You know you are an Army Mom when:

You Know your a Military Mom when...
*You keep you phone at arms reach so you can pick it up right away when your son or daughter calls home.
*Not having any contact with your Soldier even for a few days is enough to drive you crazy.
*You know you have raised one of America's best.
*You are always waiting for a phone call or e-mail and when you do you're over the moon.
*You spend each day with a pit in your stomach but try to stay tough.
*Sometimes you find yourself crying in the oddest of places in a supermarket aisle, a church pew, or just walking down the street.
*You didn't ask for this job but you accepted it anyway.(Can I get an AMEN & HOOAH)
*Your heart is bursting with pride, but at the same time frozen with fear.
*You get a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes when ever you hear the National Anthem and other patriotic songs.(every time)
*You know what BCT, AIT, BDU, PTSD, and other Military acronyms stand for.
*You belong to an Military mom support group or Military online forum, or Facebook group.(And Thank God for Them)
*Your last good nights sleep was before your son or daughter left for boot camp.
*You tear up whenever you see someone in uniform.
*You can pick out a Military person out of uniform.
*My son is my Hero!!!.

College vs War

Ok I am going to go out on a limb here but I have to have my say. I have been seeing so many people writing how depressed they are because they are having to send their child off to college. Here are my thoughts on that:

Yes I am sure it is hard to send you child off to college but saying that it is the same as sending your child off to war is way off base and these people do not have a clue.

You send your child to college but the professor does not come to class with IED's or weapons. Professors are not out to kill your child. Your child can come home any time they want to. Your child can call home or txt you anytime they want to. You child does not have to sleep in the mud or go days or weeks without a shower. Your child is able to eat 3 square meals a day. Your child's hardest assignment is writing a paper to get a grade. Your child is not being mortared while in the classroom. Your child is not watching their friends getting blown up on the battle field. Again I repeat no one is trying to kill your child. That is just a few things that I can come up with off the top of my head. So please don't say that sending your child off to college is like sending them to war. There is no way to compare the two.

I may be way off base because I have never sent my child to college but I have sent my child off to a war zone and it is a living hell.

OUR KIDS GO TO WAR SO YOURS CAN GO TO COLLEGE!!!

That is my opinion and I am entitled to it...

A Mother's Journey

Where do I begin. With the numerous deployments you would think that I would be used to this by now. Guess what? I'm not used to it. As a matter of fact I think I am more of a wreck this time than any of the previous deployments. But today, I am not feeling anything. I am not happy, I am not sad, I am not worried, I am not anything. I just feel empty inside. Someone said its the perpetual roller coaster of ups and downs, uncomfortably numbed by all the chaos. Maybe that's it, I don't know.

I don't want to play "war" anymore. I want my son home. I want all of our troops home. It makes me physically ill when I hear of one of our troops dying in those hell holes that they are in. I support my son and all our troops and I stand behind them 100 percent. But when is this going to end? How many more of our brave warriors have to die or come home broken?

I am so tired. Sleep is not something that comes easily. When it does come the nightmares come along with it. The nightmares of the knock on the door or the phone call in the middle of the night saying something has happened to my son. My son tells me not to worry and says that he will be fine but that is not something that is easily done. I keep telling him that it's a mothers job to worry and I must say that I am good at my job.

I have not heard from my son in over a week. I know that no news is good news but I still worry. Then he told me that the internet will be going down shortly at the FOB so I have no idea how long it will be before I hear from him. Due to OPSEC I can't say what's going on but I do so miss that contact with my son. I spend so much time on the facebook looking for the incredible green dot. My phone is always at my side just in case he calls. I check Skype to see if he is online. I actually go into panic mode if I have to be away from the computer for more than a few minutes. I stepped away from the computer for a few minutes the other day to take care of the dogs and I missed him. He left me a message but the time I got back he was gone and I was heart broken.

