Honoring Our Heroes on Memorial Day

In a new series of blogs titled "My Army Life," Army spouse Traci Cook shares with us some of the day-to-day happenings of living the Army life.

In many ways, my life is much like any other wife and mother.  I take care of my two boys, get them off to school each morning, and volunteer at their school.  I love my husband, enjoy the time we can spend together, and appreciate his hard work to give his family a good life. 

There are some differences, though, for a military spouse.  When we say 'goodbye,' it's not for a week-long business trip, it could be for a month-long training rotation in California or Louisiana ... or for a year-long combat deployment.  When my husband is away "on business," he is living a dangerous life. 

This was all brought home again for me this weekend as we remembered our fallen on Memorial Day.  Hubby and I had discussed ways to make sure our sons (ages ten and six) were cognizant of the heroes who have gone before us to pave the way for the freedom we now enjoy ... but weren't too disturbed by the somber reality of a career in the Army.  We decided that a tour of the 1st Cavalry museum on Fort Hood and a visit to the memorial there would be just what we needed.

We visited the museum first, reading lots of great stories in the proud history of the 1st Cavalry Division.  The boys enjoyed seeing the uniforms of the past and reading the stories of Soldiers in years past.  Their favorite quote was a replica of a memo sent by General Normal Schwarzkopf during Desert Storm that simply read, "Send in the First Team. Destroy the Republican Guard. Let's go home."

They enjoyed seeing the photos and asked their dad lots of questions about living in Iraq, the Iraqi people, and what our Army is accomplishing there.  The displays and photos really helped this come to life for them.  Another favorite display was a photo montage of Soldiers living in Iraq.  Our youngest son announced that his favorite photo was one of a group of Soldiers playing cards at night.  The unique part of the photo?  They were using glowing green 'chem lights' to see the cards!  He thought that was very resourceful of the Soldiers to do.

We also talked with the boys about honoring the memory of those who fought and died in service to our country and walked through the "Medal of Honor" hall in the museum.  Reading the heroic acts by so many was an amazing thing.  It wasn't long before our oldest noticed that most of the plaques read "Posthumous Award" and realized that most of these Soldiers were killed in a combat situation.  They left this room commenting on how brave our Soldiers are.

After the museum, we visited the 1st Cavalry Division memorial.  The memorial is a beautiful display near the division headquarters that honors the fallen Soldiers from Operation Iraqi Freedom.  (A complete description can be found at the 1st Cavalry Division Memorial Page.) 

We explained to the boys that the names on the memorial were listed in order by date.  As we reviewed the names, we asked them to select five names each and write them down on post-it note papers we had given them.  We discussed the names and decided that these would be the main Families that we would keep in our thoughts and prayers.  The boys placed these post-it notes in their rooms so they could remember these Families each night before bed.

As we continued to walk around the memorial walls, we noticed a young couple reading through names on a recent addition to the the most current wall.  The man was obviously a Soldier, the woman a girlfriend or young wife.  As they read, they would touch each engraved name and seemed to be sharing memories of that person with each other.  They stopped at one name and spent some quiet time there, and I couldn't help but photograph the moment.  Their grief was apparent and I took a moment to grieve with them for this lost friend, a US Army Soldier who did not make it home.

Our sons were appropriately serious about their time here and commented on the names they read and the items they saw at the foot of each wall..  We noted these items, left behind by loved ones who had visited the site earlier in the day.  Flowers, unit crests and insignia, and even chalk-drawn notes on the sidewalk were apparent at each wall.  One Soldier even left a bottle of beer at the foot of the wall containing the name of his battle buddy, a sight that  made the entire visit that much more real to all of us.  This Soldier had been someone's good friend, a buddy, somebody to hang out with and have a drink with ... not just a name etched on a wall.

As we rounded the last wall, we came across a smaller wall that had part of the map and missions of the most recent deployment.  My husband was able to spend a few minutes with our boys, explaining where he had lived, traveled, and worked for a year.  The boys had some questions for their dad and were genuinely interested in where he had lived for that deployment.  At the end of the day, this had been a great trip for us, to remind us of all those who have fought so bravely and given so much, to understand more fully what it is that our Soldier does each day, and to ensure that our heroes ... past and present ... will never be forgotten.

Thoughts on Memorial Day

Our guest blog post this week comes from an Army wife who authors the blog, "This Fabulous Army Life."

