Yay for Election Years.

Not really. I hate politics.

Particularly when they interfere in my life so, so, so unpleasantly. Because I'm Pollyanna reincarnated, I just assumed Paul's mission had changed, that was why they were bringing home 75% of his battery and leaving him out at his little old patrol base with 20 trained Marines to drive, guard the base and burn the waste bags, and a bunch of untrained (at least not to my husband's standards) soldiers from other countries. I thought maybe he had transitioned to more teaching and training and less whatever-it-was-he-was-doing.

Nope.

The mission is the exact same. Same amount of ground to cover, fewer people to cover it. This would explain why we rarely get emails any more, talk to him maybe once a week (I haven't forgotten how lucky I am even at that, though!) and every time we do speak to him he's on his way in or on his way out.

I am not a cynical person at all and I don't hate this current administration, unlike so many of my Marine Corps friends. There are lots and lots of things I like, but I do not like it when people I know are turned into numbers. It's awesome that we're bringing tens of thousands of troops home! That is wonderful! But what about the fact that their work over there isn't done yet? And what about the guys still over there who are now doing the job of three people because voters in Whereversville, USA just need to hear numbers...no one talks about that.

I keep trying to end this without being sarcastic or cynical, but it's not working! So just imagine one...I'm going for pithy and straightforward without self-pity or ranting. Got it? Super.