tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878069810832618872024-03-05T09:20:18.636-08:00The Girl Behind the Boots.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-82340469715511226792012-02-24T15:56:00.000-08:002012-02-24T15:56:52.942-08:00Spring is in the Air!Springtime is vastly approaching! I can't believe we've lived in paradise for half a year already! So much is happening in spring and I was due for a new post so here it goes!<br />
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Those of you that didnt know, I am attending an online school to pursue an certification in Medical Adminstrative Assissting. My classes will be done in May and I can move on to bigger and better things. In the last week to kill time, I picked up bracelet making. I make paracord bracelets, or as most of you know, "survival bracelets". In April, my grandma and grandpa on my dads side will be coming to town. I'm very excited about this! In June, my baby brother graduates high school and he is planning on taking a trip out here as well. In September, my mom is taking a trip! I am so very excited for this! I haven't seen my family in almost a year. Being away in North Carolina was hard, but now that I am here, it's much much different. <br />
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Alot of our friends back at Fort Bragg have recently deployed. It's really crazy thinking that if we were still there Jeffy would be gone too. His new unit might be deploying some time next year. But he's been thinking about reclassing (changing his job). He wants to go EOD. Those are basically the guys that go in and find the IEDs. That doesnt worry me, even though it probably should. I am excited at the fact that if he does do this, I might be able to PCS closer to my family for his training. <br />
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That's pretty much all of my recent news for now. :]Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-7247814929878593322011-12-24T15:28:00.000-08:002011-12-24T15:28:34.670-08:00Christmas away from Home.Before I start this, I would just like to say Merry Christmas Eve to everybody. <br />
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This year is a lot different than last year. This is mine and Jeff's second Christmas together, but this time we are on the other side of the world, with oceans between us, and 6 hours time difference. I look out of my window and I see palm trees and mountains. It's paradise for the next person. However, it's extremely difficult for me to think of Hawaii as paradise today. I skyped with one side of my family, and I couldn't hold it together. My family is so very important to me. Growing up Christmas Eve with the family was the best, and it was my favorite holiday. It's the one time a year where family from all over get together and just laugh and have a great time. Seeing how big my cousins are getting, how much my brothers and sister are growing up, it kills me. I miss the feeling of a hug from my dad. I miss the laughter, and everyhing. <br />
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But, I have to be strong. I'm where I am because I WANT to be. I chose this life style when I said "I do." I should be thankful my husband isn't deployed this Christmas. I should be thankful for the life I live, the people in it, etc. I am. So before I keep rambling and rambling I'm going to get off of here and try to enjoy my holiday. It's a happy day.<br />
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Happy Birthday Jesus.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-73610115878162281572011-12-12T18:08:00.000-08:002011-12-12T18:09:59.189-08:00HI Life.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-zOeI-PTe5GgzIQecIDgRWUG0gcFI0dfffSKxqkvNjadHllQyWmqmtW8cwK_WKo2LdncLjgod_wRdj2iBzPOlWzkAL03NLBMgXy8__A7WbJcUY30rk1_cFwvYXcpZ6NH47l08iaoMg4/s1600/hilife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-zOeI-PTe5GgzIQecIDgRWUG0gcFI0dfffSKxqkvNjadHllQyWmqmtW8cwK_WKo2LdncLjgod_wRdj2iBzPOlWzkAL03NLBMgXy8__A7WbJcUY30rk1_cFwvYXcpZ6NH47l08iaoMg4/s320/hilife.jpg" /></a></div>ALOHA readers! I need to stop slackin' and get writin'! I'm warning you now though, this blog is going to be random and really jumpy. <br />
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Hawaii is wonderful. We moved into our house October 4th. This is our first time living on a military post and I couldn't be happier. The location of our home is perfect. It's country, but not cow country. When you pull into our community, the mountains are on your left and the beach is in plain sight. I love it.<br />
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Since we've been here, we've gone to the beach, A LOT. We also went to our first luau! It was so amazing to see. We got to experience all cultures that made/make Hawaii what it is.<br />
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Thanksgiving passed. We invited some people over from Jeffy's company, and some friends we have made here on the island. It turned out to be a huge success. Jeff deep fried a turkey for the first time and I was terrified it would turn out to be like something from a Chevy Chase movie. But it was absolutely fantastic.<br />
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I don't really know what to write about now, but I will when I can think of something. I just wanted to update all of you! :]<br />
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Peace, Love, HI life. <3Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-88662677945739312562011-11-10T13:55:00.001-08:002012-02-25T16:35:58.102-08:00What a civilian family should know about a Military family.There are a few things that "civilian families" don't understand about the lifestyle. I thought it would be nice to have a blog about some information that might be helpful for the families.I will add more on eventually, but so far here are just a few things.<br />
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1. Soldiers are not made of money.<br />
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Though soldiers have a steady paycheck and wonderful benefits, they get paid less than your average teacher. For a two person family, a soldiers paycheck is enough to pay bills, groceries and have a little spending money. Most families I have met at both duty stations are extremely cautious with their spendings. Do not ask us to go home all the time. Chances are, you probably make more than the soldier. He doesn't complain about it because he's doing what he loves BECAUSE of you and FOR you.<br />
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2. Don't expect us to go everywhere on Leave.<br />
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It is super nice to be able to go home and see friends and family whenever we have a chance too. It is not however, nice when we go home and we have to go see everyone. We spent enough money making the trip home, it'd be nice to have you pick us up or meet us somewhere.<br />
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3. You are not forgotten.<br />
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The military lifestyle can be hectic. It is solely (from my experience) the wife's job to keep in contact with everybody back home. It can sometimes be a pain remembering to call everybody all the time. I didn't forget about you. I'm not trying to be one of those "convenience" friends...That's what makes facebook and other social networks so awesome. Just remember, a phone works both ways.<br />
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4. Remember OPSEC.<br />
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This is probably the most important thing you need to know in order for you soldier, sailor, airmen, etc to be safe. Do NOT post any dates/locations of any movement. See "OPSEC Policy" tab on the top of my page.<br />
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(...to be continued)Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-36476500049468986152011-08-23T23:50:00.000-07:002011-08-23T23:50:59.601-07:00Remembering 9/11..Each generation has one major event that they can pin point exactly where they were and what they were doing when that event happend. The traumatic event that happend in my generation was 9/11. The only thing my generation and the generations after me know, is war. <br />
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September 11, 2001 started off like any other day. I was in seventh grade. Ms. Jankowski's english class. The final bell had just rung so we were all getting settled into our seats and talking amongst ourselves. The teacher goes to her podium to get her attendance sheet when the phone rings. We all watch because we're thinking "Oooh who got in trouble now!?" She takes her glasses off her face and puts her hand over her mouth. Just like something devastating just happend and she can't believe what she's hearing. She hangs up immediately and turns on the television to the news. There were two really tall buildings in New York City. One of them looks like a bomb had went off. Then they replayed a video. It was an airplane. Everyone in that class was in shock. We didn't speak, just sat there in awe. A few of us started to cry. I didn't because I still didn't fully understand what was happening or why it happend. I didn't even know what those buildings were. Throughout the day, other students were got picked up from their parents because there were "terrorists" all over the country crashing planes. After the first plane hit, another hit the second tower. After that one, a plane crashed in Pennsylvania. And after Pennsylvania, a plane or something hit the Pentagon. Were they really going to come to Michigan and try to kill us too? Who was doing this and why?? I got home from school that day and my mom is sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand and her face is all puffy likes she's been crying. I ask her, "Mom did you see what happen?" She just nods her head. My brother who was eight or nine at the time ran up to me and says "Amanda guess what!? Jon went to NYC to help!" Jon is my stepdad. But he raised me as his own, and he is my dad. I start remembering the images I saw earlier that day with all the dust, the smoke, the missing persons signs. "Yeah, right" was my first response. Then my mom chimes in.."No really, he's on his way right now". I just remember standing in the door way of the kitchen and living room crying my eyes out. People were dying in the rubble. So much was going on. The days after the 9/11 events were even more horrible. The death toll was over 3,000 and hundreds of people were missing. I remember the President going on TV and saying that we were going to war. That whole month of September was just sad. It affected everybody regardless if they knew someone in the attacks or not. We are a nation, and together we can do anything. Remember those who were lost. Take pride in your country. Live and Love each day like it were your last. And you can NEVER say I love you too much. <br />