I’d like to think that being an Army spouse has enhanced my views on holidays like Memorial Day. It’s one thing to honor an unknown group of heroes, and quite another to remember someone a little closer to home. Seeing the wife of a fallen Soldier in a local restaurant, watching kids whose Dad will never come home playing at the park, passing a unit headquarters with photos of their fallen comrades … common sights around the community where I live … it definitely brings this holiday home, and makes me more cognizant of those I did know as well as the numbers of unknown heroes that I didn’t.

I remember another patriotic holiday, the first I had ever spent off of United States soil. My husband and I were in South Korea and had travelled to Osan to see an American 4th of July rodeo and fireworks. I had been looking forward to it and hadn’t really thought much about the fact that we were in a foreign country that day; but when our national anthem began to play, all of the sudden, I found myself teary-eyed. I was seeing the wonders of our country in a completely different light. I was happy to be with my Soldier in Korea and proud he was serving there … but suddenly I missed my homeland more than I could have imagined. The celebration of our independence as a nation had taken on a new significance for me.

This weekend, I am glad to honor another holiday with its own historical significance. Paying tribute to those who gave all they had to preserve our rights, freedoms, and way of life is an important thing to do. I hope each of you find your own way to honor our heroes. I know families who attend and participate in the parades; and others who take their children to place flags by each headstone at the local Veteran’s Cemetery. What else can we do, I wonder, to show our gratitude?

I am so proud of our servicemen and women and love seeing veterans in our local parades and events. It’s unfortunate that many of them returned from war without the kind of respect they had earned. I hope they feel the honor and respect now that they may have missed when they served.

As we watched our local Memorial Day parade last Memorial Day, it felt good to say, “Thank you for your service!” to those veterans. My oldest son was a part of the parade (as a Cub Scout) and was excited about that. My youngest stayed with me, observing the procession. He was a little surprised when he saw the first veteran’s float. “Those guys are Soldiers?” he asked, “Like my daddy?” Knowing that he holds his daddy in “ultimate hero” regard, I was happy to tell him, “Yes, honey, those guys are Soldiers, just like your daddy.”



For more information, visit Army Well-Being: Veterans and Retirees.

Letters From War: Tribute to Mothers of Soldiers

Our guest blog post today comes from "This Fabulous Army Life" and is a standing tribute to those moms who raise our nation's Soldiers to adulthood, love them through their trials, and worry about them while they are far from home. We appreciate the service and sacrifice of our Soldiers' mothers.

I cannot fully appreciate the sacrifices made by the parents of our US Army Soldiers. Mothers, especially, who send their children off to war and pray for their safe return ... have my undying gratitude, love, and prayers. With two young sons of my own, I can get an inkling of what it might be like, but really, I cannot know.

I have seen my husband's mother support him throughout his lifetime, including four years at West Point, and through sixteen years in the Army, including thirty or so months of combat deployment. She is a stalwart supporter and a sensational prayer warrior.

We are fortunate to live close to Family while we are stationed at Fort Hood. Both sides of our families are in Texas, with Hubby's parents living only an hour away. This affords us (and them!) with some priceless opportunities to spend time together more often than when we live several states (or continents) away. His Family is always supportive of us and our Army life and for that, we are extremely grateful. In this photo, Hubby presents yellow roses to his mom at his Change of Command reception.

I recently came across a song and video titled, "Letters from War" by Mark Schultz. Always a glutton for punishment, I clicked 'play' and sat back to listen and watch. The song is a moving tribute to the mothers of our Soldiers. I could see my mother-in-law in the care and devotion the on-screen mother showed for her son, far away at war. Writing, especially, is a gift of hers and she is a constant source of support for my husband, deployed or not, and for our Family.

I wanted to write this post to say a public "Thank You" to my Soldier's mom ... and to share this song with you. Please share with the mothers of your Soldiers and tell them thank you for their service and sacrifice.

Letters from War is a beautiful song by Mark Schultz and a loving tribute to mothers of Soldiers. Kleenex are required for this vieiwing ... don't say I didn't warn you!


Letters From War from Mark Schultz on Vimeo.

She walked to the mailbox
On that bright summer's day.
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away.

He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made.
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had.
That's why I'm here today.
And then at the end, said
You are what I'm fighting for.

