One of my best friends in the world is overseas right now serving the US Army in Afghanistan. I miss him a lot but dealing with him being away has helped me to appreciate and learn from the incredible strength of military families. The ability to carry on while a loved one is away for long periods of time is something that I think is extremely admirable. Most of the time, the family members of military know very little about where their soldier is or what they are doing at any given time, because they are unable to release very much information. Deployments can last anywhere from four or five months to fifteen months, and the ability to communicate during this time is limited to say the least. Writing letters back and forth to your soldier can be fun, but it usually takes about a month from the time you send your letter to the time you get one back, and that can be a  long time to wait for a response to old news. But any communication is better than none, and military families will take whatever they can get. Some soldiers have the ability to use email and Skype, while others don't have such luxuries. Depending on where they are and what missions they are assigned, their ability to call home varies as well. Sometimes they are out on missions for days at a time and don't have access to a phone, while other days they are given time off to rest (they usually take this opportunity to sleep for hours and hours on end), and make phone calls home. On these days, it is not uncommon for a soldier to spend the entire day on the phone, making call after call to people that they miss at home. Sometimes they only have a few minutes to talk, but just knowing that someone is OK and saying hello makes all the difference in the world.

I usually hear from Austin about twice a week now as he has more down time now and is able to use the phone more, and all he usually wants to talk about is the familiarity of home. He doesn't like discussing the things around him and it's gotten to the point where I hate to even ask because I know for him, calling friends and family back home is a way for him to escape what's going on around him for a little while. For this reason, I usually find myself babbling about every little insignificant detail of everyday life that I can think of, just to keep the conversation light and focused on home. Austin is one of the most positive, happy people I have ever met and his ability to keep his sense of humor while doing his job inspires me. Sometimes I feel like I'm the one struggling to hold myself together when we talk, even though I know that I have nothing to worry about concerning my safety here at home.

He comes home for leave in January, and it will be his first time back in the states for 9 months. One of our favorite topics of conversation is what he's going to do first when he comes back. He always makes me laugh when he says he's going to roll into Lexington and head straight to Qdoba to get a chicken queso burrito. Knowing him, he's probably not even lying. I can't wait to see him, and I know none of our friends can either. When you're missing someone, the difference is finding people you can rely on for good support. For the thousands of military mothers, fathers, siblings, wives, husbands, and children, who go on with living their lives each and every day never knowing what will come next for them and for their family, I applaud you. Loving someone in the military is a full time job, but I believe it's one of the most true and loyal kinds of love out there. For me, just being in Lexington and around the people that know and miss Austin right along with me, helps a lot. For his 21st birthday in September, we worked together to create a video monologue to send him and I know how much it meant to him to see all the people he loves the most wishing him a happy birthday over video camera. It's a video he will be able to watch again and again when he's missing home and the people he's left behind. Having people who understand what you're going through and will always be there to talk, is the best way to get through any adverse situation. Austin will always be our most adventurous friend, and we just have to do all that we can to keep up with him and support him and all the others over there with him. Support our troops. Come home safe Austin, and SOON!