A Night To Remember

No, not that one.

After writing an admittedly dull and commonplace entry last week, I was casting around for something a bit more interesting. How about a discussion of the little goats in the garage (yes, the garage) and their feeding habits? How about a forward look at plans for the vegetable garden?

Then Mother Nature threw a subject in front of me. Literally threw it.

Thursday, April 9 started out reasonably normally for northern Illinois. It was muggy. I told some friends on Facebook that, as I cleaned out a flowerbed, it felt like gardening on the seashore. I could even smell the ocean. It was in the mid-60s, having been only in the 40s the day before. Weird weather. A storm was predicted for the end of the day; it was shaping up to be a big one.

That evening, as John and I sat over the last bit of dinner, our phone alarms went off. That happens from time to time; usually warnings about heavy rain or snowfall, maybe a tornado watch. This was a warning, and it said, "Seek shelter now." Maybe you've seen this, which helps tell the difference.

In any case, that warning was unusual. So, being good, obedient folk, we...went out onto our deck. We wanted to see what was going on. It was dusk, and very dark from the storm rolling in, so it was difficult to see. But I suspected, from the amount of lightning, and the shape of the clouds, and the sound of continually rolling thunder, that the tornado which had been on the ground some 50 miles south of us was making its way thorough. John thought I was being silly; he thought it was just a really bad thunderstorm. Nevertheless, we spent some time in that basement that night. Power was out for about an hour, and water seeped into our basement. Our son and his wife, who have no basement, showed up at our door. We even let Mary's dog up onto the sofa; I had found her cowering in the far back of our basement, and wanted her to feel safe.

The storm passed, and we went to bed. High winds continued through the night, and it got pretty cold.
As is typical after a terrible storm, morning came clear, and fair.

In the morning, after chores, I walked around the yard a bit, looking for any damage. I found some. We lost a dead tree, and the tops of two others. A piece of the roof of our horse shed has disappeared, along with a large piece of the roof of the kids' old treehouse. I would share photos, but the cable from my camera has gone missing, and photos are trapped in my camera!
I headed into the house, and grabbed a cup of coffee. Looking out the back window, I saw a piece of debris I'd missed. Thinking it was just a piece of board, I headed out anyway, to pick it up. I found a memory.

This painting had a name on the back, and the note "1st period." I could tell it was a school project, and figured it blew in from somewhere. I was afraid it had blown in from someone's destroyed house. John, ever calm, said it was probably just garbage day somewhere, and it had blown out of the trash. I posted the picture on Facebook and my sister found a man with that name living in Rochelle, a small town about 35 miles from us, as the crow (or tornado) flies. (Although it would seem this tornado did not fly like a crow, moving back and forth in its path. But, I digress.)
Rochelle and a neighboring town, Fairdale, received the brunt of the storm. Two ladies were killed in Fairdale, which, essentially, doesn't exist anymore. Rochelle was also hit hard, although full reports on damage are not yet complete for either town. Its been a sobering end to the week.
I looked him up and found his place of business. I called and left a message. Minutes later, he texted me. With some deletions for privacy, this is how our conversation went.

I've been told I should contact news outlets about this, my little brush with fame. Its just as much fun to look at this little painting sitting in my dining room, and think about the trip it had. At least 35 miles, not including rotation, before it fell here. It has a bit of damage, and was waterlogged, but its in essentially one piece. I do think it would be fun to meet up with Matt for a coffee, give it back, and talk about the storm. I may find myself down that way, helping with cleanup, too. We shall see.
I do know that I'll be more respectful in the future of those warning notices on my phone. I'll head to the basement sooner, watch more carefully, and keep emergency supplies stocked downstairs. (We already did that, in case you wonder.)
I should ask him, too, if he's missing a special edition copy of Star Wars. It showed up about a mile north of us, in the yard of a friend of Mary's.

Achievement

Hold your applause. I am blogging today; that does not mean this will be a regular occurrence. I do try...

