So Proud

It was 7 years ago today that Abe went from wearing this




ALL the time to wearing this






MOST of the time.

The tears are just welling up as I think about how proud I am of Abe. My thinking 7 years ago when he more or less joined the Army out of the blue was "well it's just 4 years then we'll just pick up where we are now". Now I can't imagine any other way of life for us and hope he can do a full 20 years (but only if he is still happy with his job). The Army has been good for us.

When Abe joined he became a deep sea diver which was no small task. Of the 28 students in his dive school class, only 12 graduated and went on to diving. He worked very hard during those 10 months in Florida. It was not only physically exhausting but academically challenging as well. So much so that he wouldn't even hear of starting a family back then. I didn't like it at the time, but I now agree that that would have been poor timing. Abe would have missed out on too much of the pregnancy and first few months of life.

We went on to Ft. Eustis, VA where Abe would work for 2+ years as a diver. He loved diving but really didn't get to do much of it. And everything about their mission changed after 9/11. He did everything he could to make the best of a poor situation when he finally had enough and decided to submit a packet for Warrant Officer.

He was selected to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School in Alabama and began in August of 2003. Once he was done with that he went on to flight school. Before we knew it he had his wings and it was on to Ft. Hood. Unfortunately, things were not ideal with his unit upon arriving here. They had just moved as a unit from Ft. Campbell and things were a mess. He got very few, like less than 10 flight hours his first year at Hood. That is not what a pilot wants to deal with fresh out of flight school (or anytime, I would imagine). But Abe did his best to take it in stride and make the best out of a poor situation. Now he is in Iraq and I can't even express how proud I am of him.

He has handled this deployment so unbelievably well. He has always kept the lines of communication open, not only with me but with Zane, as well. Fortunately, we have been able to use web cams to see each other and I can't imagine it any other way. I hear horror stories of families that just fall apart during stressful times like these. One in particular that comes to mind is a lady I know with 3 young children that just stopped hearing from her husband. Then one day she got an email from him saying he didn't love her anymore and wanted a divorce. Fortunately, I think they are speaking more regularly now and that he has agreed to counseling once he returns. But some aren't so lucky. Separations like this can either make you or break you. Abe has always made us feel loved and cared for even from across the world. I know there is no where else he would rather be than at home with us. And we miss him terribly and can't wait for that day to come.

So congrats to Abe on 7 years with the Army. You have done us proud and we appreciate the sacrifices you make for us and our country. Happy Anniversary!