In the past four months, my husband has been told twice to prepare to deploy, only to hear days later “never mind”…that each notification was a mistake because someone did not pull up the correct list.
I am about to punch those someones in the throat. Not because of deployment; I am well aware that deployments are part of the job. I’ve been around this rodeo long enough to know that when there is smoke, there is fire. Right now I can’t take the back and forth, the waiting for the shoe to drop, the expectation. I hate the waiting, knowing a deployment is coming, but not knowing when. Either deploy or don’t deploy, but this revving up my engine to solo parent for a year only to have the brakes put on is painful and is giving me facial tics.
Our kids are old enough now that we talk about this stuff openly in front of them. Prior to knowing the most recent deployment was an ‘oops!’, our ten year old son threw in his own two-cents by saying, “I don’t want Daddy to deploy again.” We explained to him that none of us do, but if he doesn’t go, then someone else’s daddy has to, and that is not fair. I am sure that night, after prayers were said for the health and safety for all our loved ones, after kisses were given and bodies tucked in, that same son offered up a different prayer request…a silent and earnest one that most likely asked for his daddy not to deploy.
The next day was when we were told the deployment was a false alarm.
Man…I wish our kid would use the one-on-one hotline he has on a broader scope. How about next time praying for world peace? Or at least for a little more certainty in our military life.
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Yikes. We had two, TWO false alarms before my husband was deployed. We received two phone calls over a year before his actual deployment warning us that it "might be coming" (what does that even mean?), then it never materialized into anything. When we received the third "it might be coming" phone call we dismissed it. Turns out that one was the legit one! haha. Talk about the army who cried wolf…I agree with you, the knowing-it-is-coming-but-not-knowing-when part is the absolute worst. When we found out when and where he was deploying, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I'd been waiting, wondering, stressing, and planning around this supposed deployment for TWO YEARS. Best of luck with your waiting and wondering.
Thanks. With the way life works, it will happen at the least convenient time!