Who has family, or friends in the military and what them home because you miss them?
467677
My husband is currently in Iraq on his 2nd tour..He calls when he can I understand he's busy over there..you just have to have faith and be positive..I find myself angry at him when he says he'll call but then does'nt I tell myself "when he calls again he's gonna get it" LOL but when he finally does I'm just so thankful he called and is ok therefor i totally forget about him not calling and I'm not upset with him anymore.Your cousins are fine,I'll be praying for them and for their safe return as I do for all of the service members deployed across the globe especially the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.Try to stay busy being around family members help...and try not to be glued to the news stations as I find myself doing more then I should...lol..the motto is "No news is good news"\n                                     101st Airborne Division\n                                        Fort Campbell,KY\n                                           "RAKKASANS"
641467
buddy i am a vet, two tours in iraq. and i want to thank you for saying such a good american thing and having the courage to post it here. i finished my military sevice couple of weeks ago and people like you are the reason we can keep going. even though our wives leave us, we lose most of our money, never get to see our kids born and miss thier birthdays. it helps to know there are still people left that have a love for this nation we serve. its hard to put up with the things we do and most every morning we'd rather stay in bed. thanks for makeing getting up every morning worth something good. my name is sgt curtis wellman, 6 years usmc 3 years us army
1103281
I check the list from time to time - but I know I'll hear about the people I'm looking for from friends before I see them on the net.\n\nBest way to support? Be strong, send care packages, letters, take advantage of video conferencing if your base has a program. My dad and I went in and bought my uncle a spare bullet proof vest, in case he misplaced his - crazy I know, but you never know.\n\nLean like hell on your family and troop support groups. Stay busy, don't read to much news. Alot of it is bad news that looks alot worse then it is.\n\nKeep the faith.
901149
i'm thankful that i got an IM from my husband this morning, even though i didn't get to talk to him at least i know he's ok. thank you to ALL the troops who are away from their friends and family!
798906
i feel you on this one!! i come from a large family of ten Sib's and we used to all be together on thanks giving when my dad was alive and since he has been dead so have those peaceful thanksgivings everyone is always fighting and always alot of drama i have 6 sisters and i talk to them all but they don't talk to each other it sucks i wish that old fart was still alive so we can get those good ol' times back!!
198455
My wife is deployed. It' a little different for a husband most of the support groups in my area say they are for wifes. It's lonely not to maention we have 2 small girls so It's also scary knowing that I am all they have for now. I just write or E-mail daily and count the weeks till Oct. when she gets home.
744816
my son\nmy husband\nmy family\nmy friends\nblessings ;-)
36960
From a previous military wife the best things that you can get him are things that remind him of home and of you, (ex: favorite candy, cds, phone cards to call home, pictures of you, his family, the both of you, a home made card from you, lots of letters to let him know just how much that he is missed at home and how much you care for him. Remember that he is far from home and with no one there and he would appreciate anything that will remind him of home, and of his love that is waiting on him. The small things are what count and mean the most. Good luck and keep in touch with him. Best of luck to the both of you and our thoughts and prayers are with him and you, thank him for all that he is doing, from a prior military family who knows what it is like. Thank him for us - Missouri
1030407
Amen sister! There's so much heated emotion over poitics that the troops are looked at as the bad guys.  Yes, I Support our troops. I hope they make it through their days over there. I hope they come home, and will welcome them when they return. While they're there, I pray that they know, we're thinking about them, and care about them. Don't forget they're our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, etc.
669659
I am an Army brat. My dad is now a retired Lt Col. I've been to Ft. Meade in Maryland, El Toro in California, Keflavik in Iceland, Ramstein in Germany (which I am now at stationed in the Air Force), Mildenhall in England, and Ft. Lewis in Washington. I'm glad that your dad is coming home to you soon. Hope he enjoys his short break from the desert. God bless!