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For those that still fight, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifices, you are NOT forgotten.<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-45785511078050150112011-08-22T21:16:00.000-07:002011-08-22T21:20:50.389-07:00ALOHA!....ugh.Eight plus long, exhausting hours later, we made it to Hawaii. It is absolutely gorgeous here! My husband and I are currently living in a hotel and have been for the past 2 1/2 weeks. Holy cabin fever batman. I never thought I would miss cooking so much. And I miss my couch. The first week here was probably the most fun but also the most difficult. Jeff and I were at each others throats almost everyday. I don't even remember why. I guess I can try the best of my ability to remember the first couple days...<br />
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Day before departure:<br />
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We drove out to Raliegh, NC. Car packed up to the window, dog on my lap. We stayed at a really nice hotel that was dog friendly right outside of the airport. Since I took care of most of Bella's stuff, the only thing I was worried about was if they were going to keep her on the same flight because it's been so hott. I decided to call the cargo people at American Airlines to find out information on Bella's flight so we could have a back up plan. They told us that if the temperatures in NC, TX, or HI are 85 or above she can not fly. I got off the phone, checked weather in all places. We were fine except when we would land in TX, it was 90 something degrees. So I called back, talked to this really awesome woman. At first she didn't know how to help. So since I was already worked up, I started balling my eyes out. To my advantage, it worked. The lady could schedule Bella on a flight that left a half hour after us and went to Chicago instead of TX. Score.<br />
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D-DAY:<br />
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We woke up at about 4am. Got our things together and was out the door at 5. We had to take Bella straight to some cargo place. We filled out some paper work, paid her ticket, and then had to take her into this back room. Which actually ended up being a very VERY large backroom. It was picture a Home Depot minus everything in there. We had to put Bella in the kennel and then weigh her. The guy told us we could leave her there and they'd make sure she got on the plane. Jeff says "See ya Bella" and walks off. I sit there, start crying, Bella starts crying and I say, "It's ok baby girl, mama loves you. I'm so sorry you're scared. I'll see you in a little bit. Stay strong." Don't laugh, I freaking love my dog. It was depressing and I was an emotional wreck. We left cargo and Bella...and went to our terminal and got ready for the most excruciatingly longest flight of my life.<br />
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Arrival:<br />
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We arrived in Hawaii too many hours later. It was really neat flying over the mountains and the ocean. I was waiting for them to play the Jurassic Park theme song, but they never did. So Jeff and I sat in the middle of this aircraft and hummed it. Once we landed we got all of our baggage together and he had to go check in with his "Army Folk". After all that the hotel we were supposed to stay at apparently didn't have a room, even though I called months in advance to book it. So they gave us some other hotel in Honolulu. And by the way people. Honolulu is actually pretty ghetto. For my folks back home, picture Detroit with palm trees. Anyways, we unload all of our stuff, and head over to where we were supposed to pick up Bella. We pick her up, and holy crap...This place was like the pound. I am SO glad we did not quarantine her. Her kennel was filthy and she reeked of pee. Nothing is more embarrassing than having your new friends that you hardly know pick you up from the airport with your dog that smells like pee in a brand new scion. So we get to her house all the way on base because thats where Bella was going to stay. Then we get a call saying that the hotel on base DOES have a room for us. So Jeff had to drive all the way back to Honolulu reload our stuff, cancel that room and drive back. We didnt get to bed that night until after 11. It felt like I pulled an all nighter at this point. And then the next morning since I'm not used to the time difference, I woke up at 6am. I continued to do so for the whole week. <br />
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Day 1 up to now:<br />
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Things are going a lot more smooth now. I met a lot of awesome people. Jeff and I have a house. We move in at the end of September. Its very cute. Two story, two bedroom, one and a half bath, and a fenced back yard. We like going to the beach. I'm a little sketchy about going in the water, but I still love it. The scenery is amazing. The air smells clean and fresh. People here are happy. I can definatly call this place home for the next three years of my life.<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-40708303840750638332011-08-02T11:03:00.000-07:002011-08-02T11:03:51.757-07:00Are we there yet? Ultimate blog for your PCS move.If you're a first time reader or if you don't know me at all, my husband and I are PCSing to Hawaii. For all you non military folk out there, PCS is a permanent change of station. Basically when you hear a soldier say "Oh, I'm stationed here." The process of getting to that station is a PCS. There are hundreds upon hundreds of duty stations for US soldiers all over the world. My husband and I were lucky enough to get Hawaii. You call it lucky, I'll call it headache. Dont get me wrong, I am excited, but the process of actually getting there is a lot more stressful than I had imagined. As I'm sitting here yet AGAIN, in an empty (for the most post) home, I'm going to take you through all the steps we've gone through to make this move possible.<br />
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Step 1: Get Orders.<br />
My Husband found out we got Hawaii in January of this year. We were ECSTATIC. We started googling Hawaii, buying movies made in Hawaii, looking at fun things to do, etc. Daydreaming basically. The only thing I knew right away about things to get done was that if you have a pet, it has to be quarantined for 120 days. Thats like four months! Anyway, at this time we didn't have "orders" we just knew thats where we were going, we had no idea when. So we wanted to take care of Bella first. <br />
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Step 2: Take care of your pet.<br />
Hawaii is a rabies free state/region whatever, so your animal has to be up to date on their vaccines. They also have a quarantine law. Your animal must be quarantined for 120 days. I called the vet right away. We scheduled an appointment for Bella to be seen. She needed her rabies shot, a micro-chip, and an overall exam. We had to wait I want to say 90 days (I may be wrong) to take her back. When we took her back again, they took some of her blood (FAVN test) and sent it to a lab in Kansas. The day the lab got her blood her quarantine started. Animals can do a quarantine here on the "main land" they just shouldn't really be around other animals. If you arrive in Hawaii before the quarantine is up, your pet has to stay at the Quarantine station (a kennel) for the remainder time. Also, before you leave you must get a copy of your dogs health certificate from a vet and a hundred copies of her rabies vaccine just to be sure.<br />
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Step 3: Levy briefing and other crap the soldier has to do.<br />
I'm honestly not sure what a levy briefing is because I didn't go. Its mainly for the soldier but the spouse may go if they wish. Its basically a meeting where they talk to you and other soldiers that are PCSing overseas. They talk about what you have to do before the move, how you schedule the movers, etc.<br />
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Step 4: Your medical shiz.<br />
Make sure that you have an up to date "annual exam" and you get a check up. I don't like going on post to the doctor because it makes me feel weird so I went to planned parenthood and got raped by a woman. Not really, but it sure didn't tickle. After you get that, make sure you schedule an appointment for EFMP. (Exceptional Family Member Program). EFMP is usually just for people who have medical conditions that need treatment so I really don't know why I had to do it. Also, the spouse gets put on the husbands orders. If you are NOT on his orders, you have to fly separately and you have to pay for your own plane ticket. <br />
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*******NOTICE!! If you live off post, be sure to give copies of orders to your landlord and give them 30 days notice!!*******<br />
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Step 5: Scheduling the movers.<br />
I honestly don't know how we did this either because Jeff took care of it. We didnt get our movers until today. (Two days before we leave).<br />
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Step 6: Shipping your vehicle.<br />
We had to drive all the way to Charleston, SC to drop off our car. From Fayetteville, that is like three hours. Talk about long drive. Make sure you know people that can go with you so you don't have to rent a car like us and pay $500 for three days. For this you need 4 copies of orders and some other junk. Side note: after you get orders, make sure you print off literally about 30 copies, just to be safe. <br />
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Step 7: Let it go.<br />
About a week before the movers come, start going through your stuff. Start throwing away stuff you don't need. Remember that you can always buy more. Yesterday we were going through stuff and Jeff wanted to keep a box of q-tips. Don't be afraid to just let it go.<br />
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Thats all the steps I can think of at the moment, I'm sure I am forgetting something. It doesn't seem like a lot but it's a lot more stressful than what I wrote. When clearing post and trying to schedule things, you have to work around the army. We did everything last minute and I was ready to go on a rampage. Jeff and I were/are at each others throats. We just have to keep thinking that in two days we will be in paradise for three years. I'm really excited and things seem to be finally falling into place. The only thing I'm nervous about right now is getting the dog on the plane. I'm praying and praying that everything works out. So cross your fingers for me. <br />
