Sniper is Coming Home Permanently

Most of you that have followed this pathetic blog, know Sniper came home from Iraq July of 2006 and had a shoulder injury when he was WIA in May of 2006. Which he had surgery on March of this year. You also know Sniper has PTSD that has manifested itself to a whole new level over the last year. Put the two of these together, along with the other "wounds" that he has received over has last couple of tours in Iraq and 16 years of his life in the Marine Corps and it was inevitable, he was put on a PEB Board and being Medically Retired. Or so we thought....... For those who have never been thru the process, the DoD will review your injuries and give you a rating. The difference in rating's will either give you pay and medical benefits for you and your family for the rest of your life (aka Medical Retirement) or a severance check and send you on your merry way (aka Medical Separation). Sniper and I have had over the last few months lengthy conversations and played the what if games. What if the board comes back with this? What if the board comes back with that, do we fight it? After a very long and agonizing process, the PEB came back last week. He had 3 days to either accept what the Board gave him or ask for a reconsideration. After 16 years of giving his life to the Marine Corps. Sacrificing everything, himself and his family for our Country....He received a Big Huge "FUCK YOU!" It was NOT an easy decision, but Sniper decided to sign what he was given and come home. He could have fought it, but at what expense? How much longer can he endure the path he has been on? The process to fight it could take months or even years. Would the outcome change from where he is at now? What price would he have to pay to continue to fight it? The whole process has made me sick to my stomach. He has sacrificed so much and in the end lost everything. The DoD doesn't give a Flying Fuck about him or anyone else. It is just a bunch of fucking Politician's playing games with people's lives.... I am going to tell you a story of a 11 year old little girl who understands something the DoD doesn't. An Excerpt from her writing: "I decided to do this report on my Step-Dad. He is a Marine. The reason I did this report on him is because he never gave-up. He always persevered, even when he got blown up, got shot at and even got pepper sprayed in the eyes while he was fighting a guy. He persevered and kept going back to Iraq. Since he spilt his blood for our Country to be Free, he was awarded with a Purple Heart. As a Marine he was called, "Sniper" and that is because he handled a gun. Sniper was a fast and great leader. He was always serious and cared about the other Marines." This came from a little girl who knows and understands a hell of a lot more than most will ever know. Our kids are Proud of what and whom he is and that is what means more than anything the damn DoD can give us. I am too frustrated to write more, but I wanted to let ya'll know where everything is at this point. Sniper should be home within the next 30 days. Unless the DoD continues to Fuck with him. Dyzgoneby Sniper, I love you with all my heart. Soon this nightmare will be over and you can come home to heal. You can come HOME to start a new life with all of your family. xoxoxo Your Wife

Summer is Over and Changes are Just Around the Corner

A lot has transpired in the last few months at the Casa and as usual life around here has been crazy to say the least. At the beginning of the summer Lego Man moved home. Lego Man has been asking for a long time and over the last six months, he keeps telling me, he wants to stay here. It wasn't an easy decision and one Sniper and I have been talking about for over a year. We were going to wait until Sniper was home permanently, but we talked it out and Lego Man needed to be here and it was the best decision we could have made. Now, before you go thinking , "What parent wouldn't want there child to live with them?" It's not as simple as that. My son is Bi-Polar and can be more than just a handful. I knew something wasn't right with him when he was 18 months old and by the time he was 7 he tried to commit suicide....twice. After a long, agonizing stay at a children's phys hospital I brought him home and realized I wasn't what my son needed. At this point I was even contemplating suicide myself. I was beyond exhaustion, physically & mentally. He needed a strong upper hand. How can I say this? My son also has a extreme temper and a violent one to boot. My daughter, Drama Queen and I both have been at the receiving end of it countless time. Yes, we both have been hit, punched, kicked and many of objects (furniture is included in this) have came flying at us from all directions. In the best interest of my son, I let my son move in with his father..... After several years of therapy, maturity, and huge help from Sniper he has become a changed kid. Sniper has worked very hard on helping Lego Man to control his temper. Some how the two of them can relate on the violent tendencies that can come over you quickly and how to step back and control them. Getting off track here, so back to this summer..... July I finished and passed the last of my exams. Now the hard part will start sometime in the near future when I "Flip Over" and become a Financial Advisor. I have been going back and forth over the last several months if I truly wanted this. It's not an easy career, but I have dreamed about if for years. It will be a long road of endless hours away from home and my family. However, I will be able to provide a rewarding future for all of us and it will allow Sniper to enjoy life at home with us....I will elaborate more. At the end of July, all our family was under one roof. All FIVE kids, Sniper & I for almost three weeks. Sniper's two youngest boys, Duder and Roo came home from Washington. It was exhilarating and exhausting all at once. The house was never quiet. Even though there is only 7 of us, we always seemed to have at least a few extra kids (either Bubba's friends or our niece and nephews and sometimes a mixture of both). WE stayed extremely busy.....endless nights of Family Guitar Hero, a Family Baseball Game, River Cats Game (local Baseball team), Family Movie Nights, BBQ's and Cooking for this whole crew....WOW!!!! Cooking for at least 10 people was a new experience. Then you have keeping up with a house with all these people here. Dishes and laundry seem to be the two huge one's. We averaged 2 loads of dishes and at least four loads of laundry a day (I can't wait to see what the water bill we be like, especially adding there were at least 10 showers a day). Sniper took care of the house. Everyday he handed out chores to everyone and if you didn't technically live here (the extended family and friends), don't worry you had your list to do was well. It was cute to come home from work and listen to who had what to do. One of Bubba's friends, at the age of 16, had never done dishes before. Well lets just say he CAN do them. We all had a wonderful time together and life was never boring or dull. And that brings us to the present.......everyone is now gone again. Duder and Roo back to Washington, Sniper at Camp Pendleton, Bubba back home and Lego Man, Drama Queen and I in a very quiet house. But, there is some changes coming soon. One that deserves a post all of it's own. It has to do with my FAVORITE Marine, Man.......MY husband, Sniper. Stay tuned, you won't want to miss it. Dyzgoneby