Day 325+ .... yep opsec and scare tactics... I have broken the rules..... or have I????

So upon reading another military wives blog which a friend posted on facebook. I am now shamed.... I have broken all rules of opsec.... according to this wife here they are..

OPSEC is a very important mandate, created to keep our military community safe. If you are in a relationship with a service member it is part of your job to uphold OPSEC. Here is what you need to know.

1. Don’t discuss current or future destinations or ports of call. - This means EXACT locations. ie: Helmand Province Afghanistan, Fort Benning GA
   
2. Don’t discuss current or future operations or missions. -Exact dates of departure and arrival, field ops, TAD’s etc
   
3. Don’t discuss current or future dates and times of when Service members will be in port or conducting exercises.
   
4. Don’t discuss readiness issues and numbers.
   
5. Don’t discuss specific training equipment.
   
6. Don’t discuss people’s names and billets in conjunction with operations.
   
7. Don’t speculate about current or future operations.
   
8. Don’t spread rumors about current, future, or past operations or movements.
   
9. Don’t assume the enemy is not trying to collect information on you; he is.
   
10. Be smart, use your head, and always think OPSEC when using email, phone, chat rooms and message boards. 
    this was also posted......
    
    How easy would it be to prey on military wives with deployed husbands? If you don’t follow Operational Security, They know your husband is gone. They know exactly where you’re stationed, and your last update said you were running to the mall today to get Christmas presents. It wouldn’t be hard for someone to find you, and harm you in some way?
    
    This is what I have to say:
    
    I have given my husbands name because I am proud to call him mine.
    I have said he is in Afghanistan and which Regiment he belongs to.  Wait... the news told everyone that RCT 8 replaced RCT 2.... does that mean I am to blame for that? 
    I have a countdown listed.. ok not an exact one.. I do have a plus sign because I truly do not know when.
    I have asked for confirmation regarding training equipment...helmet and flak. Thinking that truly the enemy would already think he had those items.
    As for me knowing any plans regarding past, present or future operations..... my husband knows better than to break opsec which was meant for him to abide by.  My husband also knows I like my bubble and providing me with any information that may pop it would be worse than breaking opsec.
    
    The scare tactic of reminding me not to assume the enemy is not trying to collect information on you; he is.  okay.... come on..... at what point do you truly need to place this on the list.. I do not fault her, I believe she stated this was from the department of defense. I just would like to have faith and believe that not every human being is out to get me. How could one live? How could one survive in such a world?
    The final is the  boogey man post.....come on..... it is hard enough for spouses to say goodbye...then you have to scare the crap out of them. Thanks... I may need some lunesta or ambien so I can sleep tonight. I will be sure to not go to the mall or shop in town... everyone is my enemy now.
    
    My bubble maybe naive. but I truly do not believe that my blog is going to provide the enemy with much information except that I love my husband and that he is a marine and that yes I am alone... wait I have four kids with me.... so I guess if they would like to come to my home... sure come on... I seriously doubt they will survive.
    I have to believe that I am safe and that my kids are safe, isn't that why my husband is not here. He is fighting for my safety..... if I do not believe that basic belief... than I would be miserable and angry that he is not home. I must believe.... so DOD and other wives and terrorist lurkers .... know this.... I am not in the know.. I do not care to be in the know...I am a housewife.... my life is boring....my life is average.... it is mine and trust me.... I WILL FIGHT FOR IT!!!!
    
    
    Bill--- while you and the women and men of the military fight for our freedoms.... our safety.... know that us wives here...we will fight for ours too.  We will keep your homes safe so you can return to hugs and kisses.
    
    
    personal disclaimer..... the above opsec rules need to be adhered by those that unfortunately do say too much. They are good rules... so please do your best. That is all one can ask...right???
    I believe in my fellow spouses and I believe as adults we will not bring harm to others by disclosing information on maneuvers and operations. If you know of any.... maybe you should join the military...it is not your job to be that well informed. It is your job to love your spouse, support your spouse, and to keep the home front safe.
    
    
    

Are you pregnant... nope... just without a husband for a year???....Day 326+

So today, I was talking with another wife whose husband is deployed yet again. Her husband is gone for six months this time, last year he returned from a year long deployment. She has first hand knowledge of  how to survive a year long deployment. She mentioned that she was upset with herself because she had been asked by another wife, "is it really that bad when the guys are gone for a year?" She replied honestly to that question with a resounding "yes.. it is that bad." She felt horrible since the person asking was about to say farewell to her hubby as I did 6 weeks back. You know what I said... "heck yes it is that bad... how are you supposed to plan for a separation for a year?"  I shared how before Bill left I had asked him if he needed us to do something special before he left. I just wanted to treat each day as any other, with no emphasis or change of routine because he was leaving.  I felt as if we did anything but that, it would be as if we were walking the long corridor on death row, as if I was saying goodbye instead of see you soon. Thank God, Bill felt the same way I did.  We spent the last weeks doing what we always did. Running around to sports, playing games with the kids, eating dinner by 6pm and climbing into bed exhausted by 9pm.  I did not want to make all his favorite meals...aka.. a possible last meal. I did not want to throw a party of farewell.  How can anyone think that one can prepare for a year long separation. You can prepare in the ways of life insurance, power of attorneys, banking issues etc.. You can not prepare for the emotions a year separation will bring.
As wives we do not like the farewell nor the separation.. but we do it. We get by, we make lasting friendships, we struggle, we laugh, we cry..... but we do get through it. I think she should have been honest. Had I asked her the same question and had her reply been "oh, it was easy, no big deal." I would have been admitting myself to the psych ward back when I hit rock bottom. I would have believed that it was meant to be easy and that I was failing when I was in my unhappy place. I am glad she was honest, I applaud her honesty.

