The Cabbage Patch

Deja Vu or So It Seems

The words "shelter in place" have the ability to bring me back to 2009 when the Fort Hood shootings occurred.  This tragedy was repeated yesterday in the Navy Yard in Washington DC.  I can't even begin to fathom the whys or the hows.  Most everyone knows my feelings on gun control, etc.  This post is about the children.

My children were intimately affected by what happened on Fort Hood.  We were there enjoying cake after Ben's promotion ceremony.  We left quickly after not really knowing how dire the situation really was.  We detoured to return a coffee urn but were locked out of the Officer's Club. That's when the sirens went off and the "shelter in place" warnings were given.  

As you can imagine, with a child on the autism spectrum, the loud sirens were disturbing.  However, the greater picture was even more so.  The rest of the children were panicking as were my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  We did make it off Fort Hood before they closed all the gates.  We would not be stuck in our car for the 6-8 hours it turned out to be.

There were many questions and I shrugged them off as best as I could.  But, Ben ended up being locked down where he was.  So, I did have to answer a few but I answered with as few details as possible.

 In 2009, my children were 11, 8, 6 and 4.  They were about to send their father off on a deployment to Afghanistan.  I didn't tell them much about the deployment but by reading books (American Girl Molly), the children did eventually figure out that he was headed to someplace dangerous.  

I will never know the effects of these deployments on the children completely.  I have seen the pain in their faces when they realize their father is leaving.  I have seen the relief when they learn he's coming home.  I had never fully realized how much they kept inside until my oldest daughter dissolved into sobs upon learning her father was coming home safe and sound.

They had already witnessed their mother losing her control when her friend was killed on a deployment.  Deployment means danger to them.

So, I want these children everywhere but most especially in the Washington DC area to feel safe. I don't want them to lose the peace and innocence.  Once it's gone, it's gone.  

I pray for all the children.  The world is so different.  

And, so I ramble on and on with no cohesive idea.  This is basically a brain dump of all the thoughts in my head since yesterday morning.

Requiem in Pacem PFC Payton A. Jones

PFC Payton A. Jones returned home today.  Ben, the children and I had just walked out of the Bluebonnet Cafe when we saw the flags. 

We were honored and privileged to have been present to welcome home a hero.  He gave his life in service to this country.  May we learn his name.  May we honor his sacrifice and the sacrifice of his family.

 

This hero died at the young age of 19.   

Welfare?

I am incensed.  Absolutely incensed!

A NY Times article discusses the plans to change the pension plan for the military.  The topic alone is enough to anger me, but this article goes too far.  

As Washington looks to squeeze savings from once-sacrosanct entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, another big social welfare {emphasis mine} system is growing as rapidly, but with far less scrutiny: the health and pension benefits of military retirees.

This is how the article begins. 

Welfare?  The pension system is welfare?  Are you kidding me?  Since when is something you work towards considered welfare?  So, all the years my husband has worked 16 hour days and the days and months he's spent away from the family not even including deployments don't count?  

It's a slap in the face.  

Ben has been in the Army for 19 years.  I can't even begin to list the number of events he has missed.  Anniversaries?  Check.  Birthdays?  Check and double check.  Weddings?  Check.  Funerals?  Check.  Holidays?  Check.  Oh, I can go on and on.

Please Mr. NY Times, tell my children that what they have sacrificed means so little.  Ben has missed 3 of Pumpkin's 6 birthdays.  He has missed many of their ballet performances.  

Social welfare, my ass.  He and my family have earned these benefits.

What I Am Wearing Tonight

Memorial Day at Arlington

After the wedding (pictures of kids to come later), we drove up to Northern Virginia for a visit with family.  On Memorial Day, we drove to visit Uncle David in Arlington.  After sitting in traffic for over an hour, we were just about to drive onto Arlington when the guards started diverting the traffic away.  Since David is buried there, we had a pass to drive onto the cemetery so we could visit.  I thought they should've let us on.  It's not about not having to walk to see David, it's about visiting David.  They should not have kept family members from visiting their loved ones especially on this day.  Every day tourists, I can understand.  I don't care if the Vice President is speaking (although it should've been the President).  But, that's just my opinion.