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Words of wisdom:<br />
When you feel like taking your wrath out on your husband, take it out on idiot drivers on your way back from shipping your vehicle.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-65545342262890885792011-07-26T11:55:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:02:39.504-07:00Prepare Yourself.A lot of pride and love comes along with being a military wife. There is no way you can prepare yourself for the hardships you will face. Since the Army's motto is "Hurry up and wait", the only thing you can really do is just take things how they are and take them a day at a time. I am prepared for next deployment because I have been through one. I KNOW that my husband may have to stay at work a few days or weeks at a time while he should be home. I KNOW the army comes first. I had expectations that some things would happen. Having somebody tell me to my face that my husband and our fellow soldiers are just overseas killing women and children...I did not expect. Maybe if we were still in the middle of Vietnam I could expect that, but not in today's day. <br />
The media doesn't show everything. The media only shows the attacks, the deaths, and the bad things happening. In war people die. Civilian and military. I don't know what Afghanistan or Iraq is first hand, but I live with a man who experienced it. The year he was in Afghanistan, he did not fire his weapon once. (I'm not by any means saying that there is no killing going on because there is.) What most of America DOESN'T know, is that Afghanis and Americans are working TOGETHER to help build a better nation. They DO want us there. Below are some pictures my husband took during his tour. You can be the judge of the pictures if you think that those people hate us. Just the other day an insurgent (sp?) killed a young child because they told the father that if he didn't supply them with a vehicle and weapons, they'd kill his son. We are doing what we can to STOP those evil people and to help those children live better lives so they can grow to be successful and NOT terrorists. <br />
One thing I will always live by now, is if you don't like this great nation we live in, please feel free to live. We are not a communist nation and nobody is making you stay here. Ask yourself what you are contributing to the country. If you can't think of one thing, I feel bad for you.<br />
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Talk to a soldier, be in his/her shoes. Thank them. You have the right to your opinion about this war because of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtTq39tCBzkOjwVFyRLWBzP2ZvTyDhca3kVxvyXZq2VV0_rtTlk2ZkV9ZpQy1BVQ_QjmskcaCHDzk60eGNsyFQ6qcu3U2WQd0gqVAAhw4RrAUj5fnk2tjOEfuwQ2NqpyzKHq0-6lgwiQ/s1600/afghan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="242" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtTq39tCBzkOjwVFyRLWBzP2ZvTyDhca3kVxvyXZq2VV0_rtTlk2ZkV9ZpQy1BVQ_QjmskcaCHDzk60eGNsyFQ6qcu3U2WQd0gqVAAhw4RrAUj5fnk2tjOEfuwQ2NqpyzKHq0-6lgwiQ/s320/afghan.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-40409186623229116742011-05-29T16:55:00.000-07:002011-05-29T16:58:22.671-07:00Memorial Weekend 2011.Hardiness , valor,strength, and bravery, peace and honesty, Vigilance, Perserverance, Justice, truth, and loyalty. What do those those words represent? If you're completely puzzled or you think you have an idea, they represent the colors of the American Flag. Good Ole Red, White, and Blue. <br />
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Growing up, I've always been patriotic. Being an Army Wife I feel even more empowered to express the way I feel about our country. Yesterday, Jeff and I went downtown to the Special Operations museum where they had 700 flags put out to represent some people in the service. The ground leading up to the museum had engravings of servicemen who had died protecting our flag, our country, us. One of these engravings in particular hit something deep down that filled me with emotion. I just wanted to break down and cry. I don't remember what his name was...but he had died in a Black Hawk crash in 1993 in Somalia. When we came home later that day we popped in the movie "Black Hawk Down." Seeing an actual memorial for this brave man and watching the movie to see what he went through was devastating. War in general is always devastating. Being stuck home on the sidelines when something is going on, we try not to think about how horrible our husbands, our brothers, or even our sisters go through or witness. I know it's nothing compared to the "real" thing but it really made me think. It also made me appreciate our troops even more. Back home there would always be parades and festivities going on to celebrate these men and women. Back home there is no active military base or "military towns". People show their appreciation however they can but it's completely different than being in a military town. In the museum a good majority of the volunteers were veterans. The Vet that I had spoken to, I shook the man's hand and told him "Thank you". I try to thank veterans when I can, I do it because I mean it. After yesterday, I think the Veteran had know I meant it because a whole lot of emotions came with it. After you thank a Vet, the expression you see on their face is always timeless. The world stops and you can feel the joy that they feel.<br />
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When Jeff was deployed, my mom had put a single candle in the window so that he could find his way home safely. I ask all of you to please do this until tuesday morning so that all of our soldiers still deployed find their ways home safely. I also ask you to do this for all the brave men and women who have fallen. They gave the ultimate sacrifice. <br />
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Please remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and show your patriotism by thanking a veteran.<br />
God Bless the USA.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5h3vLS6R7UM93w00A0LPcodMVRprwqL0yNXHFf9V-qRkxE6EnLdKP9MLF4mCa8xMy2ZvhoXULf1SvnUCt_hz52u958nJYMPEWoQW98f25eMP0rO-iBgEolwss9yNVbyLuyQT86yaLhrg/s1600/010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="166" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5h3vLS6R7UM93w00A0LPcodMVRprwqL0yNXHFf9V-qRkxE6EnLdKP9MLF4mCa8xMy2ZvhoXULf1SvnUCt_hz52u958nJYMPEWoQW98f25eMP0rO-iBgEolwss9yNVbyLuyQT86yaLhrg/s320/010.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-89957816663547192072011-05-22T16:10:00.000-07:002011-05-22T16:10:58.659-07:00Make A WishFor those of you that know me, I've always been really big on helping people. I started doing volunteer work at the age of 13. It was mandatory at my high school in order to graduate. But the more I did the work, the more I appreciated doing it. It makes you feel good and it makes you feel like you accomplished something. People are always talking about change and making a difference. You can make your difference TODAY. <br />
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Christmas Eve five and a half years ago, my cousin James was born. He was a great baby, but something wasn't right. After multiple doctors visits, they diagnosed James with Pompe's disease. For those of you that don't know what Pompe's disease is here is a little information:<br />
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Glycogen storage disease type II (also called Pompe disease or acid maltase deficiency) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder[1] which damages muscle and nerve cells throughout the body. It is caused by an accumulation of glycogen in the lysosome due to deficiency of the lysosomal acid alpha-glucosidase enzyme. It is the only glycogen storage disease with a defect in lysosomal metabolism, and the first glycogen storage disease to be identified, in 1932.<br />
The build-up of glycogen causes progressive muscle weakness (myopathy) throughout the body and affects various body tissues, particularly in the heart, skeletal muscles, liver and nervous system. (Wikipedia)<br />
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James has been in and out of the hospital every since he was a baby. Doctors told my family that it is very rare for children with Pompe to live past the age of three. James will be six this winter. This child has showed everyone in my family what love really is. I look up to my aunt and uncle so much. It takes two very strong people to raise a child with a disability. The strength these two have is amazing and unbelievable. I hope and I pray to God that I can be as strong as them both. Enough with the mushy stuff. James gets to go to school, he gets to play with his brothers, and he has one heck of a personality. He can't walk, but he makes you appreciate the small things in life. One of his favorite things to do right now is to go for walks. My family takes turns pushing him in his chair around his house. James will put his little hand out and knock all of the magnets off of the fridge. It's cute and you can see how much joy he gets out of that. The smallest things. <br />
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This past April, Make a Wish foundation paid for James to go to Disney with his family. He has a blast!! His favorite ride was the Jaws ride. I've always heard really great things about make a wish, but seeing what it can do for a family is totally different. There are hundreds of thousands of children with disabilities and diseases that Make a wish helps every day. I think it's time for us to show our appreciation. This summer, my Uncle Rick is doing the "Make a Wish ride". It's a bicycle marathon that will probably end up with hundreds of people breathless and puking their brains out. Just kidding. Ha. Anyways, below is a link. Please check it out. Any donation helps, whether it's one dollar or twenty. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."<br />
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<a href="https://www.wishmich.org/ricklucido">Donate to Make a Wish!!!</a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-54673810528542480992011-05-18T22:08:00.000-07:002011-05-18T22:08:34.941-07:00Homesick.The last couple days I've been pondering what I should write about next. The only suggestion I recieved from people was to write about how REAL army life is different from the tv show. Well, this is about to be as real as it gets...<br />
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I'm sitting here listening to "Home" by the Foo Fighters crying like a baby. My husband and I PCS to Hawaii in 10 weeks. He started clearing the other day and things are finally starting to move along. Now that everything is in the works and we have the paperwork, it feels real. It feels real and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I miss home. When will I see home next?<br />
