When the unit left, I did not leave with them... I was held back for the birth of my son (turned out to be a fortuitous decision as that was a very trying time when we didn't know if he'd make it).
When it came time for me to leave, of course, there was no formal ceremony... I just left in the middle of the night.
When I came back, it wasn't with my unit. They're still there. And when they return, of course, I'll be in the cheering section... not with them.
So I ask... there's a part of me that would have enjoyed the ceremony. Is it wrong to be envious?
(Put another way - the inevitable view by some is "Well, you didn't do the full time... it doesn't count." And yes, I've heard that.)
3 comments:
Nope! You earned it! You were there for most of the deployment, weren't you? Aren't they coming home soon? Then you didn't miss the end by much. I wish you could be part of the ceremony. You had no choice but to leave when you did. I've never been in the military but sometimes I think they have no heart! You should be standing there with the rest of them!
I think its perfectly natural to want to be part of the special events with the others in your unit. You didn't have a choice about the timing.
My army husband has had the same feelings, he came home early from a deployment for medical reasons. So, no welcome home, and it is almost as if he never even went.
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