working overtime

Everyone is well aware by now of the hurricane that struck Haiti last week, and the damages that ensued. I have been feeling a little pang of guilt when I see wrenched faces of pain and hear stories of displacement and dismemberment, and ads asking for donations to help. In those moments I try to decide which is the best way for me to help. And then as I am snapped back into my own life by my baby screaming from his own teething pain and realize I am missing a member of my own family to this devastation. I breathe again, and then push away the feelings of guilt and replace them with pride.

Johannes has been working 12-14 hour shifts into the early hours of the morning, over at the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC) with his Lt. Col and General working around the clock international law issues which, let me tell you, are urgent and myriad. Nearly every issue that arises with this rescue effort has some sort of legal angle which they have to review, assess, and advise upon.

This is exactly the real world help Johannes wanted to be involved in when he decided to study International Law. He has spent 8+ years studying just to get to this point and has learned so much over the past week, it's astounding to hear from him, in the 2 hours a day I have seen him awake, the types of things they have been involved in. From the big CNN story about the rescued orphans, where a Lt Col from his office literally put the children on a place to the US, to confidential issues he can't tell me about.

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and one of his main tenants, as is echoed by President Obama, was to look after those who are being oppressed and unable to stand on their own. To give service to those in need. Although we had been looking forward to a three day weekend to celebrate the holiday, and instead the kids spent the days in a disrupted state of confusion having their fun plans cancelled, it has been a wonderful teaching lesson for our kids as to the importance of service to our fellow men.

I have been hearing a good deal of negativity beginning to surface that the US Military is not doing enough, fast enough for the people of Haiti and I find that incredible. There are soldiers on the ground in Haiti, and 4 blocks from my home that have not slept comfortably, not been able to go to their homes, not eaten well, not seen their own families for many days, in order to help others they do not know. This is an act of service and should be received with gratitude, not demands. The US Air Force may be best known for their war power, but over 80% of their missions are humanitarian in nature. They train for this sort of event, execute similar processes on a daily basis and are doing even more behind the scenes than can be imagined.

For being a military spouse, and even an American, I am not patriotic, but what the military has taken on and been able to mobilize and accomplish in less than a week is staggering. I think of how even a few decades ago if this were to have happened, with the lack of communication to the outside, it could have been days before anyone even knew about the event, and thousands more lives would have been lost. History shows that many, many more would normally die, and that it could take decades to recover. Fortunately, there have been innovations that allow for such speed and immediate relief.

So, as one who is giving of her husband, and in turn her time and her sanity to help the Haitians, I would ask that you take a moment to recognize this as an opportunity to truly be proud of our nation's positive military efforts, and if you hear of anyone complaining that enough is not being done and quickly enough, tell them to shut their mouth and check their history books, or at least come over to rock my crying baby to sleep because his daddy is off doing amazing things.