Thank A Veteran

SSG Victor- Afghanistan

I meant to get this posted earlier, especially since Veteran's Day was a few days ago. However, I felt we don't need a nationally dedicated holiday to tell a veteran we appreciate what they have done for us and am going to take the opportunity to share my feelings about Victor and service he has done for our country.

I am sure several of you knew Victor was in the Army but lost us somewhere along the way, so I will start from the beginning. Vic joined the Army fresh out of high school. He went to basic training in Georgia to learn to be part of the Army's Infantry Division. He became a mortar man and was sent to a mortar platoon in Ft. Riley, Kansas.

Kansas was a whole new world for us! I was never scared of storms until we moved there! I am sure any of you have who have ever lived or visited the Midwest will agree. It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. I actually miss the fun little lightning bugs that would come out in the spring and summer.

Vic worked hard and made rank quickly. Soon he had his own little mortar section and excelled in everything he did. He earned his Expert Infantryman's Badge which was several days of testing in areas of physical fitness, Army knowledge, and Army skills. Only 42 of the 526 soldiers who tried out for their badge were actually awarded one!

He started to crave a little more of a challenge and strove for better things. He wanted to be part of the elite Airborne Rangers. With the help of his section leader Victor put in for airborne school and the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP). This was one of the most difficult tasks Victor had faced so far in his Army career. It wasn't easy to get into those schools if you didn't have it written up in your enlistment papers. He upset and went over quite a few people in order to get some strings pulled and get into the schools he wanted. Somehow he made it happen and Victor was once again off to Georgia three weeks after Conner was born.

For those of you who know nothing about Army Rangers I suggest you google them. They pride themselves on being an elite organization taking on airborne (yes that means jumping out of a perfectly good airplane with the chance of being shot at!) difficult and secretive missions. Are the cocky? Yes! Do they have reason to be? Yes! Less than one percent of the entire Army are Ranger qualified.

Victor passed his schools with flying colors and we were now off to join the Second Ranger Regiment just outside of Seattle. Even though Vic had passed RIP it did not mean he was a Ranger. Vic was able to train with the Rangers as one of them, but in order to stay in the Battalion he had to pass Ranger school. Once again, he was off to Georgia to hopefully complete Ranger school.

I think this was the first time I had ever been worried about Vic passing a school. I knew how difficult the school was, less than ten percent of those who start out actually pass. I really loved our new duty station and didn't want to move again. Naturally he passed and showed me I had nothing to worry about. He arrived home two days before Conner's first birthday! We figured that in Conner's first year of life, between schools and training missions, Victor had only been around sporadically for about three of the twelve months.

That is pretty much how the rest of our military career went. Luckily Rangers weren't really considered part of the "regular" Army because their missions were so elite and fast paced. We didn't get year long deployments in war zones (thank goodness!!!!). They usually were assigned quick in and out secretive missions. Victor would have a couple month long deployment, home for a couple weeks, off for a month for some training, home for a few days, off to Georgia for some sort of Army school, home for a month or so. . you get the drift.

I was lucky to hear from him once a month when he was deployed. Email was pretty much nonexistent. At best I would get phone calls from the bleepin' satellite phone that would go something like this:

Me: Hello?

Vic: Hey babe! How are you?

Me: Hi Hun!!! (I would be so excited to hear from him!) We are good. How are you?

Silence

Me: Babe? You there?

Silence

Hang up

Phone rings again

Me: Hello?

Vic: Al, you there?

Me:Yes I am here, are you?

Silence

Damn! Lost him again!

Phone rings again

Me: Hello?

Vic: Al?

Me: Yes

Vic: I gotta go Al, we gotta get out of here. I love and mi . . . . .

Silence

And that would pretty much most of our conversation for three months! I tried not to think about the "what ifs". Why torture myself with what could happen. I learned not to worry about things until I knew for 100% fact that it was actually happening and I needed to worry about it. I never really knew where he was and we DEFINITELY never knew what they were doing. I wasn't naive to what was going on in the world, I just chose to convince myself he was off playing Play Station somewhere! :)

Once again, Victor made rank very quickly. He made it to a rank in 5 years that usually takes others 10 years to reach. He always earned some sort of prestigious award at any of the schools he attended. He gave it his all and looked after his guys. Everyone wanted to have Victor as their boss.