It was the first of his letters from war.

She started writing ...
You're good and you're brave.
What a father that you'll be someday!
Make it home.
Make it safe.

She wrote every night as she prayed.

Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh, her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read.

It said "I was up on a hill,
I was out there alone,
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding,
And that's when I saw him
He came back for me.

And though he was captured,
A man set me free.
And that man was your son.
He asked me to write to you.
I told him I would, oh I swore."

It was the last of the letters from war.

And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing
And wrote every night just to say ...

You are good
And you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday!
Make it home.
Make it safe.

Still she kept writing each day.

Then two years later ...

Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand.

He said "Mom, I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again."

He ran in to hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war.

Make it home
Make it home
Make it home

Thank you to all mothers who have raised servicemembers.  We appreciate you!

For information especially for our parents of Soldiers,

visit Army Well-Being: Army for Parents.

The Life of a Military Child

As we near the end of the Month of the Military Child, we want to share this blog post from guest blogger, Julie of the blog, "Julie the Army Wife: Daily Ramblings from the Wife of a Soldier." 

We appreciate the sacrifices of our youngest heroes and with this blog post, say "Thank You" not only during "Month of the Military Child," but always.

The military child lives a very special life. They start serving their country from day one. They have to say goodbye to daddy (or mommy) more times than a child should. They have to say goodbye to friends all the time.

They have to be the new kid every 2-5 years. They usually don’t get to grow up around grandparents or cousins. Sometimes it can be years between seeing family. Daddy might have missed their birth, first steps, first day of Kindergarten or high school graduation. And anything in between. The children of the military are the little heroes.

They get to see the world and meet all types of different people. They get to experience so many different things. I can sometime ask my oldest son if he remembers that time we walked on an airfield in Newfoundland at 3 in the morning. I can ask my 3 year old if he can possibly remember anything about living in Germany.

I often wonder what kind of mom I would be if my husband never had to go away? I wonder what our Family would be like? This lifestyle isn’t easy, but it is ours. The good with the bad. All I can do is help my children through what they may have to face. And pray that daddy won’t have to deploy as often in the future.

Send Julie a comment!


~ Courtesy of "Julie the Army Wife: Daily Ramblings from the Wife of a Soldier."

For more information, news, and resources for Army kids, visit Army Well-Being: Army Kids.

Do you have an Army story to share?  Please email us at:  armywellbeing@gmail.com with your blog name and we will send you information on becoming a guest blogger!

Stop the Drama and Spit!

Today's guest blogger is Archelle Georgiou, MD.  Her blog, "Archelle on Health" is a fabulous resource for all things health-related.  In this post, she shares with us the importance of genetic testing.

I've been called many names...and, most of the time, I ignore it and let it roll off my back. But last week, I got the ultimate compliment. I was ordained as one of the "Disruptive Women in Healthcare," a blog site that invites anyone, particularly women, to speak up and challenge the health care status quo. Since I got formal permission to be disruptive (as if I really needed to have someone tell me it's okay), I am going to allow myself to be a bit irreverent in this blog entry. I apologize in advance.

The focus of this week's blog is on the health benefits of personal genetic testing -- an emerging area of medicine that intrigues many people when they read about it, but scares them too much to get tested themselves. Yes, the blog last week had a similar theme but was centered on the insight you can gain on your ancestral history. In full disclosure, that blog was just a set up; I used a heart-warming, personal story as a first step to getting your buy-in.

The Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, and since then, companies have been springing up that offer personal genetic testing to consumers. The space is dominated by 3 companies: Pathway Genomics, Navigenics, and 23andMe. For anywhere between $350 and $999, testing kits can be purchased without a doctor's order. Unfortunately, even as the price has come down, very few people choose to get their genetic testing done.

Why?

"I don't want find out something I don't want to know." "What if I find out I am higher risk for Lou Gherigs disease?" My personal concern was learning that I might be at higher risk for developing Alzheimers. I was so scared that I stared at the test kit for 3 weeks before I spit into the vial and sent it in. I told my family that the results would come back in 4-6 weeks and the information "had the potential to change our life forever." The drama (which I am pretty good at) was almost worthy of a gold statuette.

But, after going through the entire process, I realize that the worry, the procrastination, and the hand-wringing were wasted energy. The report results were relevant, practical and actionable -- TODAY. And, the benefits of knowing my genetic makeup far outweigh the false sense of security that we allow ourselves to experience when we are simply blind to the facts.

