Quote:
Originally posted by ASUADPi
My brother is in the frickin' National Guard. National Guard, where he is only supposed to work 1 weekend and month and 2 weeks int he summer, yet he's over there.I
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I'm sorry that your brother is over in Iraq. That must be very hard on you and your family. I have (counting off the top of my head here, so forgive if I'm plus or minus a couple) 52 friends of varying closeness who are there or in Afghanistan or in the dreaded "undisclosed location" as I write this. And a good dozen of them are Reservists who never expected to have to pick up and leave like that. "It's like having the government buy an insurance policy from you," explained one to me. "They pay a premium every month and you hope they'll never cash it in, but you have to be prepared if they do."
My husband, who had been out of active Navy duty since '92, spent almost a year in the Middle East in 2002. It sucked for him as well as for me and our daughters. I am thankful that the civilian company he worked for at the time made up the difference between his Navy pay and what he made at his civilian job 'cause, let me tell ya, I'd have had to haul my ass back to work if we would have had to attempt to live on an O-4's paycheck. (even with his "imminent danger" pay. Imminent danger pay! Isn't that a pisser?!?!? I almost fainted when I heard he qualified for that.) Our military is disgracefully underpaid, but that's my pet rant and is really off topic.
You're right, people don't join the military to go to war. No one I know did. But it is understood that it is a possibility and everyone who does join is aware of that. Not that that makes it any easier for the families, right? I hear ya.
Anyhoo, although I don't agree with your opinions on this war, I respect them and above all I pray that your brother (and everyone's brothers and sisters) returns safe and sound.
