Misc Essay
There is a theory about disappointment that was created by David Bell in the mid-1980’s; the Disappointment Theory. It states that people contemplating risks are disappointed when the outcome of the risk is not evaluated as positively as the expected outcome. Disappointment can from not being able to care for one’s family while deployed; missing events in your children lives as they grow up.
The biggest hurdle for me is overcoming disappointment of not being there for my family and being a part of their everyday life while I’m deployed. My seven year old daughter Allison, has sadly spent more time on the phone with me than in person. I saw her first steps and heard her first words, but I have never been to a dance recital, been to a first day of school, or had the opportunity to help her with a school project. Allison lives in New York with my ex-wife, making even phone calls a difficult endeavor.
My exquisitely beautiful new bride relocated to Hawaii with me just to find out I was deploying to Iraq once again with my new Company. We have never spent a Christmas together and our first anniversary will be celebrated via web cam. Our first year of marriage was spent preparing for my upcoming deployment and then the official movement of my unit to C.O.B. Speicher.
All of this is not so bad in small doses or even spread out over the course of time, but I am currently on my third deployment in five years. My hopes are that my Company will not get extended to do an additional three months.
These kinds of factors can severely influence a person’s state of mind and ultimately lead oneself to depression. If not for the use of modern day technologies such as web camera’s, Skype, and email; these trials would prove to be intolerable. It doesn’t always fill the void but it does help me cope with these disappointments.
I’m at the half way point now of my deployment and looking forward to going on vacation soon to be with my family. I will try to make up for all the...
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