Not long ago I got to leave the sandbox and make the journey
around the world to spend two weeks with my wife. I’m back in Afghanistan now, but having
recently celebrated Father’s Day for the first time as an actual father, I
wanted to capture what that experience was like for me. So, when I got back to FOB Shank, I started
writing. By the time I’d gotten to ten
pages I realized this wasn’t all going to fit very neatly into one blog
post. So I decided to divide things up
into chapters. I’ll probably post one
short chapter per week for the next several weeks. I invite you all to follow along, and share
this blog with anyone who might care about what happened on my summer
vacation. With that, I give you…
15 Days: A Birth Story
Preface
Having left North Carolina for Afghanistan exactly eight
months before, to the day, on May 22nd I landed in Fayetteville for
two weeks off duty. The Army calls it “R&R”,
or “Rest and Recuperation”, but they must have named if for people who don’t
have pregnant wives or newborns at home.
After 15 whole days at home, on Saturday June 9th, I found
myself back in Afghanistan for what will hopefully be the last time. What most of you are probably interested in
is everything that happened in between.
We’ll get there, but I want to say a quick Thank-You.
For the past couple of months, Emily and I have felt so
cared for, prayed for, and loved by people all over who have been tracking with
us, each of them curious to know how we were doing. We want to thank each of you, not only for
your kindness, but also for your patience.
Many of our close friends, and even family members, have gone without
much information about what’s been happening at our house. Most of you probably haven’t yet heard the
whole story of how baby Jack came into the world. We’re very grateful for everyone who was so
respectful of the few precious moments that we got spend as a family. Out of 365 days on this deployment, Emily and
I got to see each other for 15. In an
average year, most couples don’t know what it’s like to spend 15 days apart,
let alone to have only 15 days together.
As much as we wanted to stay in touch with every person we know and
love, every minute on the phone, or email written, or visit to someone’s house,
is time that comes out of our 15 day bank.
For that reason, we chose not to spend much time doing anything but
being together. We hope no one feels
terribly left out or slighted in any way.
There were so many people with whom we truly wanted to spend time, and
have meals, and do fun things. While we
did get to do some of that, we simply had to prioritize our time together as a
family, especially after Jack showed up.
In the coming weeks, as Emily gets stronger, she’ll be out more and
more. And in less than three months I’ll
be home, and I look forward to making up for the year I missed, and getting to
spend time with all my friends and family again. Thank you all for understanding.
Chapter 1: The Reunion
After a three-day journey that took me through six cities in
four different countries, my last flight landed in Fayetteville on Tuesday
afternoon, May 22nd. As I
stepped off the jetway and into the terminal I instantly felt the clock
running, as though an hourglass had been upturned and I feared that for two
weeks that would consume my thoughts.
While that did happen to some extent, especially toward the end, that
wasn’t what I was thinking about when I came around the corner and saw Emily for
the first time. “You really are
pregnant!” It was an odd sensation. The last time I saw her she looked very
different. Now, standing there just on
the other side of the security checkpoint waiting, she looked suspiciously like
she was hoping the TSA agents wouldn’t notice she was trying to smuggle a
beach-ball out of the country. She
laughed and we hugged. There’s so much
happening in a moment like that; it’s difficult to put into words. Every isolated emotion that we had felt as
individuals over the past eight months seemed to converge just as we connected. All the happiness and sadness, the longing,
the loneliness, excitement, disappointment, nervousness, and relief, all bubble
to the surface, tangled, impossible to sort out. It had us both in tears. I don’t know how long we stood there before
we finally headed out to the new minivan.
That was the beginning of what would be the longest, and shortest, two
weeks of my life. To be continued…
Note: A special thank you goes to Emily’s grandparents on
her father’s side. Both of them passed
on just this year. Not being home when
they died reminds me of the sacrifices troops are constantly making to be
deployed, but our family will be comfortable and safe on the road for years to
come because of the beautiful Toyota Sienna they left behind. We would give it up today if we could have
them back, but it will be a constant reminder of their generosity and love for
us, and for the great-grandson they never got to meet. Thank you Nana and Deac.
