My Story As a Military BRAT - Part 2

There was a phone call that changed my whole world.

November 20, 2011

A few days prior, we had spent several hours at a friend’s house baking Christmas cookies to send to the guys and gals who were deployed. We made TONS of cookies. For most of them, this would be the only taste of home they got for the holidays – both literally and metaphorically.

Since we were preparing to send out our Christmas care packages, we got some other essentials – Ramen, Easy Mac, Dum Dum lollipops, and other candies (the Afghan children LOVED these!). Once we got home, we were unloading the car when mom got a phone call. 

I don’t remember much of anything, but I vividly remember standing in the living room – at nine years old – and watching my mom drop to her knees screaming and in tears. One of our worst fears, became a reality.

My body went into immediate shock. I did not know what was going on and why she was crying. Nothing in my mind had clicked. And there was a word said that I should have known, amputee.

Right before my dad deployed, he got a four-day pass to come home. We saw one last movie together – Dolphin Tale. Kaylee – my younger sister was obsessed with dolphins at the time and wanted to see the movie.

So, when the word slipped from my mom’s mouth, I should have known exactly what it meant, but I did not for some reason. Now, I like to say my brain was protecting me.

My mom handed me her iPhone and said, “Go call Lina and tell her something happened to Daddy and that her and Joey need to get over here right now.”

I did what I was told. I ran to my room with my sister following in suit. 

I made the phone call and explained what I had heard between the tears from my mom. I sat on my bed and did one of the hardest things I ever had to do – hug my sister and tell her daddy would be okay. In the moment, I did not fully believe that but, it was all I could say.

The next little bit is a blur. Both my sister and I got our backpacks we needed for school and some clothes that were in a laundry basket and headed out the door to stay with some friends for the next few nights. 

I had no idea what had happened and what was going on. All I knew is that we said “goodbye” to mom and were rushed out the door. I saw what would be the first of many cars starting to pull up to the house but did really not know a single thing of what was going on – except something happened to daddy’s leg.

November 24, 2011 – Thanksgiving

Days had gone by and I had not seen or really heard from my mom other than maybe a short phone call at night. Those days were hard – and rightfully so. I was emotionally distraught and confused. I did not honestly know if my dad was alive, and what was happening back at home.

Today was Thanksgiving and boy was it a different Thanksgiving than what it used to be – and what it would be to come. Typically, we would load up and go to my grandma’s house every holiday. That was just not possible this time around. My mom had to stay by the phone waiting to see what was happening with my dad and what her travel status would be.

I hadn’t seen mom since leaving the house on Sunday. I remember being very excited to see her but also very concerned about what was happening to dad.

When my sister and I arrived home, I remember where we were all sitting on the couch and the friends in the living room when she broke the news. It was hard for her. She would never have imagined having to tell her eight and nine year old girls that their dad had been severely injured by an IED explosion in Afghanistan.

“Remember how Winter lost her tail?” She asked both of us, “Well, dad lost his leg.”

She was unsure of the best way to be able to tell us what happened to dad, but when she was on the phone with dad one day, he said “If a dolphin can do it, I can do it.” With that, she knew it was a good way to relate it to what we had already seen.

At the time, my dad was in Germany at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center receiving treatment for an amputation, severe limb salvage, and other injuries that were more minor compared to those.

He had been there for a few days. The medical staff were doing their best to stabilize him to bring him to the United States – either to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or Brooke Army Medical Center (now known as San Antonio Military Medical Center).

Later that day, many of our friends came over to have Thanksgiving dinner with us. It was honestly one of the best Thanksgivings I remember. We didn’t go anywhere, we didn’t do anything fancy. But it was a true military Thanksgiving. We all didn’t have much but we had each other.

Super late that night, Kaylee and I got the chance to talk to dad for the first time really since he deployed, but since he got hurt.

I remember it was super hard to understand what he was saying. I kept asking mom to translate it for me, but it was a miracle to hear his voice. I clearly remember him saying that the phone was shrinking and if he put it down, it would grow back to normal size. It was because of the medication he was on but it is funny looking back at that now.

27 November 2011

They were preparing to fly my dad from Germany to San Antonio for further treatment and recovery.

Due to the unknown and the severity of the case, my mom flew down to Texas by herself with support of our unit. My sister and I stayed back in Ohio where we could be around our military family and continue with our schooling.

It was approximately a month before we saw mom and dad again.