We all know the military likes to throw loopholes into our future — it’s part of what they’re known for, right? We can plan and plan and plan until we turn blue in the face, but at the end of the day, our lives are basically in their hands.
So when the Department of Defense announced in February that they are closing my husband's squadron out here in Italy I was slightly surprised at my reaction. I didn’t cry and I didn’t get overly upset. Instead, we re-prioritized and evaluated our situation. I think people (myself included) expected me to gripe, moan, and rant my little heart out about how crappy it is that we have to move after we just got here six months ago, but we decided to seize the opportunity and enjoy the time we still have left in Europe.
The Air Force still hasn’t given us any indication of a plan. Rumors of what may happen to the 300 plus airmen and their families in this squadron are flying around like kites on a windy day, but until anything official comes down the pipeline we’re letting it go in one ear and out the other.
When this news hit I decided that I didn’t want to be complacent and throw away the rest of our time here. It would be so easy — no matter where you’re stationed, whether in Italy, another country, or in any town in America — to give up and just throw a pity party about how you have to move again.
We don’t know when we’re leaving or where we’re going, so while we sit and wait for answers we’re continuing on with our lives. My husband’s still gearing up for a deployment and I’m treasuring every day we have here together. We’ve finished making this new house into a home and visitors are rolling in. We're keeping busy and making plans for the future, fully knowing we’ll be leaving sooner rather than later.
Did you hear that, Air Force? Despite our time getting cut short, we’re still making plans! And instead of getting upset I’m actually getting excited for what our future my hold. At least I’m no longer a PCS virgin this time around!
Have you been in a similar situation resulting in an earlier and unplanned PCS? How did you react?
photo by: K. Kendall
