Blessings to all of you as I feel so richly blessed myself right now!
Since my last post, things have been happening! Brett was supposed to come home on his mid-tour leave by leaving Camp Bucca on September 16th. However, in true military fashion, the plans changed and while I thought he would be calling by Tuesday night I didn't hear from him until Friday evening! Talk about a mama bear possessed! I was threatening to SWIM over there to find out what was going on. When Brett did call I asked where he was and he said Germany. I asked how long he had been there and he said 5 minutes. Excellent answer, Brett!! To make a long story short he arrived in Omaha on Saturday afternoon after the servicemen on the flight were bumped to first class...thank you American Airlines!! We decided to go on to Des Moines and see Lindsay and Josh for the rest of the weekend. I was able to take Monday off from work (thank you!) and so we came home from Iowa then. It was great to see Brett and Lindsay reunite. For those of you that still have children at home, fighting, I can't tell you how awesome it is to have your children get together and not fight and argue but to geniunely enjoy each other's company. Ahhh, bliss!
We came home from Des Moines to Wood River and got another surprise when Michael came home from football practice. We were downstairs in the newly created "Man Cave" and Michael came down the stairs and he and Brett said their hellos and Michael was as tall as Brett! Brett seemed surprised by that and Michael seemed thrilled. I was a bit melancholy. I can't believe how much my children have grown up right before my eyes...where does the time go??
Brett will be home until October 6th. Feel free to give him a call (his cell phone has been reactivated to the same number) or call the home phone. He'd love to hear from you and I'd love to have him take a break from the computer. ;-)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Retraction??
So, if you are writing your own blog and you make a mistake do you have to print a retraction? Or is it called a correction? Or a blogger repair?? Anyway, I had Brett read the blog and make sure I was giving correct information about his job and boy was I way off base!
He isn't the mailman...he is actually an Administrative Assistant for Human Resources and his main job is updating records for the soldiers. They record leaves and absences and update each soldiers personnel file. He also distributes mail for only his unit (there are many units at Camp Bucca) and then he does the newsletter. I'm sure I'm still stating something incorrectly and I'll let you know what that is when Brett corrects me....and I'm sure he will!
We haven't had nearly as much contact with Brett as his personal computer went down. I can only imagine the withdrawals he is suffering! (Truth is I'm going through it just as badly because I like when he is in contact every few days.) He sent the computer to me and we got a repair number and shipped it off today. Hopefully it will be done by the time he has leave.
And now to leave. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! I don't usually wish time away but I sure will be until September 16th! That is when his mid-tour leave begins so he thought he would be home within a couple of days after that. He's requested that I stock up on steaks and brats. Best thing about Brett is he'll do the cooking when he comes home too. (He thinks he's a better chef than any of us!)
That's it for now. Please continue to pray for the soldiers. Until next time....
He isn't the mailman...he is actually an Administrative Assistant for Human Resources and his main job is updating records for the soldiers. They record leaves and absences and update each soldiers personnel file. He also distributes mail for only his unit (there are many units at Camp Bucca) and then he does the newsletter. I'm sure I'm still stating something incorrectly and I'll let you know what that is when Brett corrects me....and I'm sure he will!
We haven't had nearly as much contact with Brett as his personal computer went down. I can only imagine the withdrawals he is suffering! (Truth is I'm going through it just as badly because I like when he is in contact every few days.) He sent the computer to me and we got a repair number and shipped it off today. Hopefully it will be done by the time he has leave.
And now to leave. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! I don't usually wish time away but I sure will be until September 16th! That is when his mid-tour leave begins so he thought he would be home within a couple of days after that. He's requested that I stock up on steaks and brats. Best thing about Brett is he'll do the cooking when he comes home too. (He thinks he's a better chef than any of us!)
That's it for now. Please continue to pray for the soldiers. Until next time....
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
I'm Here, I'm Here....
After being reprimanded for no updates (you know who you are, and thanks for the push:-) I am finally getting back to this. I promise to work harder to keep this going!
Update on Brett is that he is doing great for the most part. I really felt his transition to full-time military life was a bit rough at the beginning but he seems to have adjusted well at this point. When we talk to him, it's upbeat and for what he's living through, I think that's wonderful!
At first, Brett struggled with the fact that he didn't feel his job was "important." I assured him that even if his sole job was cleaning toilets, it would be important! He has been appointed as the mailman in Camp Bucca. As I understand it, his job is to sort mail and then notify the fellow soldiers that they have mail. He said they are always thrilled to hear from him!
Another job that Brett has is to write the monthly newsletter for the unit. Now this may not seem all that interesting to you but I am totally fascinated by this! If I had a dime for each time I had to push (yell, scream) to get him to do his assignments that included writing, I'd be quite a rich woman! And he tells me he actually doesn't mind it...change of pace, gets him out of his office. WHAT?? Can this possibly be the same Brett Dibbern that I know?? I so hope you are reading this, Mrs. Blake!