I haven't seen my dad since christmas (he does work in Alabama, so he's not home much). My mom is visiting in just a couple weeks. I don't know what all started this mood though. It could be my little sisters birthday thats coming up. She's going to be twelve. I remember being twelve. It was the most difficult age I had to deal with. I lost a lot of my self esteem when I was that age. I felt the lowest of lows. I don't want that to happen to her. I want to be there to protect her. I want to be there for all my siblings. I used to protect my brothers. Now they are all bigger than me and they try to protect me. I love them all to death. I miss weekends with my mom. All the kids would be gone and it'd be just her and I. We'd watch movies together and just talk about everything. I miss random days with my dad. He'd come home from work early and he'd take me shopping. It's the little things. I feel like I took those for granted. Kids growing up always talk about how they can't wait to get out of the house. We want to be able to feel that freedom. The freedom is great. But I constantly feel like a huge chunk is missing out of my heart. I grew up being so close with my family...after Jeff and I leave I dont know when I will be able to see them again. Three years. A lot can change in three years. 15, 17, 20, 21. Thats how old my siblings will be when we get back to the states. I wont be able to buy my oldest brother his first beer. I won't be able to take my other brother to get his first tattoo. I wont be able to take that first drive with my youngest brother. And I wont be able to take homecoming pictures with my sister. It breaks my heart. I have to keep telling myself that I KNEW what I was getting into. <br />
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There you have it. Real live Army wife life. It's time for me to put my big girl panties on now.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-54188044809133234652011-04-25T22:03:00.000-07:002011-04-25T22:11:54.289-07:00First holiday away from "Home."Easter 2011 was my first holiday away from everything I've known. Growing up, my siblings and I would wake each other up at the crack of dawn just to find our easter baskets. Mom was always great with holidays. It was always too cold for her to hide the eggs, so she would make do with the plastic eggs hidden around the house. After we would go through our baskets, we would get dressed in our best and go to church. Then around noon we would head to my grandma's house and spend Easter with the rest of our ginormous family. <br />
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This year since it was just myself, Jeff, and the dog, I had bought a couple baskets and some little gadgets from the dollar tree. I had to play bunny this year. I hid Bella's basket and let her find it. It was so cute. Jeff and I got ready for the day and went to church. It was a beautiful service. Afterwords we got some lunch at Golden Corral (I had never been), it was amazing! We also decided to go for a drive. So we took the dog and went to a couple lakes on post. It was a beautiful day and it was just filled with love, even though it was only the three of us. When we got home, our neighbors came over and we all watched "Passion of the Christ." I had seen the movie before but I was a child and I never really understood. After watching it again, I feel like I found the true meaning of Easter. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvhyoD8jN6olxBZ99p6KXA-7RsG6O4d7ZTm6YcML9QrOpjAwl-W5nPGADeMFTRHohUMSYmEzZK3KBKUUT3_nkrqRn7ANtl7rvdxyIyVZKSyXSU01L_T9CKHXmWTGNJn7Us2E1B1Nip9s/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="243" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvhyoD8jN6olxBZ99p6KXA-7RsG6O4d7ZTm6YcML9QrOpjAwl-W5nPGADeMFTRHohUMSYmEzZK3KBKUUT3_nkrqRn7ANtl7rvdxyIyVZKSyXSU01L_T9CKHXmWTGNJn7Us2E1B1Nip9s/s320/007.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Life is beautiful. Life is short. Jesus died for my sins, and yours, whether you believe or not..Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-20074800124889910462011-04-17T22:38:00.000-07:002011-04-25T22:07:56.777-07:00Twister..in real life.As most of you have heard by now, yesterday 16April 2011, tornados ripped through the east coast. North Carolina got hit really badly. As of right now there are 22 confirmed casualties and many many injured. The whole state is under a state of emergency. I decided that tomorrow I am going to red cross and am going to volunteer as much time as I can to help these victims.<br />
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Growing up in Michigan, we do get tornados every now and then. However, none are really "deadly." Michigan does a test every first saturday of the month with the "tornado sirens." I didn't hear this down here. Yesterday morning and Friday evening everyone kept talking about how horrible and severe this storm was going to be. Myself along with others didn't think anything of it because back in the fall, we were supposed to get hit with a hurricane. The end results in this hurricane was sprinkles and sunshine. The weather yesterday was kind of over cast, the sun peaking out here and there and pretty humid. It started sprinkling a little bit and Jeff and I had decided to go to Sonic because I am completely obsessed with Route 44 sweet teas..extra ice. As soon as we pulled into the sonic booth, the power went out. Oh great, I thought. I looked behind me to look at the major road, all the traffic lights were out. We decided to leave and head home. Within the .2 miles of driving back home we saw almost two accidents. We get home and sit on the porch because it starts thundering a little bit. The neighbor had her little boy out playing in the rain with his spiderman rain boots and yellow poncho. Then is started to pour cats and dogs, and when I say cats and dogs, I mean elephants and velociraptors. (Oh yeah and we lost our power too at this point) So we're sitting out on the patio, and we hear this loud thunder that didn't stop for almost 20 seconds. It was loud and kind of sounded like a train. I don't know if this was the tornado or not. But it scared the heck out of me! We went back inside, the power turned back on and the sun was out. The crap? I get online as fast as I can and I hear about two tornados. One in Fayetteville/Ft Bragg and one in Sanford which is like twenty minutes from me. I thank God that this thing passed us. I see pictures, watch the news, see videos, and hear stories and it breaks my heart. I haven't volunteered in a very long time so tomorrow my goal is to get down to red cross and do WHATEVER I can.<br />
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Those of you that are in any of the areas that got affected by these tornados, God bless you and your family.<br />
For information on how you can help visit: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Highlands-Chapter-of-the-American-Red-Cross/116793335016478">Highland Hills Red Cross</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwvBMsB7ZTPW_9Zo7thtEXAMsx_bafKLvMt81vganm1JEk9KmjPILM6mL78vdQg6HTdOKKSOdIsRuhPfsRpkd9-uJjM2nYbq4UwSOjDgekO4QY9NCpgNN_gimm7SKAfPAWt0r9pW6k4c/s1600/043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="237" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwvBMsB7ZTPW_9Zo7thtEXAMsx_bafKLvMt81vganm1JEk9KmjPILM6mL78vdQg6HTdOKKSOdIsRuhPfsRpkd9-uJjM2nYbq4UwSOjDgekO4QY9NCpgNN_gimm7SKAfPAWt0r9pW6k4c/s320/043.jpg" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-11114861858493229042011-04-10T20:33:00.000-07:002011-04-10T20:33:45.112-07:00Tell time like a soldier.I hate using military time, being around so much it sort of starts to grow on you. Here's a little help on learning military time.<br />
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If it's past noon, add 1200 to it. Example: (1:00pm) 1+1200= 1300<br />
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If you watch the show Army Wives, they're not 100% right on everything. If it's before noon, it's ZERO and then the time and not OH. Example: 8am...0800 (Zero eight hundred)Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-80354319421779115852011-04-10T19:46:00.000-07:002011-04-10T20:47:36.296-07:00Talk like a soldier.I recently had a poll on which topics I should discuss in my next entry. Military Jargon was tied with skype dates. So I figured why not do both. I'm the kind of wife that makes sure my husband doesn't bring work home with him, and I try not to get involved with the army because I'm not a soldier. However, at times, you can't really help but to want to know what's going on. Like, who the heck is Roger, and why are we still talking about Charlie? I've only been a wife for six months, but I'm SLOWLY learning the jargon. One weekend, Jeff and I went camping and I told him, "My goal for this weekend is to learn the army alphabet." "You mean the phonetic alphabet?" He says. "Well yeah, same difference." Sure enough, by the end of the weekend I could recite the whole alphabet. It wasn't too hard but certain letters were a little tough. I started thinking of way to remember them. Example, L is for Lima. I only remember that because that's the town the show Glee takes place. Hah. Anyways, below is the complete alphabet for you ladies, and a little extra on the jargon. :]<br />
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<u>Phonetic Alphabet:</u><br />
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A....ALPHA<br />
B....BRAVO<br />
C....CHARLIE<br />
D....DELTA<br />
E....ECHO<br />
F....FOXTROT<br />
G....GULF<br />
H....HOTEL<br />
I....INDIA<br />
J....JULIET<br />
K....KILO<br />
L....LIMA<br />
M....MIKE<br />
N....NOVEMBER<br />
O....OSCAR<br />
P....PAPA<br />
Q....QUEBEC<br />
R....ROMEO<br />
S....SIERRA<br />
T....TANGO<br />
U....UNIFORM<br />
V....VICTOR<br />
W....WHISKEY<br />
X....X-RAY<br />
Y....YANKEE<br />
Z....ZULU<br />
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<u>Other Jargon you may or may not find useful.</u> :]<br />
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<br />
