I finally feel settled from the move...well, at least the Internet is up and running. Without it, I felt like I was in a time warp!
I've joined the Family Readiness Group (FRG). I am the co-leader of the FRG for the company Max commands: Charlie Company, 1-17 Infantry. The FRG is a command sponsored organization of spouses who provide support and activities to increase the resiliency for soldiers and their families, particularly during deployments.
It's been interesting reintegrating into the Army wife culture after living away from it for over a year. Not that I wasn't an Army wife in San Francisco; there just wasn't that community around me (but,there was a lot of family and many good friends there!).
I know the women I've joined here at Ft. Lewis (now called Joint Base Lewis-McChord, but I can't bring myself to call it that) went through a very challenging year together. They, as FRG leaders, helped all of the Gold Star Families (families who have lost family members in war) who were coping with their losses, and at the same time, worried about and missed their own spouses.
I met a lady whose husband was a company commander just like Max. He was killed last August, shortly after they deployed. She gave birth to their baby girl, whom he never got to meet. I don't think one day has passed that I haven't thought about her. I don't know her well, but she is one of those people who seems to exude positive energy. I admire her strength...the strength she's had to get through the past year and the strength she'll have to have for the future of raising her three children. And to imagine what it must feel like to be around all her friends whose husbands have now returned...
One really amazing thing about the community...it's like a big family. I look forward to getting to know everyone while we are here.
A blog for military life stories
PROVOKED BY WAR: NOTES FROM AN ARMY WIFE Overview
Provoked by War: Reflections of an Army Wife is a book of essays that expose my thoughts and experiences as the wife of an active duty infantry officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom during our five years of marriage.
From a Special Operations Unit (1st Ranger Battalion) to an Infantry Company Commander (1-17 Infantry), my husband’s job has challenged, frustrated, confused and saddened me while also given me happy, prideful and fond memories.
The essays in Provoked by War candidly detail my most profound experiences, lessons, triumphs and hardships as an Army wife during this time of war.
My husband returned from his company command and sixth combat deployment in July of 2010 with 1-17 Infantry. Their battalion suffered more combat casualties than any unit since September 11, 2001 primarily because of their stryker vehicles’ susceptibility to IEDs (articles on their combat endeavors have been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post and on NPR).
Most informed people know a little something about the soldiers in Iraq and now, especially, Afghanistan from media outlets. But, when it involves your soldier, the war becomes far more than just another news segment or newspaper article; you understand life’s fragility in a way that challenges the very way you live and look at the society of which you are a part.
My vignettes show the very honest evolution of a carefree newlywed whose tone of lightheartedness grows more complex with each passing deployment. I have always maintained that nothing can really prepare you for what it means to be married into the military in a time of war. My essays are the result of my experiences learning the ropes, facing the challenges and living as a modern day Army wife in the midst of war.
From a Special Operations Unit (1st Ranger Battalion) to an Infantry Company Commander (1-17 Infantry), my husband’s job has challenged, frustrated, confused and saddened me while also given me happy, prideful and fond memories.
The essays in Provoked by War candidly detail my most profound experiences, lessons, triumphs and hardships as an Army wife during this time of war.
My husband returned from his company command and sixth combat deployment in July of 2010 with 1-17 Infantry. Their battalion suffered more combat casualties than any unit since September 11, 2001 primarily because of their stryker vehicles’ susceptibility to IEDs (articles on their combat endeavors have been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post and on NPR).
Most informed people know a little something about the soldiers in Iraq and now, especially, Afghanistan from media outlets. But, when it involves your soldier, the war becomes far more than just another news segment or newspaper article; you understand life’s fragility in a way that challenges the very way you live and look at the society of which you are a part.
My vignettes show the very honest evolution of a carefree newlywed whose tone of lightheartedness grows more complex with each passing deployment. I have always maintained that nothing can really prepare you for what it means to be married into the military in a time of war. My essays are the result of my experiences learning the ropes, facing the challenges and living as a modern day Army wife in the midst of war.
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