He has now decided that maybe irrigating wasn't so bad after all. He sent an e-mail one morning that said the temperature at 8:00 AM was 108! Can you even fathom?? Luckily they have air conditioning but I can't imagine that it could even begin to keep up. Mine at home has plenty of trouble on these hot, muggy days and it's not even close to those numbers.
The best news is that Brett has decided to come home over his mid-tour leave which will be Sept 16-Oct 6. He had said he wanted to spend his time touring in Germany but his buddy backed out and then another guy just returned and said it was terribly expensive due to the weak dollar. (I have no doubt that Brett would have gone alone but EXPENSIVE?? No way was he going after he heard that....those are fightin' words!) So, even though it's second choice, we are thrilled. I told him to let me know what he wants/needs when he's home and he said right now he'd be happy with a real bed and real food. I think we can handle that.
Please continue to pray for the soldiers. It's a very tough time of year with the weather and they need to know we care!
Until next time....
Update on Brett is that he is doing great for the most part. I really felt his transition to full-time military life was a bit rough at the beginning but he seems to have adjusted well at this point. When we talk to him, it's upbeat and for what he's living through, I think that's wonderful!
At first, Brett struggled with the fact that he didn't feel his job was "important." I assured him that even if his sole job was cleaning toilets, it would be important! He has been appointed as the mailman in Camp Bucca. As I understand it, his job is to sort mail and then notify the fellow soldiers that they have mail. He said they are always thrilled to hear from him!
Another job that Brett has is to write the monthly newsletter for the unit. Now this may not seem all that interesting to you but I am totally fascinated by this! If I had a dime for each time I had to push (yell, scream) to get him to do his assignments that included writing, I'd be quite a rich woman! And he tells me he actually doesn't mind it...change of pace, gets him out of his office. WHAT?? Can this possibly be the same Brett Dibbern that I know?? I so hope you are reading this, Mrs. Blake!
He has now decided that maybe irrigating wasn't so bad after all. He sent an e-mail one morning that said the temperature at 8:00 AM was 108! Can you even fathom?? Luckily they have air conditioning but I can't imagine that it could even begin to keep up. Mine at home has plenty of trouble on these hot, muggy days and it's not even close to those numbers.
The best news is that Brett has decided to come home over his mid-tour leave which will be Sept 16-Oct 6. He had said he wanted to spend his time touring in Germany but his buddy backed out and then another guy just returned and said it was terribly expensive due to the weak dollar. (I have no doubt that Brett would have gone alone but EXPENSIVE?? No way was he going after he heard that....those are fightin' words!) So, even though it's second choice, we are thrilled. I told him to let me know what he wants/needs when he's home and he said right now he'd be happy with a real bed and real food. I think we can handle that.
Please continue to pray for the soldiers. It's a very tough time of year with the weather and they need to know we care!
Until next time....
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Phone Call 04/22/2008
Brett was able to call and we talked for quite a while on Tuesday. I was able to get some answers to questions that you have been asking. The day Brett and I spoke I had seen the temperature was supposed to be 103 degrees. I asked him how bad that was and he said "103 degrees here is still not as bad as a hot irrigating day in Nebraska!" Now does that mean that 103 is tolerable or that he hates irrigating that much?? Knowing Brett, I'm thinking it's the latter. Actually he said if they stay hydrated it really isn't that bad. It's mostly a hot temperature and not so humid.
I had also been asked if they have air conditioning there. Brett said they have lots of air conditioning...even in the tents! He said they do have random power outages and that can certainly warm things up for a while.
Another question had been does he carry a weapon with him at all times. Brett said he is required to have his weapon on him at all times but it isn't as much because of threat as it is about responsibility. Once your weapon has been checked out to you it is to be on your person at all times except for using the restroom, showering or physical training. During those times it is permissable to have it locked up or have a buddy watching over it.
Brett told me his allergies aren't nearly as bad over there. He is taking Zyrtec but that has controlled the nose fairly well. Anyone who has ever been around Brett in the morning realizes the importance of this!!
One thing that he commented is that the bugs over there are pretty bad. He asked if I would send him some ant killer. He said the flies are pretty bad too. One thing that he commented (if you're eating right now you might want to come back to this...) is that they have tall poles and at the top of the poles are buckets with poison for the flies. To lure the flies to the poison he said they have bags hanging underneath the buckets and he didn't know for sure what was in the bags but it smells like "corpse." Now I'm not sure how many corpses Brett has smelled in his lifetime but he swears this is the nastiest thing ever. (He also said cattle manure was like perfume compared to this aroma. Ewwww!)
Brett's job is in the post office system over there. The post office is actually run by a contracting company as is the housing, laundry, chow hall, etc. Brett has to pickup the mail, separate it and put it on the website which notifies the soldiers that they have mail. Brett said everyone is always happy to hear from him because that means they've received something from home and that's very important to them.