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---A---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AAA - Anti-Aircraft Artillery</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AAFES - Army Air Force Exchange System</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AAR - After Action Report</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ABN - Airborne</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ACAP - Army Career and Alumni Program (helps soldiers separating from the military)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ACP - Access Control Point</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ACS - Army Community Services (provides family services)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ACU - Army Combat Uniform</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AD - Active Duty</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ADA - Air Defense Artillery</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AER - Army Emergency Relief (emergency funds for families and soldiers)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AFN - Armed Forces Network</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AFTB - Army Family Team Building (teaches dependents about military life)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AG - Adjutant General</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AIT - Advanced Individual (or Infantry) Training</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ALC - Advance Leadership Course (same as BNCOC, Army renamed it)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AOB - Armor Officer Basic</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ANCOC - Advanced Noncommisioned Officer Course (needed to make E-7)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ANG - Air National Guard</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AO - Area of Operations</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">APC - Armored Personnel Carrier</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">APFT - Army Physical Fitness Test</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">APO - Army Post Office</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AR -Army Regulation</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ASAP - Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ASU - Army Service Uniform (Class A's)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ATC - Annual Training Conference</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">AWOL - Absent Without Leave</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---B---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing (money for rent for soldiers with dependents)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BAS - Basic Allowance for Sustinence (money for food for soldiers with dependents)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BCT - Basic Combat Training (formerly known as Boot Camp)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BDE - Brigade</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BDU - Battle Dress Uniform (old camouflage uniforms)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BOGINT - Bogus Intelligence</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BOQ - Bachelor Officer Quarters</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BN - Battalion</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BNCOC - Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (needed for promotion to E-6)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">BRAC - Base Realignments and Closures</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---C---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CAC - Community Action Counsel</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CG - Commanding General (in charge of the base or post)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CDC - Child Development Center</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CENTCOM - Central Command</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CIB - Combat Infantry Badge</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CID - Criminal Investigation Division</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CO - Commanding Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">COB - Close of Business</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">COLA - Cost of Living Allowance (given in Hawaii, Alaska and overseas)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CONUS - Continental United States</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CPS - Child Protective Services</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CQ - Charge of Quarters</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CY - Calendar Year</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---D---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DA - Department of the Army</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DCU - Desert Camouflage Uniform</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DeCa - Defense Commissary Agency (run grocery stores on base or post)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DEERS - Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DEROS - Date of Estimated Return from Overseas</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DFAC - Dining Facilities Administration Center (or known as the Mess Hall/Cafeteria)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DFAS - Defense Finance Accounting System (in charge of our pay)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DI - Drill Instructor</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DITY - Do It Yourself (in relation to moving)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DLA - Dislocation Allowance (money to help with the cost of moving)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DoD - Department of Defense</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DOR - Date of Rank</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DPP - Deferred Payment Plan (military credit card, now called the Star Card)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DPW - Directorate of Public Works (maintains the base or post)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DSN - Defense Switched Network (secured communication lines)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---E---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EEO - Equal Employment Opportunity</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EER - Enlisted Evaluation Report</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EFMB - Excellence in Field Medicine Badge</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EFMP - Exceptional Family Member Program (helps with special medical needs)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EIA - Excellence in Armor</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EIB - Excellence in Infantry Badge</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EM - Enlisted Member</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ERB - Enlisted Record Brief</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ETS - Estimated Time of Separation (date that you may leave the military)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">EWC - Enlisted Wives Club</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---F---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FAC - Family Assistance Center/Family Advocacy Commitee</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FAQ - Family Advocacy Program</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FCP - Family Care Plan</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FDU - Full Dress Uniform</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FLO - Family Liason Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FM - Field Manual</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FORSCOM - Forces Command</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FRG - Family Readiness Group (provides support to families)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FRO - Family Readiness Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FSA - Family Separation Allowance (paid to married soldiers gone for 30+ days)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FTX - Field Training Exercise</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FY - Fiscal Year (begins 1 Oct and ends 30 Sep)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---G---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">GO - General Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">GS - General Schedule (pay schedule for civilian employees)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---H---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">HFP - Hostile Fire Pay</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">HHC - Headquarters and Headquarters Company</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">HHT - Headquarters and Headquarters Troop</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">HQ - Headquarters</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">HQDA - Headquarters, Department of the Army</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">HS - Home Station</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---I---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">IE - Initial Entry</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">IET - Initial Entry Training (basic training)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">IG - Inspector General (investigates questionable situations on base or post)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ITO - Information Travel Office</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---J---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">JAG - Judge Advocate General (military lawyers)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">JUMPS - Joint Uniform Military Pay System</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---K---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">KIA - Killed in Action</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">KP - Kitchen Patrol</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---L---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">LES - Leave Earnings Statement (Military Pay Stub)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">LN - Local National</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">LOD - Line of Duty</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">LZ - Landing Zone</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---M---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MACOM - Major Army Command</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MEDDAC - Medical Department Activity</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">METL - Mission Essential Task List</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MI - Military Intelligence</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MIA - Missing in Action</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MILPO - Military Personnel Office</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MOS - Military Occupational Specialty (Job Title)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MP - Military Police</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MRE - Meal Ready to Eat (Food that's vacuumed sealed)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MTF - Military Treatment Facility (Military