Deployment Day

Deployment day ... February 13, 2008.
It had snowed 10+ centimetres the night before, the roads were a hellish mess and getting to the base was difficult. Once at the drill hall though, we were amongst throngs of family and friends and the soldiers themselves, getting in that last bit of visiting before the troops departed for their flight.
Belinda was in great spirits, excited and anxious to finally be off on her journey...pleased to know she would be stationed at a post with at least one of her closest friends, Durnford. We stood around visiting and were approached by 2 members of the Legion wishing to do a story on Belinda, so she spoke with them and some photos were taken. I will post the results of that interview shortly. :)

There is not alot to say about departure day because it is such an anxious affair ... all of us standing around smiling big smiles, trying to joke and converse, but the ever-present lump in our throat knowing we are minutes away from the departure of someone we love and will miss deeply.

Granparents, spouses, friends, parents, babies, toddlers, siblings ...even leashed pets... people milling about everywhere, or clustered into tight groups...camera flashes, interviews, tv cameras, or in our case...hamming it up with each other doing our family trademark "Gypsy, give me your tears" act...which we tried to teach Troy and Durnford, without a lot of luck... but they tried, lol

Finally the time came for the soldiers to go into a seperate room where they would pick up their remaining kit and board the bus. It was time to say good-bye ... You could have washed that immense drill hall's floor with the tears that flowed. I had promised myself I would remain smiling, but I smiled through wet eyes, sniffles and a cracked voice when we said goodbye. One last hug and kiss, one last picture to hold us over for the months to come till she returns home again.

She was boarding a 16 hour flight... a big airbus that would provide meals every 2 hours... I was glad for that, hoping she would fill up before she faced a lengthy diet of packaged rations. I hoped she would sleep, as I know she had not slept much in the weeks prior so consumed with thoughts of being ready for this journey.

You want to be happy for them ... they have worked so hard this past year to train for this moment. Training had intensified in the recent years, to encompass every possible scenario, to ready the troops for a culture and climate so different from our own. You want to be happy, you want to be supportive - but it is a hard thing to see your child go on a journey that you can never possibly share. In my best possible moments, reading and acquiring every ounce of knowledge I can, I will never know what it is like to be there and have those experiences. I wish I could.

We left the base and drove home in silence. Everyone lost in their thoughts, missing her already.
Now the countdown to homecoming begins... we have a loose target of 215 days which takes us to mid September, though we have been warned that October might be more likely.

She is fit and ready, very well trained... intelligent, strong, intuitive and resourceful...she is willing to take a path less travelled. She is courage and love and humanity personified. I am so very proud of her, we all are.

See you soon Boogies, good luck and god speed... we are all waiting for your return...we love you!