Speaking of mail, I'd like to thank all of you that have sent notes to Brett. He has commented how awesome it is to get mail and to hear from home. Our soldiers really need that to get through and know they aren't getting forgotten while they are gone. (If they only realized the amount of time we spend thinking about them!)
On a personal note about the conversation, as I was talking to Brett, all of a sudden I heard LOTS of gunfire in the background. As my heart was pounding in my throat, I asked Brett if gunfire was indeed what I was hearing. He calmly stated that yes I was hearing correctly. I asked if that unnerved him or was of concern to him and he said, "Oh, there's a shooting range just on the other side of this wall that I'm by." He could have spared me the 5 years that were taken off my life if he would have mentioned that first!!
Until next time.....
I had also been asked if they have air conditioning there. Brett said they have lots of air conditioning...even in the tents! He said they do have random power outages and that can certainly warm things up for a while.
Another question had been does he carry a weapon with him at all times. Brett said he is required to have his weapon on him at all times but it isn't as much because of threat as it is about responsibility. Once your weapon has been checked out to you it is to be on your person at all times except for using the restroom, showering or physical training. During those times it is permissable to have it locked up or have a buddy watching over it.
Brett told me his allergies aren't nearly as bad over there. He is taking Zyrtec but that has controlled the nose fairly well. Anyone who has ever been around Brett in the morning realizes the importance of this!!
One thing that he commented is that the bugs over there are pretty bad. He asked if I would send him some ant killer. He said the flies are pretty bad too. One thing that he commented (if you're eating right now you might want to come back to this...) is that they have tall poles and at the top of the poles are buckets with poison for the flies. To lure the flies to the poison he said they have bags hanging underneath the buckets and he didn't know for sure what was in the bags but it smells like "corpse." Now I'm not sure how many corpses Brett has smelled in his lifetime but he swears this is the nastiest thing ever. (He also said cattle manure was like perfume compared to this aroma. Ewwww!)
Brett's job is in the post office system over there. The post office is actually run by a contracting company as is the housing, laundry, chow hall, etc. Brett has to pickup the mail, separate it and put it on the website which notifies the soldiers that they have mail. Brett said everyone is always happy to hear from him because that means they've received something from home and that's very important to them.
Speaking of mail, I'd like to thank all of you that have sent notes to Brett. He has commented how awesome it is to get mail and to hear from home. Our soldiers really need that to get through and know they aren't getting forgotten while they are gone. (If they only realized the amount of time we spend thinking about them!)
On a personal note about the conversation, as I was talking to Brett, all of a sudden I heard LOTS of gunfire in the background. As my heart was pounding in my throat, I asked Brett if gunfire was indeed what I was hearing. He calmly stated that yes I was hearing correctly. I asked if that unnerved him or was of concern to him and he said, "Oh, there's a shooting range just on the other side of this wall that I'm by." He could have spared me the 5 years that were taken off my life if he would have mentioned that first!!
Until next time.....
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Phone Call!
Brett called me! I will give a summary of the conversation:
Brett said they spent a few days in Germany, a few days in Kuwait, and now they are at their post at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Camp Bucca is a detainee prison so that will be their job. Currently they are living in tents but they should be moving into trailers in the future. Right now they are following the unit around that they will be replacing. The base has a small store, Pizza Hut, and a Burger King so it's similar to a small town. While they were in Germany, the USO gave them free phone cards so that was how Brett was calling me. The calling card he used was for 100 minutes but using it from Iraq, it only lasted 20 minutes. He said Wednesday is "Good Food Day" as the military allots more money for their meals on that day. Last Wednesday he had prime rib, baked potato, and corn on the cob. (Really roughing it, huh? He didn't even complain about the quality of the beef!) He said he is very fortunate in that his work schedule is 8 hours per day with one day off per week. He said many of the others are working 12 hour days with no days off. It just depends on their specific job. I asked him what was the most surprising thing thus far and he said the number of American civilians that are employed on the base. He said at times when you are walking around the base, it's like walking at the mall because of the diversity in age of those that are around. He said they are not to leave the base at all and the only time they see children is when they have visitation for the detainees and their families come to visit.
He did mention that he was stuffing his duffel bag and while he was pushing real hard, his hand came back and hit him in the face and broke his new glasses. Right now they are superglued. I told him it's nice to know that even though he is clear across the world, Brett is still Brett!
