Fabulous Army Life

I've come to the conclusion that everyone deals with stress in their own way ... and that there are many 'right' and 'wrong' ways to do that. I have also discovered about myself that I tend to deal with immediate stress fairly well. Tragedies bring about a calm in me that seems uncharacteristic for my highly emotional normal self. I can make good decisions, help others, and present a reassuring demeanor on command. I think clearly and do not show any signs of panic in the heat of the moment. But when the heat of the moment has cooled ... it's an entirely different story. After the danger is gone, the stress sets in. When my family and I spent the afternoon on Fort Hood on Thursday, there were wild rumors and inaccurate reports flying about. The news channels continually blared information about a shooter (or shooters) on post, reported shots fired in several additional locations, and detailed information about the entire post being on "lock down....

PHOTO: The line of cars leaving Fort Hood with us last night after the post was re-opened. In a strange twist of fate, my husband and I were together with our two boys on Fort Hood on the afternoon of November 5, 2009. Killeen ISD had an early release day so we headed to post about 1:00 p.m. to get our H1N1 flu mists. We ended up being 'locked down' in the clinic for about six hours as we learned about the shootings taking place nearby and waited to hear resolution of the safety lock-down. It was a long afternoon of fear, rumors, and uncertainty. Yet even within the tragic circumstances that were unfolding as we waited, we found many things for which to be thankful. We were together. I can count on one hand the number to times that my kids and I have been with our Soldier on Fort Hood in the middle of a school day. I was so thankful that we were in the same place at the same time and had each other throughout the ordeal. We had friends with us. We didn’t know anyone i...