This week, I found out my brother will be deployed to Baghdad in May or June. I tell myself "Well, at least he's a nurse anesthetist, so he should be at the hospital, safely in the green zone." But the reality is, it's still a war zone, and I'm still worried about him.
Dennis will be there for 8 months. In June, once my oldest niece wraps up school in Germany, Christy and the kids will be coming back to the states for the summer. They'll be staying with Christy's family in Utah, but they will fly into Baltimore, or one of the Air Force Bases around here. They'll probably stay with us for a few days, and then hopefully stay for a bit longer at the end of the summer before flying back.
Joe (yes, we found out he's a he), will only be a few weeks old by then, so it should be interesting (scary) to have a house full of kids.
As much as I disagree with the fact that we sent troops into Iraq, I am not upset that Dennis is being deployed. When he went into the Army Reserves (over 20 years ago ... sheesh!), we all knew there was always the possibility that he'd be deployed into a war zone. I am proud of all the hard work he has had to go through to get this far in his career. So, all I can do is hope that he stays safe.
I have to make a better effort at keeping in touch with him. Not just when he is deployed, but right now. Its tough, I feel like we have drifted so far from each other, that we have so little in common anymore. But he's still my brother, and that has to mean something, doesn't it? I don't want Joe to have the same relationship with Dennis and Christy as I do with my aunts and uncles. That is to say, no relationship at all.
