Monday, April 02, 2007

No chance to catch their breath

JeffDem recently requested more political commentary from your humble correspondent. I don't even know where to start ...

The rumour mill had been humming for a few months, but it was only in the past few days that the word became official: my husband's brigade, 1BCT of 10th MTN, is going back to Iraq in June, only 10.5 months after they came back from that hot dusty hellhole.

My husband won't be going back, due to his poor health. Our battle will be fought back at home, against the powers that be in the military medical system.

I have not written much about the issues that he faces, out of respect for his privacy, and out of fear of reprisals from those with the power to determine our family's financial future with the stroke of a pen.

I will say that the stories of soldiers getting screwed over by the military scare me and infuriate me and render me practically mute.

I will say that I am grateful that we live beneath our means, that we own our house, and that I have a Bachelor's degree in Nursing Science and a NY State Nursing License, both of which will be put back into use starting next week.

And I will say that I am acutely aware that our situation could be eight gazillion times worse.

2 comments:

HQ said...

Thank you for the post.
Maybe when times become better you can vent full steam. A lot of us who aren't directly associated with the folks wearing green suits think of them and their families frequently. Keep on keeping on.

Karen said...

I am sorry to hear of your DH's health issues. Sadly, the number in your situation appears to be rising. So much (deserved) attention is focused on those who gave their lives but we must not forget about those who return physically and mentally wounded. The sights that many military members endure are horrific and even those closest to them (i.e. us) can't fully understand.

I wish you the best of luck on your fight against Army healthcare and I hope that you're able to vent in full soon.