Watching My Husband Leave for the Army

Joining the military and eaving behind me and our two children for six months was not an easy choice for my husband. It has been three days now since he has departed our home state for the state in which he is learning how to be a soldier to protect this land.

I understand how this is such a precious thing, to know that my husband longs to spend his time protecting and serving this land and her people in a time of strife and turmoil. Now though, it pains me to feel the fear of being alone, looking toward the future with the knowledge that time and space may separate us and him from our children as well.

At the age of twenty five I find myself in a position I never thought I would be, a military wife. I think back now, watching him pack his belongings and not truly accepting that he was going to be gone. We drove to the parking lot where we met with the recruiter who was transporting him to the hotel where he was to stay the night before reporting in. Our hands remained grasped almost the entire ride, as if holding on to the small moments we knew would disappear soon. My husband, the love of my life was making one of the ultimate sacrifices for us, his freedom as a civilian.

The talk we shared before the recruiter pulled up was heartfelt, with the embrace which I now wish I had not pulled from, I wish I had remained in his arms remembering how it felt. Strength is something now I find myself digging from inside, searching for the longing and the need to protect my family, and serve them even as my husband serves this country. Now I think back to all of the women who have made this sacrifice. Watching husbands, lovers, friends, and family leave for the war, some never to come back.

Even now, with tears in my eyes I think back to the last time I saw him wave at me from the vehicle with the military logos all over it. I love this man - a husband; a brother; a son; a father; a soldier.