The military was a great experience for both of us. We learned so much about ourselves and met so many amazing people who we consider part of our family and will always be in our lives. Victor worked so hard and sacrificed so much like so many other soldiers. To this day he still wears a bracelet to salute his fallen Ranger buddies. It reads:

PFC Nathan Stahl Sept 21 2004 KIA-IRAQ

CPL Pat Tillman April 22 2004 KIA-AFGH

SGT Jay Blessing Nov 14 2003 KIA-AFGH

2/75th RGR RGT- Ft. Lewis WA

When it came time for a second reenlistment after seven years of service, we decided we had lived enough life "on the edge". Like I said, it was a great experience but it was time for us to move on to bigger and better and things for our family. Vic got to travel all over, I am sure to some places he would love to visit again, and others he probably never wants to hear of again. He never really talks his experiences, and I don't ask. He doesn't talk about them because he is not supposed to, but because that is just the way he is. Victor is no "glory seeker" and will probably die when he reads some of what I have written. He knows I am here to listen but am never to going to force or question the experiences he has been through.

I was a little worried that not having Victor deployed 9 months out of the year would be the end of our marriage ( :) ha ha), getting out has been one of our best decisions ever. We have both completed our Bachelor's Degrees, are in jobs that we love, and can take vacation when we want and not when someone tells us we can.

Conner was very happy when we got out to have his Dad around all of the time. It was hard for him, especially when he got older. When he was a baby it would take him a while to warm up to Victor after he had been gone. When Victor would go on deployments that I actually knew he would be gone for a while we would always go and stay with my parents. Conner was a very good talker from an early age and very observant. When he was 2 1/2 we said his nightly prayers and as I shut the door he asked, "Mom, did my Dad die?" My mouth hit the floor. We never talked about such things in front of Conner. For him, Dad was just off working and helping people. I couldn't figure out where on earth he had learned something about death. I told him, "No, Dad is just off working and he will be home soon. Why do you think he died?" Conner says, "Well, he goes away and never comes back." I told him again that Victor was just off working and loved and missed him very much and would be home soon and he says to me, "Well, I thought about it and my Dad works a lot and it makes me sad." It broke my heart! I still have no idea where he came up with death. Conner also loved it when Victor would take him over to the barracks. He loved all of the guys over there and I am sure he kept them very entertained! He loved all things military and still does.

So, at the end of all of this I have seen first hand what soldiers give up for us to enjoy our freedoms and I am extremely thankful. Thank the Vets in your life and the families that support them. I know so many great military wives that never complain and offer all of the support in the world who deserve just as big of a thanks as their soldier husbands.

Thanks Veterans!

Victor home from basic training with a couple of his best buds Casey and Dave. I think this may be part of the military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy

The Turning Blue ceremony at basic training- All infantrymen wear the blue cord around their shoulder.

Getting pinned with his Expert Infantryman's Badge in Ft. Riley.

Victor was part of a mechanized unit in Ft. Riley. This meant they rode around in these "tracks" to fire off their mortars.

Victor's first time in a helicopter after joining Ranger Battalion.

Getting on the plane just to go and jump out of it!

Victor and his buddy Miranda. I am not sure what country they are in. I am sure I could guess though! This was before 9-11.

This is Victor all geared up to practice for Jumpmaster school. Jumpmaster school makes Vic responsible for every man who jumps out of the plane. He makes the call for the weather and checks all of their gear. On a side note, the parachute is HIGHLY flammable. . umm what are you thinking BBQing Victor?!?!

Victor and his guys. A lot of the Army is "hurry up and wait", so here they are waiting! Again, I am not sure what country this is.

Somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Victor and his section at a safe house in Afghanistan. Notice their truck in the background?