Ten Year Dream

Five days.

 

Five days will mark the thirteenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

 

Five days will mark the thirteenth anniversary of unnecessary deaths, the loss of family members and a number of casualties.

 

Five days will mark the thirteenth anniversary of a tragic event that rocked our nation.

 

Also happening in five days?

 

My birthday.

 

Almost thirteen years ago, I woke up thinking it was going to be a birthday like any other birthday. I rolled out of bed, shut off the alarm and went to find something to eat. I ended up in my Mom's room, where she was watching the news. We watched the footage replay of the planes striking the World Trade Center and the chaos that ensued within the surrounding area.

 

It was definitely not a birthday like any other birthday.

 

Most people forgot that it was my birthday. No one sang. No one gave me a hug at school. Nothing. Our country was devastated.

 

Honestly? I wasn't thrilled that it was my birthday. I didn't care that it was my birthday. I was concerned for the people in New York, and then for the people in D.C.

 

My aunt worked in the Pentagon. We were fortunate enough to not lose her that day.

 

It was a national tragedy and every citizen of our country felt the sadness and the grief and the despair down to the very core of their being.

 

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A few years later, when I was 15, we lived through the third anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th. I was dating the boy who would someday become my first husband. He was talking about joining the military when he graduated high school.

 

That got the wheels turning.

 

My birthday had become a day the country recognized and stood together for. My birthday had become a day that many people had joined the military for. My birthday had become a day that many young men and women had died for.

 

I decided my sophomore year of high school that I wanted to join the military.

 

I wanted to join the United States Marine Corps.

 

It became my dream.

 

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My junior year of high school everything changed.

 

I became a wife and a mother.

 

I moved across the country.

 

I began preparing for my life as a wife and a mother.

 

But my dream remained the same.

 

I wanted to serve my country.

 

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Fast forward a couple of years, and my life has completely changed.

 

I'm a mother always, but I'm no longer a wife.

 

I'm learning how to parent on my own and I am spending my time trying to find a way to support my daughter and myself.

 

I know that I am not a candidate for the military as a single parent, but I still haven't given up.

 

I still have my dream.

 

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Now, here we are.

 

Ten years since the dream began.

 

And it's finally becoming a reality.

 

Almost one month ago I enlisted in the United States Army.

 

It's not the Marine Corps. But that's okay. I've been around the Marine Corps long enough to know that they life they live isn't one I want to take part in anymore.

 

My dream became the Army over the years, without even realizing it, I think.

 

I am fortunate enough to have a husband who is a medically retired veteran of the United States Army. He tells me almost every day how much he wishes he could go back and wishes he were still with his unit. He misses being in the Army and the purpose it gave his life. He is thrilled to support me in fulfilling my dream and I'm happy to know that it has become his dream for me.

 

I am also fortunate enough to have a daughter who understands that this family loves its country. That our family has sacrificed for this country and that her mother feels a need to serve her country and fulfill her dream. My daughter is fully supportive of my decision, though she is sad that I have to go away for a little while. She's also excited that when we move to our first duty station and we are all settled she will get to have a kitten.

 

I am incredibly excited to embark on this adventure! Ten years is a long time to wait for a dream to become reality, but I'm glad I waited.

 

I'm glad I had it in me to voice my dream to my husband. I'm glad I had it in me to see the recruited and take the ASVAB. I'm glad I had it in me to finally decide that the best decision for my family, and myself, is to fulfill my dream.

 

Our future is big. Our future is bright. Our future is full of amazing adventures.

 

My family is happy. My family is healthy. And my family is 100% supportive.

 

My hope is that my friends who have followed me since I began blogging a year and a half ago will also be supportive of my decision and continue to follow my journey, and our family's journey, through this incredible experience.

 

So... What do you say?