God Speed Tony

Kansas City to Chicago. Chicago to Frankfurt.  Frankfurt to Qatar.  And finally, Qatar to Kabul, Afghanistan; the ass print of the world.



Try as we might, our family could not stop time. Tony, Mike’s brother, left at dawn this morning for Afghanistan, where he will spend the next three hundred and thirty five days. Tony goes as a civilian this time; he spent a year in Iraq as a Lt. Colonel for the U.S. Army just a few short years ago. Suffice it to say we were thrilled when he returned safe and sound, and even more so when he retired from the army and took a civilian job with a defense contractor. “Safe at last”, we thought.


Now he and two of his buddies have been given an opportunity to put their unique and highly sophisticated technical skills to excellent use, which will no doubt contribute greatly to the safety of all military personnel in the region.


But a year is a long time. Especially when:


You have two teenage sons back home, one just learning to drive, and the other new to navigating those tricky 2 lane county blacktop roads.


Your wife is left to manage the household, this particular one on 20-plus acres.


You have aging parents and stepparents facing health issues.


You yourself no longer walk in a young man’s body; Tony turned fifty years old last fall and the creature comforts of home traded in for a cot in a tent will surely be missed.


And the list goes on.


But as we turned out the lights last night and went to bed, Mikey’s words hit me the hardest. “God damnit… I’m really going to miss my brother.”


And there was nothing I could say to ease his pain and worry.


God speed Tony; stay safe and come back to us soon.  We love you.