Brett said they spent a few days in Germany, a few days in Kuwait, and now they are at their post at Camp Bucca, Iraq. Camp Bucca is a detainee prison so that will be their job. Currently they are living in tents but they should be moving into trailers in the future. Right now they are following the unit around that they will be replacing. The base has a small store, Pizza Hut, and a Burger King so it's similar to a small town. While they were in Germany, the USO gave them free phone cards so that was how Brett was calling me. The calling card he used was for 100 minutes but using it from Iraq, it only lasted 20 minutes. He said Wednesday is "Good Food Day" as the military allots more money for their meals on that day. Last Wednesday he had prime rib, baked potato, and corn on the cob. (Really roughing it, huh? He didn't even complain about the quality of the beef!) He said he is very fortunate in that his work schedule is 8 hours per day with one day off per week. He said many of the others are working 12 hour days with no days off. It just depends on their specific job. I asked him what was the most surprising thing thus far and he said the number of American civilians that are employed on the base. He said at times when you are walking around the base, it's like walking at the mall because of the diversity in age of those that are around. He said they are not to leave the base at all and the only time they see children is when they have visitation for the detainees and their families come to visit.
He did mention that he was stuffing his duffel bag and while he was pushing real hard, his hand came back and hit him in the face and broke his new glasses. Right now they are superglued. I told him it's nice to know that even though he is clear across the world, Brett is still Brett!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
And the Fun Begins....
Well, I haven't been on for a while so it is certainly time for an update. Brett was able to come home for Easter which was really nice. I think he returned quite tired though as he spent as much time with family and friends as possible.
He was under the assumption that when he returned the deployment would take place within 72 hours. I told him to be sure and call when his flight returned to El Paso since we knew it would be somewhat close on the time schedule to report back to his base. Particularly if the flights were delayed as they were on his way home. However, I haven't heard a word from him since!!
God bless Sherie Peterson who is the liason between the unit and the families. Her husband is also in the unit and he reports to her and then the info is e-mailed to us. She has kept us informed to the fact that the unit returned to a "pack and run" order so she wasn't surprised that Brett hadn't contacted us but that all members of the unit are fine. They were first sent to Germany and had to wait there for a couple of days before continuing on to Iraq. They have now reached their location and are settling in. She said they are staying in tents at the moment but will be moved to more permanent quarters shortly.
I'm very anxious to hear from Brett but I will keep a "no news is good news" perspective and just keep the prayers going. I promise to keep everyone posted on this blog. Sometimes it just gets a little difficult to find ways to report when we have been told that confidentiality and safety are a must when we report to others about the soldiers.
Brett's new address to use is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
530th MP BN
APO AE 09375
Please don't hesitate to drop him a line even if it's short. From everyone I have talked with, mail is a very big deal to the soldiers!
He was under the assumption that when he returned the deployment would take place within 72 hours. I told him to be sure and call when his flight returned to El Paso since we knew it would be somewhat close on the time schedule to report back to his base. Particularly if the flights were delayed as they were on his way home. However, I haven't heard a word from him since!!
God bless Sherie Peterson who is the liason between the unit and the families. Her husband is also in the unit and he reports to her and then the info is e-mailed to us. She has kept us informed to the fact that the unit returned to a "pack and run" order so she wasn't surprised that Brett hadn't contacted us but that all members of the unit are fine. They were first sent to Germany and had to wait there for a couple of days before continuing on to Iraq. They have now reached their location and are settling in. She said they are staying in tents at the moment but will be moved to more permanent quarters shortly.
I'm very anxious to hear from Brett but I will keep a "no news is good news" perspective and just keep the prayers going. I promise to keep everyone posted on this blog. Sometimes it just gets a little difficult to find ways to report when we have been told that confidentiality and safety are a must when we report to others about the soldiers.
Brett's new address to use is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
530th MP BN
APO AE 09375
Please don't hesitate to drop him a line even if it's short. From everyone I have talked with, mail is a very big deal to the soldiers!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Brett's Post
Brett thought that I hadn't posted for a while so he did the next one...
We just moved out to the field, and we have Internet out here, so I'll post this since I have the chance. I only have about three more weeks at this place before we move to Iraq and I get to do my job. The running joke around here is "Don't worry, once we get over to the third world country, things will be much better." Everyone has told me that Iraq has the best food and equipment in the Army, and the living conditions are much better than in training. As odd as it may sound, I can't wait to leave the States.
March 6, 2008 8:38 AM
We just moved out to the field, and we have Internet out here, so I'll post this since I have the chance. I only have about three more weeks at this place before we move to Iraq and I get to do my job. The running joke around here is "Don't worry, once we get over to the third world country, things will be much better." Everyone has told me that Iraq has the best food and equipment in the Army, and the living conditions are much better than in training. As odd as it may sound, I can't wait to leave the States.
March 6, 2008 8:38 AM
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Update February 13th
I haven't updated much because there hasn't been much to report. We've talked to Brett a few times but it's pretty much been the same thing as before. Last we spoke he still didn't have any glasses to wear! He thinks they are coming though.
He does get leave in March and he will be coming home for that. I'm guessing that will be it before he leaves for Iraq so we will savor every moment. He said he's getting a bit worn out from all the goodbye things. I certainly understand that so we won't be having a great big get together. If anyone would like to stop in and see him though it should be Easter weekend. Just give us a call and we'll give you details.