We have a sergeant in the family again. Oldest son was one, before he left the Guard. Now, youngest has been promoted, all the way on the other side of the world. He was told not to expect this, so he was surprised and is, rightfully, full of himself right now. We're pretty proud of him, too. To literally soldier on when you've been told your efforts will lead nowhere sounds just like every description of the NCO I have ever heard. So he earned this, but he also deserved it.

Congratulations to your command, Ethan! They got it right!

Bleak.

4,489 killed. 32,021 wounded; I'm going out on a limb to say that might not include PTSD.

For people who drop their weapons and run away in their underwear.

I am not a good follower of politics. I am more an observer, and someone who cares for those who fight the fight and clean up the messes that the politicians leave. I am ashamed. I should be more active, I should be more informed. Maybe one more voice would have kept my sons from mourning friends who died, or were injured, apparently, for nothing.

Classic Military Mom Bad

This week, several military families will receive bad news.

Although I had no reason to believe that our son would be involved, of course, my brain immediately went into protective-mommy-mode. (And it pains him to read the word "mommy," I know, but it is what it is.)In that mode, my worrier goes into overdrive, and I do silly things. Like text and ask for immediate response. Which came. The conversation continued, ending with an apology...from me. I know better. But its just a scary thing.

At least my first in-country freak out is over. Moving on now.

On the other hand, think of it. 70 years ago, moms had sent their boys off to war, and heard nothing, for months on end. I suppose that was a comfort; if a notification team didn't show up, or an MIA or injury telegram, things were fine. No news is good news, as they say. Today, we are spoiled. I can text, email, call, at any time. In fact, he kept me up in the wee hours of this morning, responding to another text I had sent late yesterday. So he can respond at will as well. Hence the tag on this post; What a Fascinating Modern World We Live In.

D-Day, 2014, Looks Back on D-Day, 1944

A friend posted this image to Facebook today, the 70th anniversary of the heroic Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Eisenhower sent those troops into Normandy, knowing that casualties could be incredibly high. This article explains the reasons, and, if you must know, made me cry. Lots of deaths, many injuries, stupid decisions and wise ones, brought about "...the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."

I have a quote from Thomas Jefferson hanging above my desk, words he wrote in a letter to John Adams. "Yes, we did produce a near perfect republic, but will they keep it or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom?" I think of the sacrifice and courage of those men on those beaches, many of whom were not yet 20 years old!

I also think of the words of Captain Miller; you know, Tom Hanks' character, in Saving Private Ryan, to Private Ryan, just before he (Miller) dies; "Earn this."

How are we, as descendants of those who fought on those beaches, keeping alive their commitment to freedom? Have we earned their sacrifice? Do I look around myself, see freedoms fought and died for being lost, and step up to keep them alive? Or do I sit in my living room and moan about their loss? This image, these thoughts, make me think of the words of another American;

...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Boots Actually on the Ground

Well, as much as it pains me to say, our son is finally serving in that place where no one wants to go, but many volunteer. Here's a message I received today from his commander. As much as it tears at a mommy's heart to know where her kid is and know that its not here at home, it is nice to know that they're positive about the experience!

Families & Friends,
I wanted to make a quick post to let you know that we have arrived safely at our destination! The Soldiers and I have moved into our AMAZING living conditions and are setting up our little homes away from home. Our living conditions are very nice. Without giving up too much physical security and force protection measures… You should rest your heads easy knowing that your Soldiers are wrapped securely in some pretty thick concrete and rebar. Just as importantly, we have Air Conditioning, Heat and RUNNING WATER BATHROOMS!!! Those whom this is not their first rodeo will attest that not having to walk through dust/mud and blazing heat after showering is one of our biggest morale boosters. The other is the multitude of communication conduits to home. I am impressed with the lack of delay in voice conversations, speed of the internet connections ( my COMMO NCO thinks it’s too slow because he is a techy dude) and abundance of MWR, USO and religious facilities for Soldiers to unwind, communicate and grow.
It will not be all fun and games though. There will be long days, short nights and a whole lot of sweat. Your Soldiers are already working. In fact, we hit the ground running and are once again proving the Wisconsin work ethic to be superior to most. This will be a dynamic deployment. I keep telling the leaders Semper Gumby! (Always Flexible). I am very proud of everyone’s effort and dedication to the mission. The mission to reduce, return and remove is near and dear to our hearts as we posture this theater to dramatically reduce as the Commander in Chief directed. We are working on shutting off the lights. 1SG reports that morale is very high and Soldiers are eager to dive into construction projects. The Soldiers are moving and grooving like a well-oiled machine and are Fiercely Loyal!