I don't remember the last time I watched a movie and actually seen it. My mind wonders to my Soldier and I wonder what he is doing and if he is safe. I don't just have my son in the sandbox but also his girlfriend who I consider my daughter so I have double the worry. I get to chat with her more often than my son because she is a medic and is on the FOB but my son goes out on missions and doesn't get to the computer that often. So yes missing a chance to chat with him is heart breaking.

I know that I am not alone in this journey. There are lots of moms going through the same thing. I have a lot of Army mom friends. We are all at different stages of this Army thing but we are there for one another. When one hurts we all hurt.

Massacre at Fort Hood

I am still deeply saddened by the horrific massacre that occured at Fort Hood. In addition to being sad, I am so angry. In my opinion this was a terrorist attack on an American military base on American soil. I feel that Nidal Hasan should be treated as a terrorist.

It sickens me to see Hasan's picture on the news in an Army Uniform. It sickens me when they call him Major. I am so sick of the finger pointing as to who is the blame. The blame is with Nidal Malik Hasan and no one else. Nidal Hasan is the one who entered into the Soldier Readiness Center and murdered our soldiers and wounded so many others. Nidal Hasan is a well trained psychiatrist, who's extensive education was paid for by the Military with our tax dollars. How does Hasan show his gratitude to our Military, he murders unarmed Soldiers. Hasan, being a trained professional, should have recognized the warning signs of his own thoughts/actions and should have seeked help. However, I believe he knew exactly what he was doing and planned out the attack. I believe that this was a premeditated attack based on his actions earlier that morning, when he was giving away his possessions and handing out copies of his Koran. I believe he knew exactly what he was going to do and where he was going to do it. I will never believe that he could have PTSD by hearing our soldiers stories when he himself did not live or see them. Hearing and seeing are two totally different things. I have to wonder how much damage Nidal Hasan did to our soldiers that he did treat for PTSD.

So now Hasan's family has lawyered up which is to be expected. However, what I didn't not expect was a Retired Colonel to take the case. Which makes me wonder if this lawyer has taken the case because it is such a high profile, high dollar case or is it because he really thinks he can win this case? I don't understand how someone who is retired from the military, could willingly represent someone who, without remorse, murdered unarmed soldiers. There is no amount of money that could lead me to defend this coward, traitor and terrorist named Nidal Malik Hasan. Now, Hasan is going to be treated with kit gloves because of his civil rights. What about the civil rights to life of those that he murdered in cold blood? I heard Hasan's lawyer say he was worried about the quality of care his client was receiving. Excuse me, but I don't care about his client's medical treatment. If it were up to me Hasan would be last on the list to get any type of medical treatment. But, again this is just my opinion.

Some of you may not agree with what I am about to say but this is my opinion and it is not open for discussion. I am entitled to my opinion as you are entitled to yours.

I feel that it is time to stop calling Nidal Hasan, Major. It's time to strip that title from him. It is time they stop referring to this terrorist as "Army Major" and start referring to him as a "traitor" in the U.S. Army. In my opinion Nidal Hasan is a coward who murdered 13 of our brave men and women soldiers on American soil.

I don't feel that this coward, traitor and terrorist, Nidal Hasan is a "Good American" as was stated by his cousin. Nidal Hasan's actions are the actions of someone who is Anti-American. When Nidal Hasan's cousin called him a "Good American" it actually made me sick to my stomach.

I do not care that I am not being politically correct. In my opinion Nidal Hasan murdered, in cold blood, unarmed American Soldiers. However, I think the murder total should be 14 and not 13. The life of the soldier's unborn child should also be counted.

Support Our Troops

I have heard and read so many opinions about the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. I really don't care if you support the wars or not because you are entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine.

However, whether you support the wars or not, YOU SHOULD SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. After all they are the ones who are giving their all everyday to secure our freedoms. Our troops that returned from Viet-Nam are just now getting the recognition that they so justly deserve. I have heard so many Viet-Nam veterans say that their mission is that the troops today never have to feel the way they did when they returned to American soil. No soldier should ever have to feel like the American people don't care about them.

