as I live I will do all I can to support our troops and so will my children. God bless them all.�

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