He does get leave in March and he will be coming home for that. I'm guessing that will be it before he leaves for Iraq so we will savor every moment. He said he's getting a bit worn out from all the goodbye things. I certainly understand that so we won't be having a great big get together. If anyone would like to stop in and see him though it should be Easter weekend. Just give us a call and we'll give you details.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
He Called!
Brett was able to call and it was wonderful to hear from him!
They are at Ft. Bliss but they are staying at a newly built facility that is actually located in New Mexico. For the first several days, they didn't have power in their barracks. Now they have power...at least on one side of the facility. Brett said it will be very nice when the construction is completed but for right now it's sort of hit and miss as to what is done. Therefore, charging cell phones, etc is limited at the moment. He did say they really didn't have restrictions on using their cell phones it just needs to be charged!
At this point they are still hurrying up and waiting. He said they are having long lines as equipment is checked out to them and the entire group has to wait their turn. He did say the food was pretty good. Enough so that he thought he would need to watch it or he'd really put on the pounds. Moms like to hear that though!
Other than that, he didn't know too much. He had an appointment today to get an eye exam so he can get his glasses replaced. He's been going without because he said the sand is too much for his contacts so I'm sure it will be nice for him to see again.
He had an address for the time he is in Texas. It is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
Mobilization Deployment BDE
530th MP BN HHC
Building 2453
Fort Bliss TX 79916
Please feel free to drop him a note of encouragement. I know he'd really appreciate that!
They are at Ft. Bliss but they are staying at a newly built facility that is actually located in New Mexico. For the first several days, they didn't have power in their barracks. Now they have power...at least on one side of the facility. Brett said it will be very nice when the construction is completed but for right now it's sort of hit and miss as to what is done. Therefore, charging cell phones, etc is limited at the moment. He did say they really didn't have restrictions on using their cell phones it just needs to be charged!
At this point they are still hurrying up and waiting. He said they are having long lines as equipment is checked out to them and the entire group has to wait their turn. He did say the food was pretty good. Enough so that he thought he would need to watch it or he'd really put on the pounds. Moms like to hear that though!
Other than that, he didn't know too much. He had an appointment today to get an eye exam so he can get his glasses replaced. He's been going without because he said the sand is too much for his contacts so I'm sure it will be nice for him to see again.
He had an address for the time he is in Texas. It is:
SPC Dibbern, Brett
Mobilization Deployment BDE
530th MP BN HHC
Building 2453
Fort Bliss TX 79916
Please feel free to drop him a note of encouragement. I know he'd really appreciate that!
Friday, January 25, 2008
A Man of Few Words....
I got an e-mail today from Brett. It read "on ipod, no power, no reception."
I told him I didn't realize 6 words could sound so good to me. I was told by another soldier's family that they aren't allowed to have their cell phones so we probably won't hear from him real often but I will certainly update you as I can!
Just had a thought...wonder if he's charged his ipod??
I told him I didn't realize 6 words could sound so good to me. I was told by another soldier's family that they aren't allowed to have their cell phones so we probably won't hear from him real often but I will certainly update you as I can!
Just had a thought...wonder if he's charged his ipod??
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Ceremony Weekend
Today was arguably one of the hardest days of my life. Seeing my son board the plane that will take him into one of the most dangerous places is almost beyond description. But he boarded and I survived so now we will see what is in store for us for the future.
We are learning that the military makes plans, changes them, makes plans again, and changes them again! They need to have more women in control and they would plan things out correctly the first time! As I mentioned earlier the ceremony was to be "somewhere" downtown. Then it changed to "some building right outside of the Offutt Air Base, and then it changed again to it's final destination of the Bellevue Christian Center. Apparently when they started looking at the numbers of family and friends which would be attending, they needed a larger location, thus the move. Now I must admit we may have added a little to that problem. Brett had a whopping 26 family and friends in attendance to see him off. I can't begin to tell you what that meant to Brett, Phil and me!! The closest anyone lived was Lincoln and the majority of us had traveled over 2.5 hours to be there. It was a huge comfort to be surrounded by everyone.
The morning consisted of a family meeting which Brett had told us would be a briefing about where they were going and what they would be doing. Now this was most interesting because they started the meeting by telling us, because of security reasons, they couldn't tell us where they would be going or when exactly they would be leaving because that would give the enemy information that we don't want them to have. The rest of the morning was about health insurance and every conceivable claim situation, dental insurance, legal information, how children will handle this, dealing with the media, etc. It was probably very beneficial for spouses but since we aren't a spouse and Brett doesn't have one, it was a lonnnggg morning. The official send off ceremony began at 1:00pm. Several dignitaries were there and some had conflicts and couldn't make it (Chuck Hagel and Ben Nelson were too busy so they sent representatives. Nothing was even mentioned about Mayor Fahey from Omaha which is the city where the 530th MP Unit is based. But we were so impressed with Rep. Lee Terry and his young son who attended and were so down to earth as well as Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy. Just wanted to let you know this as voting comes around.)
