Thursday, February 25, 2010

Deployment Nostalgia

The guys from Sarge's unit will be returning home from Afghanistan sometime this weekend. (I know when it is, but there's this silly thing called OPSEC and if the Taliban happen by my blog, I can't risk them knowing when a group of Army Cav Scouts may or may not be returning to the US.) Anyhoo... Watching my friends prepare for the return of their soldiers has me reminiscing about the last deployment they returned from almost four years ago.



Nostalgic about a deployment. I totally need therapy.




It was 2006 and Sarge and I had met on Match.com during his deployment to Iraq. After four months of constant communication via telephone, webcam and email, this man I had never laid a finger on but had fallen so completely for it was ridiculous, was coming home. To me. In the flesh. SWOOOOOON.



Up to this point I only had the sound of his voice, the power of his words and a grainy smile over a webcam to go by. We sent TONS of pictures back and forth. This was the first one he ever sent me.





If he got any more rugged and manly looking I probably would have died on the spot. A handsome man, in uniform, wearing sunglasses and carrying an M-16? I mean COME ON!



A few weeks before coming home a mysterious package arrived in my mailbox. Sarge told me to be sure to have it in my purse when I got to Ft. Stewart to meet him on the Parade Field. At least once a day he checked to make sure I remembered that I was to put the package in my things for Ft. Stewart. Being a blond from birth, I totally appreciated these reminders.



After the welcome ceremony, the sea of uniforms and family members parted and MY soldier locked eyes with me and literally RAN into my arms. We hugged, kissed and cried. Then he said into my ear in his deep gravelly voice, "Nice to finally meet you." I could have dropped dead on the spot and then gone to heaven completely happy and fulfilled.



But, no, this tough, rugged, handsome soldier is a true romantic at heart and after snagging the package out of my purse without my knowing when first hugging me, he pulled this move on me...


got down on one knee, in front of all those people and asked me to be his wife. All I heard was a woman screaming, "OH MY GOD HE'S GOT A RING!" Flashbulbs went off and we were on the front page of the Savannah newspaper the next day. Thank goodness those reporters were there, because I have one heck of a photo to help me remember that night and that feeling forever.

And you were wondering why I was nostalgic about coming home from deployments to war!

1 comment:

  1. It's a great story. I love it everytime I hear it. Glad to find your blog. jamie

    ReplyDelete