Politics or your party of choice should not be the deciding factor as to if you will or won't support our troops. Supporting our troops has nothing to do with politics. Supporting our troops is about showing appreciation to these men and women who sacrifice everyday so we remain a free country.

Some of you may ask if I would feel the same way if I didn't have a son in the military. To those, my answer is YES, I would. I love my country and I am proud to be an American and I am grateful that I live in the best country in the world. If it were not for the men and women of the Armed Forces, past and present, America would not be the greatest country in the world.

In that being said I am also so very thankful for our police, firefighters, EMS and Truckers. These are the ones who keep our neighborhoods safe, save our homes, save our lifes and keep America moving.

Obama wants to pay the Taliban?!?!?!?

While watching the evening news I heard that the President will sign bill which will pay the Taliban to switch sides. I had to hit the rewind button to make sure that I heard right. Now before I begin please remember this is "Just My Opinion" on this topic.

Please bare with me while I go back to Iraq to make my point. Several recent attacks in Iraq have been traced back to the some Iraq Police, some Iraqi Soldiers and possible higher. The terrorist infiltrated and gained knowledge of troop movements and tactics. So if this happened in Iraq who's to say the same thing will not happen in Afghanistan when you pay the Taliban to switch sides.

Now the President of the United States wants to pay the Taliban (terrorist) to switch sides. What makes him think that they can be trusted. These terrorist are killing our troops without remorse. These terrorist have our captured warrior. Our troops are giving their all everyday not excluding some giving their lives in the name of freedom. I don't think we should reward the Taliban for killing our troops by paying them.

Now I haven't personally talked with General McChrystal but I don't think he intended to pay the Taliban. I heard the General on 60 minutes when he stated that he wanted to reach the people of Afghanistan, but I didn't hear him say he wanted to pay the Taliban to switch sides.

In my opinion these terrorist cannot and should not be trusted. They will take the money to fund their terrorist groups, learn inside knowledge of troop movement and tatics. Paying the Taliban is putting our troops lives in more danger. Why not take that same money and send more troops, equipment and whatever else they need to get the job done.

While Obama is taking his time making the decision, troops and civilians are dying. Waiting to make the decision until the election in Afghanistan or before leaving for his trip to Asia is just allowing the Taliban to grow stronger.

General McChrystal has said what he needs to get the job done. He has said if he gets what he needs we can win in Afghanistan. If Obama respected General McChrystal's knowledge enough to send him to access the situation in Afghanistan, then he should respect his knowledge enough to grant his request.

Do Not Play Politics With Our Troops Lives. Candidate Obama said he would take the fight to the Taliban, but President Obama is taking his time making a decision that is costing our troops with their lives.

Terrorist are like termites!

I don't understand why you send a man to assess a situation and have him report back to you if you are not going to listen to him and send him what he needs to get the job done or if you are not going to heed his warning. General McChrystal has said he needs more troops on the ground in Afghanistan to get the job done or we will fail in Afghanistan. What is it going to take. Have they forgotten 9-11? Is it going to take another attack on American soil before they do the right thing. As the mother of an American Soldier I do not take any of this lightly. Did I want my son to go to war? NO! Do I support what he does? YES! No mother wants to see their child go to war but in his words, someone has to do it. He has told me repeatedly that he would rather die on his feet than to live on his knees. I think I can say that most all of us feel the same way.

We have the best military men and women in the world. They have had the best training in the world. Why don't they send them the troops, equipment and whatever else they need to get the job done. How many more troops have to die before they do what is right? I often wonder how those in congress sleep at night knowing they are not doing right by our troops. It is very frustrating to me that these people who are making or should I say not making these decision have very little regard for our military's needs!

Yes, war is ugly, It is very very ugly, but so was Sept. 11, 2001. I get so pissed off when I hear people ask why are we even in Afghanistan? Have you forgotten? Those monsters that took all those innocent lives were trained in Afghanistan. Do you not think if given the opportunity they will not do another attack on American soil? They are like termites, you have to stop them before they make it inside your home!