Hospital)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MWR - Morale, Recreation and Welfare</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---N---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">NBC - Nuclear Biological Chemical</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">NCO - Noncommissioned Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">NCOER - Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">NCOIC - Noncommissioned Officer in Charge</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">NG - National Guard</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">NPD - No Pay Due</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---O---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OBC - Officer Basic Course</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OCONUS - Outside Continental United States</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OCS - Officer Candidate School</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OD - Officer of the Day</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OER - Officer Evaluation Report</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OIC - Officer in Charge</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OPSEC - Operational Security</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">OWC - Officers Wives Club</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---P---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PAO - Public Affairs Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">P-38 - Small can opener for C-Rations</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PAM - Pamphlet</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PCS - Permanent Change of Station (moving time)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PERSCOM - Army Personnel Command (in charge of promotion, movement, etc.)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PERSEC - Personal Security</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PFU - Physical Fitness Uniform</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PLDC - Primary Leadership Development Course (needed for promotion to E-5)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PLT - Platoon</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PM - Provost Marshall</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PMOS - Primary Military Occupational Specialty (primary job)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">POA - Power of Attorney</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">POC - Point of Contact</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">POV - Privately Owned Vehicle</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">POW - Prisoner of War</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PT - Physical Training</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PX - Post Exchange (store on base or post)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">PZ - Primary Zone (in reference to promotion)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---Q---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">QM - Quarter Master</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---R---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">R&R - Rest and Recreation</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RA - Regular Army</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RC - Reserve Component</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RCP - Retention Control Point (gives cutoffs for promotion)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RD - Rear Detatchment (soldiers who stay behind from a deployment or exercise)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RDC - Rear Detatchment Commander</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RDF - Rapid Deployment Force</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">REG - Regulation</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">RIF - Reduction in Force</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---S---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SBP - Survivor Benefit Plan</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SCO - Squadron Commanding Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SDNCO - Staff Duty Noncommissioned Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SDO - Staff Duty Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SGLI - Soldiers Group Life Insurance</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SIDPERS - Standard Installation/Division Personnel Reporting System</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SMO - Squadron Maintnence Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SOP - Standard Operating Procedure</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SRB - Selective Reenlistment Bonus</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SSI - Single Soldier Initiative</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SSN - Social Security Number</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">STRAC - Skilled, Tough, Ready Around The Clock</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">SZ - Secondary Zone (in reference to promotion)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---T---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TDY - Temporary Duty Assignment</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TIG - Time in Grade</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TLA - Temporary Living Allowance</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TLE - Temporary Lodging Expense</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TM - Training Manual</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TRADOC - Training and Doctrine Command</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---U---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">UCDPP - Uniform Clothing Deferred Payment Plan (military credit plan for clothing)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">UCMJ - Uniform Code of Military Justice (military law)</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">USAR - United States Army Reserve</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">USARC - United States Army Reserve Command</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">USAREC - United States Army Recruiting Command</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">USMA - United States Military Academy</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">USO - United Service Organization</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">UTA - Unit Training Assembly</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---V---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">VA - Veteran Affairs</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">VHA - Variable Housing Allowance</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---W---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WO - Warrant Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WOAC - Warrant Officer Advanced Course</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WOC - Warrant Officer Candidate Course</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WOCS - Warrant Officer Candidate School</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">WOSC - Warrant Officer Senior Course</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">---X---</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">XO - Executive Officer</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Numbers</span></strong></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4-F - Classification given to those deemed unfit for military service</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">50-cal -.50 caliber machine gun</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">51-cal - heavy machine gun used by the enemy</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">79 - an M-79 grenade launcher</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">82 mm - a mortar used by the enemy</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">105 - a 105-mm howitzer</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">201 file - a US Army personnel file</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Terms</span></strong></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Alert - call to be ready on short notice</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Allotment - deduction from pay to bank or individual</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Allowance - special pay or compensation</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Article 15 - punitive action</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Blanket Party - unofficial punishment of company goof off</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Billets/Barracks/Dorms - where single soldiers live</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Brownnoser - person who sucks up to seniors</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Cherry- Soldier fresh out of basic and ait</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Chit - paper given by medical to be excused from certain types of work or exercise</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Chow hall - dining facility (AKA mess hall)</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">CQ - 24hr watch over the barracks</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dependent - family member entitled to military benefits</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Detail - job or assignment</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dining in - social gathering for soldiers only</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dining out - social gathering for soldiers and spouses</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dog And Pony Show - doing something for the Brass or the public</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fartsack - Sleeping bag</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Full Bird - Colonel</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Garrison - post or community</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">GI Party - cleanup duty</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Grade - pay level</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Guidon - unit flag</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Grunt - Infantry Soldier</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hash marks - stripes on uniform to show time in service</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hoo ah - slang meaning something is acknowledged and understood</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Insignia - indicates branch of service</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jody call - cadence</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Klick - slang for Kilometer</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Latrine - restroom</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Legs - Non-Airborne Soldiers</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Motor pool - area where vehicles are kept and maintained</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Orderly room - company office</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Orders - written or spoken directive</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Organization day - outing that is usually mandatory for soldiers and optional for families</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Poge - non-combat MOS</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Police call - cleanup duty</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Puss Pad - the little pad used for sleeping on</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Rank - official title of the service member</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Re-up - reenlist</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Reveille - bugle call at the beginning of the day</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Retreat - bugle call at the end of the day</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sick call - where soldiers go for medical treatment</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Short timer - someone who is about to leave the military</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Short tour - unaccompanied overseas tour</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Staff Duty - 24 hour watch over the unit area</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">TA50 - field gear</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tricare - our medical insurance</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">United Concordia - dental insurance for family members</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Zero Dark Thirty - very early in the morning</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">80% of information is from bragg wives page on facebook.</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-29828777503300652942011-03-26T11:50:00.000-07:002011-03-26T11:50:24.780-07:00Skype DatesThis goes back to talk about how wonderful social networks are. Before you read this, google SKYPE, and download it now. or those that are reading this and are like "WTF is skype?", it is basically like AIM. You can call someone else on a skype account and talk via webcam. This was the perfect tool to survive deployment.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2hU38fNWUs3NsBN__MtGa3VsKoczwpoaPnQI3YnckOcFGP0671y9xM5sECWcP3xoa9i74fOjogyCh1QassWGttVj43z6KaUx5HZvXAqFCfv_XYr45od72z5slHkFhVZwc3oidXfom7M/s1600/Picnik+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2hU38fNWUs3NsBN__MtGa3VsKoczwpoaPnQI3YnckOcFGP0671y9xM5sECWcP3xoa9i74fOjogyCh1QassWGttVj43z6KaUx5HZvXAqFCfv_XYr45od72z5slHkFhVZwc3oidXfom7M/s320/Picnik+collage.jpg" width="214" /></a>During deployment, I did absolutly nothing. I worked, I went to school, I stayed home. I very rarely went out. When I would know it was time that Jeff would be on Skype, I made sure I was always done up real cute. We'd call our little skype sessions, "Skype dates." I would look forward to these ALL day. A lot of people ask, "How do you keep it fun?" Well, you have to make it fun. Your soldier is just as happy to see your face as much as you're happy to see his. Some days when my soldier was in one of those "I don't care about anything" moods, I would grab a fake mustache and a fake tattoo sleeve and talk in funny accents. We would have dance offs. We'd play music on either end, guessing who the band was and we'd dance like complete goofs.<br />
Skype dates are a lot of fun. As long as you make it that way. I'm a pretty strong individual, and just like anyone else, being away from your loved one can be extremely hard. It wasn't always all peaches. There were nights where I had no contact with my soldier. Then those crazy thoughts fill your head. One night in particular I will always remember. Only because I almost lost it. Jeff and I were lucky enough to skype almost EVERY day. So it eventually had its own routine. Day before Thanksgiving and day of Thanksgiving I had not heard from him. The first day I thought, ok, well maybe he's busy. But on Thanksgiving day, I felt in my heart that something was off. I went about my day with family and tried enjoying it as much as I could. Bed time rolled around and (I usually left skype on all day) my computer started ringing. It was Jeff! I answered and he just looked bothered. He told me that a suicide bomber had tried bombing their FOB earlier that day. (A FOB is a forward operating base, a little tiny base basically). I asked if he was ok, if anyone had gotten hurt, etc. Luckily the bomber just blew up the Afghani police station. None of their police were injured. The only one hurt in this case was just the bomber himself. Talk about failed mission. Shrapnel had flew all the way over to Jeff and his sergeants little "hut" as I like to call them. He had pictures and was actually excited to show me. The only thing I could do was just breathe and say "WOAH."<br />
Other times on skype, it's just sad. You miss your soldier, you're tired of being alone, no one understands you, etc. I can not describe how big of a mess I was with him gone. I didn't know anyone else in a military relationship I could turn to. That's why it is SOOOO important for girlfriends and wives to connect. There were numerous skype dates where I would just sit on skype and cry. Jeff is going to hate me for this, but he would too. And you could see the hurt in his eyes. I feel bad for ever making him feel that way. The one thing I didn't want to do was to distract him from his job. But there were always ways to turn things around and smile again. I look at all these survivors from WW2 and just thank god that I did not have to go through what their wives did. I am sooo thankful for us to have the technology we do now.<br />
With all this said, I come to my conclusion for today...If you are currently going through your first deployment, DOWNLOAD SKYPE. Talk to other wives. Stay busy.<br />
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Bless our soldiers and keep everyone safe.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-2786664815064904932011-03-24T09:03:00.000-07:002011-03-24T13:01:07.765-07:00Online DatingBeing an army wife or even army girlfriend, you meet a LOT of friends. Granted, you never really MEET with them, but you don't have to. Social Networking sites such as facebook have done amazing things. If you're still back home when you're soldier is deployed or you're not around anyone that understands how military life is, you resort to what I like to call online dating. This is the only time where its actually OK to meet up with a stranger you met online.<br />
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Before I moved to Fort Bragg, I told Jeff I didnt want to drive the 14 hours by myself. So he flew up a girl I had met off facebook from Fort Bragg. Ok, so I know you're thinking, "What the hell was she thinking?", but hear me out....If you are military YOU UNDERSTAND. I'm going to refer to this girl as Sweden. So i picked Sweden up from the airport, to my surprise it wasn't awkward. We talked like we knew each other. We clicked in a way you click with friends you met in high school. After we got to my house, my brothers bombarded me with random questions. My brother Zach takes one look at Sweden and goes, "Wait, so like you guys met on facebook?" I answer back, "Yep." "Aren't you worried she's like going to cut your throat in your sleep?" Ohhhh brother. I couldn't help but to laugh.<br />
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Jeff and I went home in October for our wedding and he had his block leave. While we were there, I would of course check my facebook, and another wife had added me. I will refer to her as Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan got married a week before Jeff and I did. She was on her way to Bragg when we started talking. We exchanged number and texted quite frequently. I didn't think our relationship would go anywhere. After Jeff and I got back to Bragg, we had a little bank from the wedding so we bought some stuff for the apartment. We had a bought a futon from Target that we got for really cheap, but we couldn't fit it into Jeff's G6. Go figure. After remembering Michael Jordan just moved down there and still had the moving truck, I texted her and asked if her and her husband would be willing to meet up with us and help us with the futon. They did. We've been friends ever since. A couple days ago Michael Jordan just told me that before they had met up with us at Target that her husband had asked her, "You guys met on facebook? That's weird, aren't you worried it's some perv?" Apparently even soldiers themselves don't get it.<br />
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With all this being said, it is completely normal to meet random wives online. Share your stories, get advice. Live, Learn, Love.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-57295621725235040382011-03-23T15:36:00.000-07:002011-03-25T09:06:59.435-07:00Green Ramp.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to make a blog focused solely on green ramp. For the followers that aren't military, Green ramp is where you meet your loved ones after deployment, or where you may see them off. When I first heard the term green ramp, I pictured a runway that was green. Cute, I know. Green Ramp is more of a ginormous storage garage with bleachers on an air strip.