They spoke and said some moving words. Then they had a coin ceremony where they give the soldier a coin and they give the family a different coin. You are to exchange coins and then upon their return you will exchange the coins back. Kind of a neat concept until you try to go through airport security with one in your pocket. More on that later.
We all made in through the ceremony feeling proud and excited because Brett is excited and looking forward to the new adventure. You get some comfort when the other guys talk to your soldier and you realize that they have friends and won't be going over there lonely like you had in your head. Afterwards, we went back to our motel and Brett came and spent the evening with us. Of course, that meant a trip to find prime rib for Brett (he's had more "last meals" than I can count!) The Rathke Family stayed in Omaha with us so we had some great fellowship during the evening. Eventually, Brett made it back to his hotel and we said we'd see him in the morning.
They were flying all of the soldiers on commercial flights in 5 different groups. Brett said they had all gone somewhere on the same flight one other time and it was complete chaos so he figured this was to alleviate all the commotion at one time. Brett's flight was departing at 10:55am from Omaha so Phil, I, Lindsay and Josh headed to the airport at about 9:00. We found Brett right away but due to security reasons, only two of us could go to the gate with him so we waited upstairs as long as we could so Lindsay and Josh could spend some time with him. Now I don't think I can adequately descibe the scene and the gut wrenching emotion that was at that airport today. I think enough tears were shed there to turn the airport into a harbor! It all started when I saw Brett swallow. I saw the Adam's apple move and I interpreted that to mean he was nervous (probably he just needed to swallow but my mind might have been overthinking!). I looked over at Lindsay and she had a few tears seeping out. Then I looked around and saw a soldier holding a baby that couldn't have been more than two weeks old. I decided this must have been a nephew because his approx. 3 year old daughter was having a fit that he was holding that baby. In the meantime there stands his very pregnant wife. Now MY tears start spilling out. And like a swimming pool with a leak, the water just would not stop coming out! The more I fought it the worse it got. So I figured well, I'll just quietly let them seep and that's that. Then they came along and told all the soldiers they had to move down to their gate and security. This was time for Lindsay and Brett to say good-bye. More tears. (Tears are falling as I recall this!)
Next we walked down the corridor to security. The Patriot Freedom Riders (the bikers who protect the families from protesters) were lining the walkway down to security. As if that isn't touching enough, Brett walks down one side and shakes each hand and thanks them for what they do while Phil walks down the other side and does the same. Sometimes I really underestimate how great my guys are!
Now comes the security portion. They tell you to take your shoes off and unload pockets, etc. Phil and I go through just fine but Brett...well, he gets stopped. And removes more things from his pockets. And gets stopped. And removes his shoes. And gets stopped. Now he has to step aside and they use the security wand on him. And he beeps. They look him over some more. And he beeps. Now they are doing a thorough frisk of him. We never could figure out what in the world was causing the problem. His chest kept going off. His dog tags weren't on and they said that wouldn't cause it anyway. They finally let him go. Meanwhile the gate was just a small walk away and they announce for the soldiers to board. The entire civilian crowd starts clapping. It was so moving! We said our goodbyes, I love yous, and stay safes while wives clung to their husbands for every minute that they could. Once Brett was boarded we headed out. And I cried. And cried.
The strange thing is that we really are happy for Brett and excited for him but it sure is hard on a mom and dad. And I can't even imagine what those with spouses and children go through. And some of them had been through this two or three times prior. Yes, sacrifices have to be made for the many freedoms that we have. This is just the first time it's been so personal. And I feel badly about that. Hundreds of thousands have gone before now and I've never really appreciated all that they have given up. When my grandpa left for WWII, my grandma was pregnant with my mom. My grandpa didn't even live with her until she was 2.5 years old! And communication was rare. Then my mom said that when my step-father went to Vietnam there weren't any ceremonies. They basically just loaded them up and they went. And we all know what they came home to. It breaks my heart to think about it. We need to appreciate our freedom and we need to be so thankful for the technology that will allow us to keep in touch with Brett.
God speed, Brett. God speed.
We are learning that the military makes plans, changes them, makes plans again, and changes them again! They need to have more women in control and they would plan things out correctly the first time! As I mentioned earlier the ceremony was to be "somewhere" downtown. Then it changed to "some building right outside of the Offutt Air Base, and then it changed again to it's final destination of the Bellevue Christian Center. Apparently when they started looking at the numbers of family and friends which would be attending, they needed a larger location, thus the move. Now I must admit we may have added a little to that problem. Brett had a whopping 26 family and friends in attendance to see him off. I can't begin to tell you what that meant to Brett, Phil and me!! The closest anyone lived was Lincoln and the majority of us had traveled over 2.5 hours to be there. It was a huge comfort to be surrounded by everyone.