The majority of my fears were probably fueled by the unknown: manufacturers' descriptions of report results are vague; I had never met or spoken to someone who had the testing done. So, the goal in sharing my test results with readers in this blog is to dispel some of the mysteriousness of genetic testing and to demonstrate that this important new technology is an easy, cost-effective way to improve health. And, in my opinion, it is the only tool/technology I have seen that might be able to successfully influence behavior.

So, I have one important key message I hope to get across: Knowledge is Power.

The 77 page report I received online was divided into 3 health-related sections: Drug Response, Carrier Status, and Complex Health Conditions.

Drug Response: I had an atypical response to 2 of 9 drugs/therapeutic classes.

1) I metabolize caffeine at a slow rate due to lower levels of the CYP1A2 gene that makes the liver enzyme responsible for caffeine metabolism.

Practical application: Very interesting. This result likely explains why I had a drug reaction to a Midol that I took for the first, and last, time about 6 months ago. Midol, as well as many other OTC drugs (for example, Excedrin and Anacin) contain caffeine. So, no more caffeine-containing drugs for me, and no purchases of OTC meds without checking the ingredient labels first.

2) I have a reduced response to Tamoxifen, a drug used in prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Practical application: Fortunately, I don't have breast cancer and am not high risk for this diagnosis. But, if I did, tamoxifen wouldn't work particularly well in me. Here's what's scary: genetic testing for the CYP2D6 gene is not routinely done before women are put on tamoxifen. So, there is a population of breast cancer patients who are currently on ineffective therapy...and don't know it. Hello?

Carrier Status: The panel includes testing for 37 carrier states -- conditions that can be carried silently in a family for generations, only to be discovered when two carriers have a child with the condition. I am a carrier for hemochromatosis, a liver storage disease.

Practical application: The only carrier state I ever worried about and got tested for when I was pregnant was thalassemia (Mediterranean anemia). But hemochromatosis? News to me! I am completely healthy since there is only one copy of the gene present. Since my reproductive life is over (hallelujah!), there is nothing more for me to do. However, each of our daughters has a 50% chance of having the trait and pre-natal testing for this condition will be critical.

Complex Health Conditions: The panel looks for SNPs, short genetic sequences, that are associated with risk for developing 24 different complex conditions. I have no increased genetic risk for any of them. Just for clarification, these results mean I have average risk, not zero risk.

Practical application: I clearly won the genetic gamble and got a healthy deck by my parents. (Thanks mom and dad!) I found myself making some subtle behavior changes: one less glass of wine, stocking my travel bag with calcium and vitamins so that I don't miss doses when I am traveling -- because I feel even more responsible to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

If, on the other hand, I was at increased risk for any of the conditions, this information would have helped me focus on the prevention, screening and lifestyle choices that mitigate that risk. Without this focus, being "healthy" means complying with a long list of sacrifices:

Eat healthy

Exercise daily

Wear sunscreen

Consume no more than 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day

Avoid red meat

Sleep 7-9 hours per night

Get 15 minutes of sunlight a day

Eat a low cholesterol diet

And on and on.....

Frankly, I can't live in a sterile, sinless bubble. You probably can't either. It's understandable that so many people hopelessly throw in the towel and do nothing. So, for me, the results offer some leeway in those areas where my body might be able to tolerate some extra indulgence.
Convinced?

For those of you who are still uneasy about learning something you don't want to know: Do you avoid having blood tests at your doctor's office because they might diagnose something you don't want to know? Of course not. Why is this different?

For those of you who are nervous about your personal genetic history being on the internet and having your privacy violated: Who really cares about your personal genetic history other than you, your family, and the people that love you? Strangers would much rather know about the details of your bank account.

For those of you who are nervous about your insurance or employer using the information against you: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law in 2008. It protects Americans against health insurance and employment discrimination based on their genetic information.

So, just do it!

Stop the Drama and Spit!

Create Health,
Archelle

~ Courtesy "Archelle on Health"

Note: The image in at the top of this blog was provided by Lynn Fellman who creates fine art that is inspired by the science and stories that are revealed by our DNA. More of Lynn's art can be viewed at http://www.fellmanstudio.com/.

For more information, visit Army Well-Being: Health Information.