Desert Storm IRL
I listened to the news that the 109 th Medical Battalion would be shipping out to join “Operation: Desert Storm”. I froze. I belonged to the 294 th Dental Detachment, under the 109 th . Did that mean I would be shipping out to join the fray?? I glanced at the toddler at my feet and my thoughts raced, “Was our unit going with them? How long would I be gone? Would I even come back? What would I do with my son?” A huge knot formed in my stomach as the realization traveled through my entire body. My husband, also a member of the 294 th , was currently stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, for a two-month training. If I shipped overseas while he remained at Fort Ben, I would need temporary and maybe long-term caregiving arrangements for my nine-month-old son. Would he s...