The morning consisted of a family meeting which Brett had told us would be a briefing about where they were going and what they would be doing. Now this was most interesting because they started the meeting by telling us, because of security reasons, they couldn't tell us where they would be going or when exactly they would be leaving because that would give the enemy information that we don't want them to have. The rest of the morning was about health insurance and every conceivable claim situation, dental insurance, legal information, how children will handle this, dealing with the media, etc. It was probably very beneficial for spouses but since we aren't a spouse and Brett doesn't have one, it was a lonnnggg morning. The official send off ceremony began at 1:00pm. Several dignitaries were there and some had conflicts and couldn't make it (Chuck Hagel and Ben Nelson were too busy so they sent representatives. Nothing was even mentioned about Mayor Fahey from Omaha which is the city where the 530th MP Unit is based. But we were so impressed with Rep. Lee Terry and his young son who attended and were so down to earth as well as Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy. Just wanted to let you know this as voting comes around.)
They spoke and said some moving words. Then they had a coin ceremony where they give the soldier a coin and they give the family a different coin. You are to exchange coins and then upon their return you will exchange the coins back. Kind of a neat concept until you try to go through airport security with one in your pocket. More on that later.
We all made in through the ceremony feeling proud and excited because Brett is excited and looking forward to the new adventure. You get some comfort when the other guys talk to your soldier and you realize that they have friends and won't be going over there lonely like you had in your head. Afterwards, we went back to our motel and Brett came and spent the evening with us. Of course, that meant a trip to find prime rib for Brett (he's had more "last meals" than I can count!) The Rathke Family stayed in Omaha with us so we had some great fellowship during the evening. Eventually, Brett made it back to his hotel and we said we'd see him in the morning.
They were flying all of the soldiers on commercial flights in 5 different groups. Brett said they had all gone somewhere on the same flight one other time and it was complete chaos so he figured this was to alleviate all the commotion at one time. Brett's flight was departing at 10:55am from Omaha so Phil, I, Lindsay and Josh headed to the airport at about 9:00. We found Brett right away but due to security reasons, only two of us could go to the gate with him so we waited upstairs as long as we could so Lindsay and Josh could spend some time with him. Now I don't think I can adequately descibe the scene and the gut wrenching emotion that was at that airport today. I think enough tears were shed there to turn the airport into a harbor! It all started when I saw Brett swallow. I saw the Adam's apple move and I interpreted that to mean he was nervous (probably he just needed to swallow but my mind might have been overthinking!). I looked over at Lindsay and she had a few tears seeping out. Then I looked around and saw a soldier holding a baby that couldn't have been more than two weeks old. I decided this must have been a nephew because his approx. 3 year old daughter was having a fit that he was holding that baby. In the meantime there stands his very pregnant wife. Now MY tears start spilling out. And like a swimming pool with a leak, the water just would not stop coming out! The more I fought it the worse it got. So I figured well, I'll just quietly let them seep and that's that. Then they came along and told all the soldiers they had to move down to their gate and security. This was time for Lindsay and Brett to say good-bye. More tears. (Tears are falling as I recall this!)
Next we walked down the corridor to security. The Patriot Freedom Riders (the bikers who protect the families from protesters) were lining the walkway down to security. As if that isn't touching enough, Brett walks down one side and shakes each hand and thanks them for what they do while Phil walks down the other side and does the same. Sometimes I really underestimate how great my guys are!
Now comes the security portion. They tell you to take your shoes off and unload pockets, etc. Phil and I go through just fine but Brett...well, he gets stopped. And removes more things from his pockets. And gets stopped. And removes his shoes. And gets stopped. Now he has to step aside and they use the security wand on him. And he beeps. They look him over some more. And he beeps. Now they are doing a thorough frisk of him. We never could figure out what in the world was causing the problem. His chest kept going off. His dog tags weren't on and they said that wouldn't cause it anyway. They finally let him go. Meanwhile the gate was just a small walk away and they announce for the soldiers to board. The entire civilian crowd starts clapping. It was so moving! We said our goodbyes, I love yous, and stay safes while wives clung to their husbands for every minute that they could. Once Brett was boarded we headed out. And I cried. And cried.
The strange thing is that we really are happy for Brett and excited for him but it sure is hard on a mom and dad. And I can't even imagine what those with spouses and children go through. And some of them had been through this two or three times prior. Yes, sacrifices have to be made for the many freedoms that we have. This is just the first time it's been so personal. And I feel badly about that. Hundreds of thousands have gone before now and I've never really appreciated all that they have given up. When my grandpa left for WWII, my grandma was pregnant with my mom. My grandpa didn't even live with her until she was 2.5 years old! And communication was rare. Then my mom said that when my step-father went to Vietnam there weren't any ceremonies. They basically just loaded them up and they went. And we all know what they came home to. It breaks my heart to think about it. We need to appreciate our freedom and we need to be so thankful for the technology that will allow us to keep in touch with Brett.
