Troop Surge.... *sigh*

**disclaimer... I have strong opinions... they are not necessarily that of my husband. I do not speak for the ARMY or any of it's organizations. This is simply the rantings of an ARMY wife... and a crazy one at that!

Last night I watched the President address an audience at West Point(the school, not my hometown!!) As I listened to his plan for a troop surge in Afghanistan, my emotions were mixed. At first I thought oh right... so let's make the men who have all ready been the ones to deploy multiple times deploy again! Let's ask all their families to go through separations, anxiety and ultimately tragedy for some. Let's just keep asking that of the same people over and over.... Notice how it's always the negative feeling that surfaces first... I wonder why that is?? Anyway, then I kept thinking. You know, there are all ready many men and women over there serving. The commanders on the field are essentially saying we don't have the right tools or enough of the right tools to complete our job here!! HELP!! And if we didn't send help we'd be asking those men and women, to experience all they do for nothing. We'd be giving them an impossible task. So in my humble opinion is the troop surge the right thing to do? Yes. I believe it is. Would I be willing to have my husband be a part of that.... well I don't want him volunteering! But if his unit were selected, I would be proud. I would never ask for my husband to be in harms way, but this is his job. It's what he does, it's what he loves! Is it hard? Absolutely. In fact there are times when I'd say it's excruciating. Deployment has such long lasting effects on a family. None of which can you fathom unless you've been there, done that. There is a reason why the military divorce rate is much much higher than the rest of the nation. Soldiers see and experience things most never will. Things that can be unspeakable. Things that are haunting.... Families experience high levels of stress. Feelings of abandonment,anxiety, pride, and the feeling that you are running in quick sand! Many relationships are forever altered, and many do not survive the mutation. But all of this is necessary. All of this is for our Nation! To keep us protected, to keep us free, and to help us realize nothing comes without a price. So to all the nay sayers out there I say... What is the alternative?? What would you have us do instead? How do you propose we protect our nation and our freedoms without fighting for them? Is the war nice? NOPE. Is it pretty? UH-UH, not even close, Is it right? I guess that's up for debate. But really there is only one question, at least for me... is it necessary? I say YES! Let's fight this fight. Let's win this war! Let's let in be known that you pick on the United States of America, we will not back down! We will come, we will defeat you, you will have consequences. Let's help free nations. And most important to me, let's make this world a better, safer place, so my son, our sons will not have to fight the same battles!