Deployment, OPSEC, and my PSA

In case you missed my version of a PSA....

I'll start this by saying I am not writing this in order to piss off, offend or upset anyone.  I'm mostly doing this to avoid stupid questions, preserve my sanity as long as possible, and probably most importantly, protect my husband (and his unit's) safety while deployed. 

 So let's start with that- OPSEC.  Sounds big and scary right? It stands for Operational Security.  In its simplest form, it means there really isn't a whole lot I can say about where, when and what Randy is doing, and how he's getting there. I'm going to try my hardest to follow OPSEC- but it gets pretty tricky.  So if you have a question you want to ask me, send it to me in a message. I'm going to try not to post anything in a public forum.  I've heard too many stories of suspicious characters piecing together what they read on people's Facebook walls, and using that to try to jeopardize our troops' safety.  So once he leaves, things will get very general.  I'm not holding out on you, I promise.  I'm just doing what I need to do to protect my husband and my friends. On the same note, if I do share information with you, please please PLEASE be careful with who you share it with, and be careful not to post any sort of specifics in a public forum.

 I think the next part- stupid questions/preserving my sanity can pretty much be lumped together.  Unfortunately- or fortunately- I haven't really decided yet- this is our 4th deployment.  FOURTH.  I can barely wrap my brain around that number.  So by the time this is all said and done, Randy and I would have spent approximately 28 months, or 840 days apart.  And that's just the actual deployment.  That's not including stupid training exercises, month long trips to the desert- and in our case this time around, voluntary separation. During that time, I'm positive I've been asked every question you should NEVER ask a military wife.  You name it, I've been asked. 

     So let me sum it up- yes I am afraid, sure I'm scared, of course I miss Randy every single day.  BUT, if I actually thought as much about all that as I probably could, I'd completely lose my mind.  As far as I'm concerned, when my husband is gone, I have no other choice but to wake up every morning and continue to live my life.  It's no fun for me- and for him- if I just completely shut down and stopped living my life.  Because then, what's the point of him doing his job?  If I curled up in a tiny little ball and just cried the way I want to, there's no reason for him to be fighting a war.  If I can't enjoy the very freedom my husband provides for me, none of this makes sense. 

    

So what can you expect from me?  There will be good days and bad days.  There will be days when I can't stop laughing, and days when I can't stop crying.  I'll experience an entire range and spectrum of emotions- some I'm pretty sure don't even have a name yet.  But I will do it all, and I will smile (or do my best to fake a smile) through it all.  Don't pity me, and certainly don't feel sorry for me.  Give me a high five, a handshake, a hug.  Be proud of me for supporting Randy as best as I can, and be proud to know someone who is serving their country so amazingly well. Send him an email, a message, a note in the mail- support from home makes it so much easier for the rest of us. 

 I knew what I was getting myself into long before I married Randy.  The one thing I have known about Randy is that he wanted to be a Marine.  He is the one person I know who has already accomplished everything he has ever wanted. I am so incredibly lucky to have him in my life, and I will do anything and everything it takes to make it through another deployment, so I can experience another homecoming.  At the end of the day, that's what makes all the good, bad, and worse days worth it.