844447
my middle son has been in the forces since he was 17 (almost 20 now), the first year he could not come home for Christmas and it was the first time ever that i did not have all my kids with me to celebrate, but last year he came home without telling me, everyone else knew but me, i missed him so much, and often cried myself to sleep because i could not bare him being away, so on the 22nd DEC 2005 all of my family was at my house, (acting a little bit suspicious) because it was not often i had them all in the one place at the same time, my middle son walked in looking like a grown man in his uniform, i almost passed out with shock, it was a wonderful surprise and i cried my eyes out for hours, it was the best surprise i ever had....pity he could not stay to see 2006 with us, but he had a duty, he had to go back, this year he will be away but i am now used to him not being here, although i do miss him loads, i just wish he could be here though, it would make Christmas a happier time for me and his brothers, but we know that he'll be having a good time where he is, and i know he's safe but that memory will be with me forever...I'll never forget it
712670
I am the ONLY one of my immediate family (by that I mean of my brothers and my parents) who moved away. I had 3 brothers, but 2 of them have died by suicide, unfortunately. My parent are in their early 70's, and I don't know how much longer we will have them with us. While I have my own little family, (wonderful hubby, 2 grown daughters, even a granddaughter), at Holidays, my heart still goes "home" to where my parents are. It's for this exact reason that the traditional turkey with all the trimmings means so very much to me. It gives me the memories of the whole family, alive and well, gathered together around the table enjoying the festivities. My heart (and stomach) go home 1200 km away, for the Holidays.
470262
I want EVERYONE to come home.  I have friends and family and family of friends.  Its very stressful.
336553
when you really care for someone you will always miss them... I miss my mom and wish she would come back already... but she's gone for good...has been for 3 yrs. now.  Just appreciate the people that come into your life and cherish the good times...always...
12901
For the first time I am spending Christmas away from my Wife and kids.  I know how you feel when it comes to  relitives that are a little odd, but it is a different story when you can not be there, it's that "You do not know what you have tell it is gone" thing.  \n\nI well be sitting in Iraq waiting for Feb to come around so my year well be over.  Well there is always Valentines Day... *S*
811600
My husband has been to Iraq twice, the first time for 15 months and the second for 10. He leaves again next summer for another year. The thing that helps me the most is being around other military spouses and families, because they know what I am going through (and don't ask annoying questions like "how do you do it" or "what would you do if he died" or say things like "I could never do that, it must be so hard waiting on him.") I know that being around military families may not be an option since you may not live in the town with him. The first deployment we weren't married yet and I lived in a non-military area. It was different but I was able to find a couple of people (reservists wives, etc) that were going through the same thing. If you can't find someone to hang out with, try an online support group, Yahoo Groups has a lot of them for military girlfriends/fiancees.I also do my best to stay busy, which for me has meant going to school full time. I am graduating soon, and I am planning on doing a lot of volunteer work and staying home with our baby on this next deployment. Anything that will keep you busy and keep your mind off of it as much as possible is a good thing. I also recommend writing to him as much as you can, every day if possible. I like to tell him about my day and "talk" about the kind of stuff we'd talk about if he were home for dinner. That way I don't feel like he's missed out on a whole year of my life. Mail - letters, pictures, packages - are always appreciated when they are deployed. \n\nI know it sucks, but after he has been gone for a little bit you will get into a routine. You will also learn what works for you and what doesn't. I found that the second deployment was easier because it wasn't such a new experience and it was easier for me to get into my "deployment routine." I have also found that if you wake up and tell yourself that it's going to be a good day, and don't allow yourself to do otherwise, you will feel a lot better. Good luck with his deployment and know that everything will be ok because you love each other. When he gets home all the pain and sadness will be worth it, I promise!
146918
My brother just returned, a few months ago. I stayed in touch with his girlfriend, by email and the occasional phone call, they live together in another state. You may want to contact the chaplain for his unit and see if a group is available. Also you could talk to some of the other significant others and bring up a weekly or monthly meeting, just to pass on news and share some time. I spoke to my brother about once a week while he was there by webcam and instant messenger. My brother was in Al Asad, it was bad but we were all able to see him. When his kids were here for a visit, I even had the webcam on them and he was able to see and chat with them, it was really great, considering. \n\nGood luck, fcabre@yahoo.com