So the best I can do is explain how I view this deployment and separation. I will do so by comparing it to something I am vary familiar with...pregnancy and childbirth.
A pregnancy lasts just shy of  a year.. come on do you really want to argue over a couple months. It has emotional ups and downs,  sickness, uncertainty, worry and pain.  Heck, I have had four kids and trust me, I did not like being pregnant with a single one... yet the memory of the pregnancy and all that it held for me vanished upon bearing a child, hence my desire to become pregnant...again and again and again!  I believe a deployment will grant me all the emotions and uncertainty as a pregnancy. The only thing different is that in the end my bundle of joy will not come in a baby blanket smelling of baby powder. Mine will come in desert cammies, smelling of motor oil and dirt. He will run to me as soon as his boots hit the ground. It will have taken me a whole year to finally hug him and I will wait in anticipation for his arrival.
So, be prepared when you meet us wives, we may not have pregnant bellies but trust me... we will be having pregnancy emotions!!!! Tread lightly but be honest. No pregnant mother has ever asked a single person to lie to her. We all have our own individual pregnancy stories and we do not sugar coat them when asked. Some fair better than others but all will say it is worth every minute because of  the end result. So with that being said,  we should all be able to share our deployment stories without regret because we survived it and the end result was grand.

Bill-- it might be a good thing you are away since I mentioned the word pregnant.. lord knows just saying the word near you resulted in a child. Stay safe and remain in your gear... :)
We await for your rebirth in less than a year...

The parents have arrived.....Day 328+

A deployment is not a deployment until your parents visit. They come because they love you but most importantly they come to make sure you are surviving thus far and not beating their grand kids. I have not resorted to beatings yet, but I can not say I was not tempted. Please note, I do not beat..thinking and doing are two different things.
So, my parents are here so I can sleep.... you recall I am not a morning person. I hate mornings. I believe I should not crawl out of bed until after 8am and this is not a conducive time when trying to get four kids to the bus by 8am. My dad is a early riser, always has been. I am happy to delegate the morning routine to him. Please pray for him, he will need a lot of strength.
Mornings here go like this: 6am wake up two older boys and encourage them to get ready in a timely fashion. Make sure they eat breakfast and most importantly that they actually brush their teeth. Make lunches...ok I usually have them make them. I crawl back in bed after I know they are functioning okay with out me, but seeing as how grandpa is here, I know they will abuse him and he will make the lunches for them. Double check the backpacks and ask if they have all their homework and items needed for the day. Scoot them out the door for  the bus by 7am. Wake up smaller kids..it is now challenge time. I wake them up at 7am. They get one hour to get dressed, eat breakfast and brush teeth. I think this is more than enough time, however, I tend to be amazed just how slow they are. I have tried waking them earlier....time is not the issue, morning is! I must assist them at every turn or they get side tracked. Tony and Cami must be separated while doing all tasks or total chaos arrives. I must make their breakfast and then stand watch over them. I must set a time limit on the bathroom use and allow only one at a time during teeth brushing. You should see what my sink looks like if they are together during that task, not to mention the amount of toothbrush fencing that happens. The next chore is my favorite..what to wear....they always win at this game and I realize it is truly an art for them. I can not count how many times I have walked in 5minutes before the bus just to see Cami standing in her underwear blankly staring at her clothes. Setting them out the night before... that is worse and disrupts bedtime. They are clothing snobs.... snobs not in a good way. They truly only wear the SAME thing day after day. My kids have loads of clothing, yet I see the same shirt and pants or skirt over and over again.
Next, I prepare lunch and I am a short order cook. They put in requests and wala...it appears.
At 8am my kids are out t he door and awaiting the bus..... the house becomes quiet and for me... I go have a 2nd and 3rd cup of coffee.
Are any of you wondering how my dad will do this? I am, I know that PAPA, as my kids call him, will be the biggest push over. I know my kids will get him and my mom to allow things I do not. For example, today I came down and saw twiddle dee and twiddle dum aka Tony and Cami watching tv while eating breakfast... whoaaa!!! Does she not realize that they will turn into cartoon zombies and breakfast will sit in their mouths but chewing will not commence. Yep, they know the rule but hey...Grandma and Papa are here. All is great in their worlds. They know that Grandma and Papa are my parents and mom always says that she is the ruler because she is our parent. Hmmm, that would mean that Grandma and Papa are moms ruler.....
My kids love when Grandma and Papa visit..... LORD HELP ME!!!!

I say to pray for my dad... he will be the one getting my kids ready. I take after my mom and she dislikes mornings too! I ask for help because I know my kids will get my parents to buy into slack rules.



Bill-

Glad you finally showed me helmet and flak. I was getting worried. I am now concerned with your peeing issue. I will see if I can find you a more suitable bottle to use at the bedside....hint hint to all of you sending care packages.....hint hint to all my nursing and doctor friends. I think a healthy bladder package is needed from everyone!!!!!! Beware of what you open next honey....LOL