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkY4cgOcWC5L_QAMBBZ9bdtzMqwtbJoIW0WauIND8PlSl7Lbx8LH2jMxbjDgJJdnr6Fz68HpmDjlXP2AivaF0mthP4KhSxqeT6u4eSGZ_5EPqYuKnQz-A4-og8C3tVXXTyd-jipv8RAE/s1600/61954_144773725564412_100000953555815_200196_3371395_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkY4cgOcWC5L_QAMBBZ9bdtzMqwtbJoIW0WauIND8PlSl7Lbx8LH2jMxbjDgJJdnr6Fz68HpmDjlXP2AivaF0mthP4KhSxqeT6u4eSGZ_5EPqYuKnQz-A4-og8C3tVXXTyd-jipv8RAE/s320/61954_144773725564412_100000953555815_200196_3371395_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The day Jeff came home, you get a number to call along with a "secret code" to find out when the plane comes in. My "secret code" was "flight ohio" and I called that number 27 times that night. The first time, the flight was supposed to come in at 1am. That being said, you want to be at green ramp a couple hours early. So I made sure I was ready around 7pm. After calling numerous times the flight was coming in at 2am. So I met up with an Army wife I had met online, along with Jeff's mom and little sister. We had left at midnight and were on post around 1am. We waited around for what seemed like forever. I stepped into the garage not expecting what to see. I was expecting the guys to come to green ramp on buses like those old war movies. When I got there, there weren't that many people. There were kids all dressed in "My daddy is my hero" t-shirts, women dressed extremely nice and (some like they were hooking). American flags were in the hands of everybody there. Homemade signs. The whole ten yards. The army band was there and they were playing. It made the situation seem a whole lot more real. I sat on the bleachers nervously shaking. A man came up to the PA and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen the flight will be in sight in about 15 minutes." Everyone cheered and the band continued to play. Other soldiers were there and they brought out a red carpet. A few minutes later that same man came back to the PA. "Ladies, your 82nd Airborne troopers are now in sight." At that point half the people ran out the door to watch the plane land, I stood up. Next to me was a girl not much older than me. We both looked at each other, screamed and cried. "I think I'm gonna puke!" She boldly stated. I didn't know her, but I felt like I knew her. I knew her pain. "I think I'm gonna pee!" I said back all excited. The plane landed, the band played and our soldiers marched right in those doors. It was the most over whelming feeling ever, and you could feel everyone elses feelings too. After talking about how deployment was and other jib jab, they let the soldiers go to their family for fifteen minutes. I couldn't find Jeff ANYWHERE. I finally spotted him and had previously thought about doing the whole dramatic jumping into the arms of a soldier move, but I didnt. I didn't even have time for my brain to tell me to breathe. I ran off the bleaches nearly falling on my face, ran into a girl who was no older than six, and gave him the biggest hug I had to give. It was amazing, and the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. It didnt seem real....This was the man I've been waiting for for 365 days. Here he is. Shining armor and all. After the fifteen minutes were up the PA announcer said that the soldiers had to come back to their company, return their weapons and do a few briefings. (Basically that briefing was to tell the soldier not to go off the deep end.) To my left another soldier was greeting his family and was walking away and his little boy, no older than 4 started crying, "Daddy don't go back! Come home!" THAT was the saddest thing I have seen. My heart hurt for that little boy. But his daddy came home and they are now stationed in Colorado. Jeff was at his company for about four hours and I got to pick him up and we moved into our apartment that day. Green Ramp is an amazing experience and it was so emotional. I'm glad I got to be a part of it, and I'm glad I felt the things I did. But I am not looking forward to doing it again. It will happen again, but as for now, I'm loving my soldier like he is leaving tomorrow.</span>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-17099495501611752792011-03-17T14:38:00.000-07:002011-03-23T18:43:56.644-07:00Army Wife.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It has been a while since I updated this blog. A lot has changed. The drive down was a bit different. The goodbyes were the hardest. As I left my house around 8am, I was making perfect timing. I was supposed to be in North Carolina around 7-8pm. I got to the last toll both in West Virginia, and my car stalled out. "Hold on just a second." I told the toll operator. I shut off my car and turned it back on. It started, but the steering was off. I put all I had to turn the wheel to the right to get off the next exit. As i pulled off the freeway, I shut my car off and heard a lot of banging and leaking. I got out to check it out and coolant was leaking EVERYWHERE. I flashed my hazards on and a few different people stopped by to help. I was two miles away from my radiator going into my engine. Nice. I'm standing outside in the 80 degree weather that feels like 100, and these people tell me they can fix it for 300 dollars. I start crying, "I only have 200 on me and I have to get to North Carolina." I pull the sob story about my boyfriend being in Afghanistan and I'm trying to get down to Fort Bragg. The people felt bad for me so they fixed it for free. I finally got down to North Carolina at 6am the FOLLOWING day. The day came to where I would meet Jeff at green ramp (where the flights came in). I was a nervous wreck. Have you ever felt so nervous that you wanted to pee and puke at the same time? Yep, that was me. Things went great. We got everything settled into our apartment and life was perfect. In october, Jeff told me he wanted to re-enlist. But in order for us to live together at another duty station, we would have to be married. Soooo you guessed it: I am NOW an army wife!! We got married October 16th, 2010 in a cute little chapel. I had a beautiful dress and we were surrounded by everyone we loved and everyone that loved us. It was the best day of my life. Now living as a married couple we do not have any children but we adopted a pure bred bassett hound, named Bella. She is the best dog in the world and is beautiful. She brings a smile to my day. Since Jeff has re-enlisted our duty station is going to be at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. We leave in July. Anyways, I have to cut this short today because it's St. Pattys day and hubby is hungry! </span>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-86297596486550869352010-07-29T22:58:00.000-07:002010-07-29T22:58:35.061-07:00July 30th, 2010Well everyone it's official, ELEVEN more days until the long fourteen hour drive down to North Carolina. The apartment complex called me today because they wanted Jeff's email address. I'm so excited, and none of this feels real yet. I go into the basement of my parents house and my storage bins are all packed, and there is no decor to let you know that this is my personal space. It's jsut weird to think that in just one week I'm going to be hundreds of miles away from the only thing I've ever known. What if things between Jeff and I are only great temporarily? It's great to look at the future, but shouldn't I focus more on present time and what's right in front of me? I'm scared. I just wish I was down there already. I feel like These "final" days are a giant test and a tease...Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787806981083261887.post-63578297534849233592010-07-29T00:33:00.000-07:002010-07-29T00:33:59.959-07:00Getting to know ME.My name is Amanda and I am dating a Soldier of the US Army. I didn't plan on dating a soldier nor did I ever once think about it. I would look at those women who were with soldiers and think to myself, "How the hell do they do that and keep smiling?" I never imagined I would actually know the answer to that until this last year. I met Jeff last summer. A friend of mine introduced us and all three of us hung out at the beach. Cliche' right? My first reaction to him was, "Wow, where has he been hiding all this time?" Jeff was on his block leave before he was to be deployed to Afghanistan. (To you women out there that don't know what that is, it's the two week vacation time the soldier gets before he is shipped out.) Jeff and I hit it off pretty well, he was super flirty, and tried too hard, I loved it. Later that night a group of friends along with Jeff and I went bowling and we all had a blast. The friend that introduced us ended up having a bonfire that night. Jeff drove with me because I didn't want to drive alone. We talked about the music we liked, annnnd flirted some more. That night at the bonfire everyone was having such a good time. Laughing, drinking, dancing, talking, etc. We kissed that night and something about that kiss was like no other kiss I have ever felt. The next couple days we spent a lot of time together. We saw fireworks, had more bonfires, and went to the movies. None of this was time alone. I was too afraid to get too involved. I thought this was just a summer fling and I didn't expect much out of it. Jeff tried so hard those two weeks to take me out, I ignored him for a few days because I felt I needed to get my feelings in check. Finally, I told him how I felt. I was scared to be involved with someone that was going away for a year. I was scared he would hurt me. I was scared I would hurt him. I was scared he would come back a different person. I was scared he would get killed.. He had two more nights left at home and we saw some more fireworks together. The national anthem played in the background, and for the first time, my real emotions for him came out. He held my face in hsi hands and told me everything was going to be alright and that nothing could hurt him and he will always be there for me. I knew then and there that there was no way this was just a summer fling. Later that night we had one last bonfire. We slow-danced to "Your call" by the band secondhand serenade, and he slipped his dog tags off and placed them around my neck. I burst into tears. <br />
After he left back to Fort Bragg, we talked every day for a couple hours. I would wake up in the morning to the "Good morning, beautiful" text messages. Everything was great. The week before my birthday he snuck onto a plane and flew home one last time. Those three days we spent together were amazing. The day he had to leave, we drove him to the airport, I was a nervous wreck. But to my advantage he missed his flight. Men. So he got to spend one more night home and caught a red-eye in the morning. Now when I'm nervous I can't even talk. So as I was sitting in the terminal, I sat there with my hands laced in my lap. A lady spoked over the PA, "Now boarding the rest of the flight to Charlotte, NC. Last Call." Jeff looked at me and says, "Well sweetie, I really have to go now." He hugged me one last hug, kissed me one last kiss, and took off. That was the last time I saw him before he went to war. We spent his whole R and R together, and if you saw us together, you'd think we'd been together for years. I know it sounds crazy because we barely even spent 3 weeks together, but now I'm sitting here staring at half-empty storage containers thinking of what else I need to pack before I move down to North Carolina. Am I running from something? No. Am I chasing something? Totally. I'm chasing after my love. This is what God wants me to do, and I know in my heart that this is the best thing for me and for Jeff. Am I scared? Hell yes. But when I really think about it, I know that everything is going to be alright and that I'm going to be ok. I am blessed to have this man in my life. And I am blessed to have him with me to go on this crazy journey with. My life starts now, and you have the best seats in the house.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12870374080889665519noreply@blogger.com0