God speed, Brett. God speed.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Details
Update on some things...the briefing for families on January 19th is at 8:30am and the ceremony for everyone else is at 1:00. Brett didn't know for sure where the event will be except that it's somewhere in downtown Omaha. And for those of you that think you are getting bits and pieces of detail and would like to know the whole story, welcome to my world with Brett! I'm sure he's telling us all he knows but it seems like if he'd ask a few more questions... Oh well.
Brett said they are having physicals, dental, and eye checks as well as going over paperwork and making sure things are in order. During Brett's dental exam they decided he needed to have his wisdom teeth extracted so that was done yesterday. All four and they put him under for it. I spoke with him briefly today and he's getting along fine. Said they gave him pain pills but he hadn't needed them. He's on a medical leave of sorts until Monday.
Brett said they are having physicals, dental, and eye checks as well as going over paperwork and making sure things are in order. During Brett's dental exam they decided he needed to have his wisdom teeth extracted so that was done yesterday. All four and they put him under for it. I spoke with him briefly today and he's getting along fine. Said they gave him pain pills but he hadn't needed them. He's on a medical leave of sorts until Monday.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A Little More Information
Well, if I'd have known that Brett going to Iraq would have meant I would hear from so many of you, I'd have sent him earlier. Just kidding!! But it has been awesome to hear from so many of you and to know that you are sharing this with others I may not have thought of yet. THANK YOU!
I see Brett answered the e-mail and isn't very impressed with things yet. Personally, I'm thrilled if he's bored but I suppose the anticipation is high for him and he's anxious to get things started.
He did let me know that the Omaha send-off is at 8:00 am (ugh) on January 19th for those of you who would like to attend. I think we are planning to stay over in Omaha on Saturday night and just chill (or cry!) for the weekend. Once again, please let us know how many will be planning to attend so we can give Brett a count and anyone is welcome.
I see Brett answered the e-mail and isn't very impressed with things yet. Personally, I'm thrilled if he's bored but I suppose the anticipation is high for him and he's anxious to get things started.
He did let me know that the Omaha send-off is at 8:00 am (ugh) on January 19th for those of you who would like to attend. I think we are planning to stay over in Omaha on Saturday night and just chill (or cry!) for the weekend. Once again, please let us know how many will be planning to attend so we can give Brett a count and anyone is welcome.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Here We Go....
I will do my best to keep this posted so everyone can stay abreast of what is happening with Brett. Brett drove himself to Omaha on Friday (his choice, not ours). He wanted to have a vehicle until they leave in case they can go places or need something. He called after he got there to tell us that the Omaha send~off will be January 19th. Anyone is welcome to attend. It would just be most helpful if you would let us know if you are planning to go so we can give them a head count. Brett didn't know when or where the event would be so when I find out more I will update here.
I cried many tears on Friday. It was just generally a rotten day! My coworkers were awesome in supporting me and letting me stay at work so I could keep my mind off of it as much as possible. It was not too bad until Brett came in to my work to say goodbye. I couldn't hardly handle that one! As I told him, I'm really struggling with the fact that I won't see him for a year. I think 11 weeks is the longest it's been in the past so this will be new.
I keep trying to think of the positive things. For instance, when my grandpa got drafted and sent to WWII, the communication was almost nothing. We are so fortunate in this day and age to have the internet and cell phones to stay in contact. Oh, and in true Brett fashion, he washed his cell phone the day before he was leaving. We had to scramble to find him another used one so he could have one in the states until he goes.
I talked to Brett this afternoon and he said they are spending a lot of time sitting around. Not his favorite thing to do! You know, hurry up and wait!
I think that updates you thus far. Please feel free to share this and I will do my best to keep it updated. Please keep Brett and all of the troops in your prayers.
I cried many tears on Friday. It was just generally a rotten day! My coworkers were awesome in supporting me and letting me stay at work so I could keep my mind off of it as much as possible. It was not too bad until Brett came in to my work to say goodbye. I couldn't hardly handle that one! As I told him, I'm really struggling with the fact that I won't see him for a year. I think 11 weeks is the longest it's been in the past so this will be new.
I keep trying to think of the positive things. For instance, when my grandpa got drafted and sent to WWII, the communication was almost nothing. We are so fortunate in this day and age to have the internet and cell phones to stay in contact. Oh, and in true Brett fashion, he washed his cell phone the day before he was leaving. We had to scramble to find him another used one so he could have one in the states until he goes.
I talked to Brett this afternoon and he said they are spending a lot of time sitting around. Not his favorite thing to do! You know, hurry up and wait!
I think that updates you thus far. Please feel free to share this and I will do my best to keep it updated. Please keep Brett and all of the troops in your prayers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
