My husband is an Electrical Engineer, and a Seabee. No, he is *not* as bad as they say Seabees are! (None of them really are!) He joined the Reserve around his sophomore year in college - and by the time he finished college, he had a wife and two kids, too many dependents to go to OCS (we tried!).
Pan forward a few years:
He had his nice, steady job (the hours were long, and the stress was taking a toll, although he did not realize it). Then, Sept. 11 happened :-(
I watched most of it (I started watching before the 2nd plane hit) - I still cannot express what I feel about that day, I just want to cry. I have not yet had the opportunity to let the feelings flow.
He went to his normal Drill Weekend during September, and they gave him a mobilization worksheet much like they gave him for Operation Desert Storm, but more detailed.He was doing his AT during the Kosovo affair, so we were afraid he would get sent out then, but we were lucky that time. Do not worry, he was told, the first to be mobilized will probably be those in the Medical Units.
Thursday, September 27:
He was called: he was being Mobilized! He had to report by Oct. 1 to NS Roosevelt Roads. Since he had given his higher-ups at work the notice & paper-work that Monday, right after his drill weekend, he did not have too many problems there. I (his wife), on the other hand, did not take it as lightly! :-(( Excuse me, but a company without one Electrical Engineer is *not* the same as a family without a father.
Sept 28, was spent at NSRR finding out what he needed, things were not exactly clear, but apparently he was not going to be sent away. Hooray!
What a difference being Active Duty makes - if I had known then what I know now, I would have joined the Armed Forces right out of high school!
My husband works longer hours, but is a *lot* less stressed out. The difference has been noticeable in his treatment of his family (he was being short with us).
Furthemore, he realized his job is not his lifeline. So much so, that we will relocate as soon as his activation is over.
We have lost much of our fear of change.
Let the adventures begin!!!
