To the right is our new home in Schertz, Texas….huge I know…you know those Texans. Bigger is better.
So Mark is ending his tour in Iraq. When he wakes up tomorrow, he has just one week left in the country, and then he’ll be back in the United States in just 12 days. We should be completely excited…but things are stressful.
The anniversary of the war in Iraq is tomorrow. He’s been hit with tons of rockets. On top of that, we don’t know what is going to happen to his pay. I’m really in disbelief that all of our politicians–Obama and our party leaders have let this budget issue get this far. With just two and half hours left, I sit here wondering what is going to happen to us financially and how long this government shut down will go on. I have money saved; I’m lucky. I know that many, especially many of the enlisted, probably don’t. How will people pay for rent? How will they buy food for their families? Diapers and formula for their children? What happens to people like my future landlords who live off one income, have five kids, and own two rental houses, both of which are rented out to military people? What happens to them if their tenants can’t pay their rent?
It’s beyond scary. I’m pretty neutral when it comes to party lines. There are things I respect with both parties, but right now I feel like Congress is seeing themselves as royalty. They get paid, they can play with their subjects lives, and they don’t really care about the effects of their actions. I feel like our country is suffering from poor leadership from the top down, and it’s easy to see how bad leadership can hurt so many people who depend on that leader.
I’m beyond frustrated at the message that the government is sending to those who are deployed: we’ll send you to war, but we don’t care enough to pay you. My husband is getting rocketed as tensions grow in Iraq, but he can’t come. If an airman or soldier dies while serving his or her country during this shut down, his or her family won’t get any death benefits. If a veteran dies while the government is shut down and wanted to buried in a National Cemetery like Jefferson Barracks, that can’t happen, either. All of those military parents in DC who are sending their daughters to Seton won’t be able to afford tuition. I guess what surprises me is that the government doesn’t realize how the shutdown will have a dramatic impact on so many who don’t have a government worker in his or her family. It doesn’t mean you’re safe.
I should be happy with life right now. Mark is almost home. I found a house in San Antonio last week. I had three job interviews. But…no. I don’t feel better. I slept like crap last night, and I’m sure it’s because I’m worried about Mark’s safety and worried about how long this government shutdown will go on. I worry about enlisted people like my nephew being able to pay this month’s bills. I worry about how much I’ll be charging on credit cards, worried to pay for anything in cash not knowing if I’ll need that money for rent.
I sit here dumbfounded, thinking we aren’t going to get a paycheck AND I don’t have my husband sitting on the couch next to me on a Friday night because he is probably going to be working for free in a combat zone. Sure wish there was at least a medal for him to get for that…
