We had one last gathering on Justin’s last day of work. A luncheon at California Dreaming for soldiers and a few spouses. Knowing we had this luncheon approaching, I mentioned to Justin how bad I am with names so, could he tell me who was going to be there. He said there would be about 40 people and not to worry about it. I thought, “40 people! Holy crap! Didn’t we already have a ceremony and a party?”
Sure enough, when I got to California Dreaming, the back room of the restaurant was reserved. We had lunch, impromptu speeches, awards and presents.
Our life together started with moving across country to prepare for a one year deployment to Iraq. When Justin was in Iraq, we heard on CNN that his deployment had been extended to 15 months, which meant another Thanksgiving. We went from honeymoon stage to therapy. From All you need is love to PTSD and depression. We moved back to Texas for another six months. We got wind of another deployment, and Justin pulled strings to get to a non-deployable position close to home. So we quickly and thankfully packed up for Fort Jackson.
Sitting at California Dreaming, it hit me that these are the people that have brought the “sweet” to our “bittersweet” Army experience. {Aside from our Texas crew.} Moncrief Hospital welcomed us with open arms. They guided the path for Justin, and for four years I believe he exceeded their expectations. I know that the Army will miss Justin. And I can now say that there are many things about the Army that Justin and I will miss.
I think after three blogs on the subject, we all get the point… here are some of my final photos I snapped of my soldier, usually accompanied by our son.
One of our last soldier breakfasts.
The night of the Change of Command.
Ice cream celebration on Justin’s last day.
And the very last time Captain Helfer put on his uniform. A tearful moment.
Justin, I am so very proud of you. You are an amazing provider, and I am so thankful to have a husband that puts his family above all else. This has been a journey I never could have predicted. The first chapter of The Helfers. And a successful one, at that.
You make many proud,
and I love you so very much. Here’s to the next chapter of The Helfers.
Beautiful!
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