See you later Honey

                  Tearful Goodbyes

                         Trei at the helm of the USS George W. Bush

 Duane and his shipmates room. Yes it is that small can you believe it?

As we said see you later to Duane I realized something I never had before. Military kids deserve more praise than they often get, they are also heroes!. In addition to childhood challenges, they also face the stress & heartache associated with having their parent/parents deploy. We as adults dislike deployments but we have the ability to understand the reasoning behind it and have a better concept of the duration it will be. For kids, they just know it will be a long time, they can't do anything to stop it, and don't fully realize what in entails. As they see their fellow classmates and friends parents attend every event they are left with questions as to why their parent can't be there. Try as we may to explain it to them, in their minds, it just doesn't seem right. Yet, they carry on day after day until the time comes for them to reunite with their parent.I believe they deserve to be commended.
As we boarded the ship with Duane to say our final goodbyes, I couldn't help but notice what I always do, the poor living conditions of the sailors. Regardless of rank, they have worse living conditions then our prison systems and yet they are sacrificing so much to defend our freedoms. As you can see in the photo above, Duane, who is an O-4, shares a room with another officer. It is a larger room than most of the rooms (due to his rank), and yet it is still the size of a walk in closet. Friends that have boarded the carrier for a tour have always been appalled at the conditions. I assume it remains the same as so few people are unaware of it?
I appreciate the prayers for Duane and our family throughout his deployment. I ask that you keep Duane's safety in your prayers and for grace and strength for the kids during this time. May you always be aware of those around you who sacrifice daily so you can continue to live life the way you know it.