 

We saw a widow riding in a cab to visit her husband.  She was an elderly lady who looked so dignified sitting in the back of the cab with the parking pass sitting on the dash of the cab.

We also drove by the newest section which houses the war dead from Iraq and Afghanistan.  This area was very, very busy with family members.  It was sad.

 

We miss you, David.
  
 

Some Gave All

Please remember all who lost their lives in the defense of this great country especially my dear friends, Major David G Taylor, Jr. and Major Edward J Murphy.  And, please pray for the families left behind.

No Autism Post Today

Or tomorrow.  I've been working all day putting together bookcases and helping my brother with the entertainment center.  I finished the 5th of 6 bookcases at 8:45 this evening.  Then, I had to fold laundry, clean kitchen and do dishes including sweep the floors.  The DVDs needed to be put away.  Now, I'm going to check on the children to see if they are asleep so the Easter baskets can be filled.  No one here to pick up my slack.  My whole body is aching and my shoulders are screaming.  Sigh.  

But, tomorrow is Easter.  Christ is risen!  

Happy Easter!

Tearful Goodbye

     

A Tiny Little Rant

Yesterday I had to take pictures of Ben.  Three shots.  One front, one side left, one side right.

Why?

He needed them for his recovery packet.  Think about what that means considering where he's headed.

Yep.

I had to take them.

Why would we pay anyone to do it?

Why didn't the Army do it for him?  Why put me through that?  

Sigh.

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ My Running Thoughts Edit

 

~1~

The shootings yesterday took place at the SRP or Soldier Readiness Processing Center.  This is where soldiers who are deploying go to take care of business in different stations.  For instance, there's a legal station to take care of your will.  A medical station to make sure your shots and health records are up to date.  I know that soldiers also go through the SRP after a deployment but I don't know what they do.  Ben is readying for a deployment.  He was there all last week and this past Monday.  

~2~

The commentary on the news was just too inane at times.  Really, MSNBC?  Salon.com and Rolling Stones magazine for analysis?  And, by mentioning that one of the guns is a semi-automatic?  A semi-automatic is just a regular handgun that you don't have to cock the hammer on each time you take a shot.  It's not what most people might picture when you hear the word "automatic" when talking about guns.  

~3~

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were visiting for Ben's promotion ceremony.  He didn't get to spend hardly any time with them.  He got locked down and didn't make it home until 10 last night.  They left this morning.  My children loved having Auntie to themselves since she traveled without her children.  

~4~

We went out to dinner after waiting around for my husband to come home.  It was eerie.  On a Thursday night at 6:30, we would've normally waited for a table especially as we were a party of 7.  However, there were rows of empty parking spaces and lots of space in the restaurant.  We were seated right away.  To put it into perspective, a whole soccer team came to have dinner and were seated almost immediately.  I'm sure all the businesses (especially the restaurants) learned how dependent they are on the soldiers in this community.

~5~

Ben is just devastated by what has happened.

~6~

I'm troubled by how long it took them to close down Fort Hood.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm happy we were able to get away.  But, why did it take so long?  The incident happened around 1:30.  We left at 2pm to take the coffee urn back to the club.  They didn't start the procedure to shut down until after that.  Also, how can you stay away from windows and take shelter when places weren't letting you in the buildings?  I have a friend who had to take shelter in her car with her children because the buildings she was outside when the sirens went off wouldn't let her in.  Just how safe were we sitting in our cars?  I cannot even stress just how close we were to getting stuck.   

~7~

I have learned what an awesome community I am a part of; IRL and in cyberspace.  I thank everyone for their concern and prayers.  It was a truly rough day.  And, I will do what our priest suggested.  I will say a Hail Mary for each person killed and for each person injured.  Even the shooter as much as I'd rather not (sorry, I have to be honest).

Photo credit:  Photography by Cho aka my brother