On December 4, 2003 Kai enlisted in the Army National Guard. It's hard to believe that for almost 7 years we have lived the military lifestyle even if sometimes it's only "part-time". These last 7 years have brought many struggles and difficulties, but there are many things to be grateful for as well.
Kai and I started dating October of 2002, so for almost the entirety of our relationship Kai has been in the Army. When I was a kid, I decided that I would never marry a man who was an astronaut, cop, fireman or in the military, but what do you do when your 17 year old boyfriend wants to join the Army and you really like him? I'll tell you what you do. You suck it up, support him and realize that this is what he's supposed to do. This is definitely what Kai is supposed to do. As much as he hates going to drill, he loves being in the Army, and he thrives there.
In February of 2008, we had a huge bomb dropped on us. We had only been married 8 months when we were informed that Kai was being deployed to Iraq for 12 months. It was a VERY difficult piece of information for me to digest. Over the next 4 months, I lived with fear, dread, anxiety, and quite frankly, a sense of impending doom. How could I, at age 21, accept the fact that my husband was going off to war? It was tough. He left July 15, 2008 for training. He came home for 4 days at the beginning of September, and then on September 7, 2009, we said goodbye. It was and might always be the hardest day of my life. How do you cope with something like that? And so it began. Our very long and emotional journey through a 12-month deployment. He came home in February for 2 weeks, but other than that we were apart until July 1, 2009 (one of the best days of my life).
As hard as the deployment was for me, I know it was even harder for Kai. He was living in a war zone, going on dangerous missions almost every day, missing out on every birthday, holiday and big event going on at home. He made so many sacrifices over that year.
That deployment was very difficult, and I never want to do it again. However, I am so grateful for the experience we had, and I am so proud of Kai. I was always proud of him for being in the Army, but there is something to be said for actually going to Iraq and living in a combat zone for several months. We gained a huge sense of appreciation for each other and our marriage. God taught us a lot over that year, and I am happy for what we learned.
Today, and everyday, I am thankful for Kai, his battle buddies, and all other service men and women who have fought for our country. I am thankful that Kai and his unit made it home safely, and I pray for those who did not. As Americans, we can never truly understand what these service men and women have gone through, and we can never thank them enough. They have done more for me than I have ever done for anyone, and for that I say, "Thank You!"
September 7, 2008
February 10, 2009
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