Prayers for all would be greatly appreciated. (By the way, that picture right there was taken by the governor, with his phone, Tweeted when he came to send off his soldiers. Fun fact!)

Political Ramblings

I'd like to blog a little about politics; granted, not my strong suit. I notice that, when I do this, I get no comments or discussion, which leads me to believe my little bear brain doesn't say much worth commenting on or discussing, but I want to get these thoughts out of my head.

I have been taking a blog break of sorts. I spent a little time lesson planning. I spent a little time house cleaning. I spent a little time grumbling about the election results. I mean, when you have people who have this to say about their decision-making process: (actual Facebook post) "My favorite thing about President Obama is not his politics, or foreign policy, or domestic policy, it's the fact that he's cool. He plays with his dog and he doesn't take himself too seriously. Please don't start hate message about him in my comments. I will delete them," well, there is no more hope. (And didn't he run the first time on Hope and Change?) So I moped and whined for about 5 minutes.

Then I remembered, this is what the Founders expected. They knew that, as soon as people realized they could vote themselves public money, it was all over. And it is. So we soldier on, make the best of things, and spend our time on our job, which, according to this writer, is "...not to save the nation.... Our job, now is to save each other; to help spiritually strengthen each other for all that is yet to come." THIS is the time to which all of American history has been moving. Our exceptionalism and our uniqueness will be all the more exceptional and unique in our implementation of it as our country moves in another direction. Americans have always been best at supporting the underdog, the rebel, and in shoring up those who are falling. This time it looks like it will be us.

It is encouraging to see that one party still has control of the House, even though the other has control of the Senate. Those checks and balances are important. Statistically, second-term Presidents have very little effect on things. Now, I realize, things are different, this time around. We have a society which wants to be spoonfed, wants to be coddled, wants everything to be "fair," (whatever that means) doesn't want to have to think or work or be challenged in any way. Initially, they'll get it. All will be easy-peasy and hunky-dory. Then, slowly, things will get difficult. Money will be in short supply, then luxuries, then commodities. (That means "food," for those of you who were spoonfed in high school. Please pardon the unintentional pun.) People will not realize how much this decision will hurt them until, well, it hurts them. But, as I pointed out above, there is a bit of light for which we can be thankful. And there still exists bold Americans who remember their roots and hold to their principles, who will be willing to refresh tired minds in the years to come.

I can't help but believe that, although our style of government and foreign policies will change, underneath we will still be the tough cookies who were thrown out of every decent country in the world. They regretted having done so, and have made a point of coming on over here to remake us in their image. I wonder what they will do when there is no free alternative to move to when the going gets tough in their part of the world?

Since I was about 8, and my great-aunt gifted me with a deaccessioned school copy, copyright 1905, of The Tales of King Arthur and His Knights, I have been fascinated with the stories. As I grew older, and did some studying, I learned that King Arthur existed (or not, depending on the historian) in that shadow time between the Roman Empire and the British one. A time when Rome was falling, relying on bread and circuses to keep order, and barbarians were swarming into every corner of her once proud holdings. Arthur, if he existed, was one of those who held onto the law and order of Rome, and tried to keep it for his people. If he didn't exist, the tales are told in honor of those countless thousands who did the same for their children, telling stories into the night of civilization, about love and honor and duty to the country of which they were proud. If we can't have a leader who, like Arthur, is willing to stand against the tide of entitlement and handouts, then I hope to be one of the faceless ones who continue to tell our children and grandchildren and, God willing, great-grandchildren of the exceptional greatness that was once America.

It is the Veteran

http://www.usspringle.org/Veteran.htm