An Open Letter to President Obama and Congress

An Open Letter to President Obama and Congress:

I have not been under a log...I have not been out of the country...I have simply had too much faith. I shrugged off the idea that the government could actually "shut down" due to your inability to pass a budget....by April. Ridiculous, I thought. They would never let that happen. Well they is you and you have lost the trust of the American people. Even you, Mr. Well-Spoken, Fight-For-Main-Street-Not-Wall-Street Obama. When I think of how many times I went to bat for you, pointing out all of the good you have done, I now find that I am embarrassed. A wolf in sheep's clothing, I believe we would call that.

Please tell me, leaders and lawmakers, have you ever watched someone you loved board a plane, bound for war? Have you ever counted the minutes until the next email/phone call/letter from that person? Have you ever received a message that everyone on base is in lockdown because "something happened"....but you don't know what or who until the family has been notified and lockdown is lifted? We have been through 3 deployments...T-H-R-E-E...I have been through all of that. And yet, every time the orders come and the duffles are packed, I say a prayer, salute the flag, and feel the tears of patriotism sting my eyes.

I don't feel patriotic today.

Today, I am just angry.

I think it must be nice to take a limo to work. My husband takes an uparmored HMMVEE. 

I think it would be lovely to stroll into the office at 8:00 AM. My husband is dressed and starting PT at 0530. Sometimes he is there at 0530 because he has yet to leave from the night before.

It must be delightful to choose from any number of 5-star restaurants in the Washington D.C. area. Neal routinely eats, without complaint, whatever is served in the chow hall. When a day goes crazy and he misses chow, he eats an MRE...which is nothing like tapas or Lunchables.

I can only imagine what it's like to have an assistant (or several) to help keep your calendars straight and your meetings on time. My husband has a small green notebook that fits in the cargo pocket of his pants and a Battle Buddy, who keeps him from becoming a target on the business end of an IED. 

I know it must be hard to leave your families in your districts when you travel to D.C. for business. Although every Soldier of the 352 willingly joined the Army, none of them wanted to kiss their parents, spouses, children goodbye for a year. They will miss births, weddings, funerals, graduations, so many moments that only happen once in a lifetime. 


I realize it's difficult to reach a consensus on critical matters, like the federal budget, when there are 536 of you. Neal and 50,000 other troops must communicate, coordinate, and cooperate or lives are lost and families are changed forever.

My prayer for you tonight is this: that when your driver navigates you home...through streets safe from car bombs, gunfire, tripwires...and you enter your home...which is climate-controlled and smells deliciously of lasagna and chocolate chip cookies...and you kiss your spouse and kids again for the first time since 9 hours ago...when you dry off from a hot shower and put on freshly laundered pajamas...when you lie down in your king size bed and snuggle up to the one who gives meaning to your life and the work you do...that you will think for just a moment about the men and women who are far from home...living in hostile territory, showering when they can, sleeping in a bunk, and kissing a photo of the one who gives meaning to their lives and the work they do. And then ask yourself,

Would I do any of that for free?

Which is what you will be asking, or expecting, of our military if you do not pass a budget by Friday. For me, the red, white, and blue are colors that will never fade and never run. You, leaders and lawmakers, are an embarrassment to the flag, our Constitution (which you should all be familiar with, as you spent an entire work day reading it aloud), and the American public. We are way past annoyed...we are disgusted. And if you ask the military and their families to sacrifice emotionally and financially, we will soon become a country without a competent military.

As a Captain's wife, it is not my place to debate our role in the Middle East...whether we should divide and conquer or run like Hell and try not to get caught in the crossfire. We follow orders and the chain of command. We do what we are told and attempt to keep the opinions and complaints to a minimum. We do this so that you may continue to pass laws, grant freedoms, and set budgets. You are not holding up your end of the bargain. You, clearly, have NOT got this.

May the sound of boots on the ground and Taps ringing out in the dark haunt your dreams tonight. May you wake tomorrow renewed and ready to think about the true American heroes. May you set aside the bickering, the childishness, the self-inflated ego and get down to the business of funding our military so you can continue to ride your limo through bomb-free streets and pass laws granting the freedoms which are protected by our United States Armed Forces.