A Mother's Worst Nightmare
This is a real life story, actually it is mine. This one has a somewhat happy ending, but alot of stories similar to it do not. My son joined the Army right out of high school in 2000, he was 17 at the time. I did not want him to join, but he told me "at least I will be able to go to college,mom." SO how do you argue at that point.
So he joined and went to boot camp in Sept of that year. He did really great in boot camp as well as all of the other training that he had to go through. He was stationed at Ft Campbell,Ky with the 101st Airborne Division. I was really very proud of him and he looked so handsome in his uniform. What mother wouldn't be proud of her son?
But then in 2001 life would change for everyone. That day as I watched those towers fall I cried, not only for the people that perished that day but for what I knew was surely going to come because of this event. I knew that my son would be going to war. As with any war I knew that there would be casulties. I prayed that he would be kept safe and would come home unharmed. Well that prayer was answered and he did come home without physical wounds.
He deployed for Afghanastan in Dec of that year. He was there 7 long months. I heard from him quite often so I knew that he was fine. So I did not worried very much about him. In june of 2002 he was back state side and was doing good. But then there was talk of going to war with Iraq. There were suppose to be weapons of mass destruction and Bin Laden hidding in Baghdad. My heart was in my throat every time I heard the news and more talk of war. Finally the truth was out and we were going to invade Iraq. Oh yes I was afraid for my son and all that had to go there. He left in Feb 2003, I cried when he called me to tell me he was fixing to leave for Iraq. I was devastated, as my husband held me, I cried. I was just so frigthened for him. No mom wants to hear those words.
He was excited about going there, he was ready to kick some Iraqi behinds. So in March the war indeed did start. Little did I know that he was in the first wave of soldiers that entered Baghdad.
I heard on the news that the 101st was in the first wave going in. My heart was at my feet. I forgot what sleep was at that point, I was glued to the tv, watching everything about what was going on. I was so caught up in it that my nerves were in shreds. I couldn't eat or sleep. I finally went to my dr. and had a talk with him. He agreed that I needed to sleep. I was on my way to being very sick.
Finally a 2 weeks later Curtis called me. His voice was music to my ears, I knew now that he was ok. My prayers had been answered, he was safe.
I was always waiting for the phone to ring. It would always be him on the other end. He would tell me mom if you don't hear from me for a few days, it is because we are on a mission, but I will call you when I get back. And he always did, he knew that I would be waiting for his call.
Then the news about Oday and Qusay hit the news, they had gotten them and had poitive id on them. A milestone in the war. Each time news came out it was like that. Alot of them very grusome. Then they found Saddam and had him locked up. I thought good maybe now things would get back to normal? Yea- right!
All I wanted was my son home safe and sound. Well, he finally got leave to come home for a short time, this was in Oct of that year. He told me of some of the things that he had seen. He was the one that shot the rocket into the building that killed Oday & Qusay. he told us about having to pick up body parts and bagging them up. He said the pictures that we saw had been touched up so they wouldn't show just how bad these men looked. Curtis and his buddies all were sick over this. They had to pick up these men's parts and no one knew which was which.
All to soon his leave ended and he had to go back to that hell hole and that was harder on both of us, because we knew what it was like now and the dangers were all too real. But he did go back and finish his tour .
He wasn't wounded physically but mentally the wounds go very deep and are there forever. He had changed so very much. He went from an easy going young man to a very serious soldier. No one knows the horrors that his young eyes saw, but they made him grow up very fast. Yes, my son went to 2 wars in the 4 years that he served this great country. So when you see a soldier know that this young man has been through hell so that this country doesn't have to worry about the terrorist coming back here. Remember that these men and women were doing their jobs and putting their lives on the line for all of us here at home.
I would tell you of some of his missions but he ask me not to, so I will not. Just know that they were all dangerous and he lost several of his friends there and he still has nightmares of his time over there.
Support our troops that are away from their love ones, they put their lives on the line every day for you. God Bless all of our young men and women that serve in the military.
