The words begin to play again in my head:  “He’s leaving for a few months.”  My family comes from generations of military soldiers and airmen.  It started with my great grandpa and has carried down from my dad to my brother.  I’ve been around deployments my whole life.  The one I remember the most is my dad’s deployment down to Georgia for a year.  Some people may say it’s not that bad because he is still in the United States, but knowing he is in the United States does not comfort an eight-year-old child who is missing her father for a whole year. 

My mother, brother, and I visited him down in Georgia for Easter.  It seemed as if we were going on a vacation; however, our trip did not go as planned.  After barely making our plane, we arrived in Georgia to see my dad for the first time in six months.  Although I was beyond happy to see him, the environment was quite peculiar.  As we walked down to the pool near my dad’s apartment, he warned us to watch out for snakes and fire ants in the area.  It was strange for an eight-year-old from Ohio worrying about a poisonous snake in the driveway when the most concerning fear at home was a stray dog running around.  These worries made me wish even more that I were back home with my dad.  When we arrived at the pool, I jumped right it in, thinking it would be warm, but I was shocked by the ice cold water as it engulfed me.  While visiting there, my dad still had to go work at the base every day, so we still did not get to see him all the time.  Unfortunately, our trip went by way too fast and came to an end, leading to another devastating goodbye.

After my dad retired from the Army, I thought that would be the end of the military until my brother Tyler decided to enlist into the Air Force, which he did right after high school.  It was a terrifying experience to hear the tall, stocky recruiter in his uniform tell Tyler in a stern voice, “This is what will happen if you would happen to die while serving your country.”  Even though I was older, it was the first time I had considered that soldiers make the ultimate sacrifice.  We soon learned that my brother was going to Texas for five months to complete his basic training and technical school.  My mind immediately flashed back to my dad leaving for Georgia for a year.  The crying at night, the wishing he was with me, and the countless phone calls, telling him how much I missed him, haunted my memories.  Now with my brother, our family would be facing separation again. 
Three long months came and went, and the day arrived; we finally saw him graduate basic training.  My family and I watched from the packed stands, full of anxious families waiting to embrace their loved ones.  As the airmen marched in, the stands silenced as orders were chanted by the commanders.  The airmen stood completely still as if they were statues.  Finally, the moment came for us to share hugs with my brother.  I watched sorrowfully as the men and women without family there stood as ordered until someone came up to touch them on the shoulder.  “Do you have someone here for you, sir?” someone asked of the airmen.
He responded with a respectful, “No, sir.”  We cherished our time together because at the end of the day Tyler had to go back to his room on base.  Unfortunately, that dreadful day came in which we had to leave Tyler for two more months.  Hiding the tears with sunglasses, I gave him an unusually long hug full of sadness as I said, “See you soon, bro.”  As we drove away, my dad tried making jokes, ensuring us that we would see my brother soon to share hugs full of joy, not sadness.

The brave men and women who serve our country along with their families make sacrifices every day.  The military personnel sacrifice their lives and the comforts of home, while their families make changes to cover jobs around the house and do what they can to support their loved one who is serving.  Military families suffer through the separation for months upon years.  Without their sacrifices other families could not enjoy the great freedoms we have.  I am extremely proud of my military family.