Lashed By Storms

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version,

Deployment to Africa

The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. Proverbs 14:15

            Mike’s deployment to Djibouti proved an entirely different experience from his deployment to Rota. The area was quite different culturally, with a blend of Somalians and Muslims. Though it had been more than four years since the Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Cole had been bombed, terrorist attacks were still being carried out in the region.

            “While I never felt personally threatened, I had to be careful walking from the base into town—all Navy personnel had to be sure to go to the right places. None of us ever walked into town alone, particularly the women. When we did, we usually visited the French restaurants, where it was safer and more in keeping with American culture.

            “The one thing that hit me immediately, during my time in Djibouti, was the utter poverty. I had never seen anything like it. I’d always heard people talk about poverty in Ethiopia. Suddenly, I was hearing Ethiopian contractors making fun of Djibouti because of how badly the country was run down, compared to their own.

            “My deployment gave me an opportunity to put into practice all I had learned about being a Joint Task Force surgeon. I was assigned to a command element, and in charge of medical coordination and logistics, making sure there was adequate medical coverage in the area. I found being involved in the big picture, operational side of things, rather than direct hospital care, to be rewarding.

            “Actually, being involved in operational matters outside of classic patient care was a key factor in my continuing to serve in the Navy. That, and how I’d been treated during my bone marrow transplant were the two main reasons I continued to serve. If the Navy had confined me strictly to emergency room medicine, I could have easily done that outside the military, and spared myself and my family from relocation every few years.”

            Communication from Djibouti wasn’t as easy as it had been from Rota, and Mike dearly missed his family. Learning about Aaron’s accident was stressful—he wanted to be there to see for himself that his son was okay.

            “I knew from our occasional brief conversations that Anne was burning the proverbial candle at both ends. That she was no longer comfortable hiring a sitter was something I understood, but I knew it put additional pressure on her.

            “It didn’t take much for me to feel guilty, at times, for not being home and helping Anne after she started home schooling our boys. She had told me she couldn’t wait for me to get home, but I knew she was by far the more patient teacher. I was just so thankful she was willing to take that on—over the course of the years I had met many fellas who didn’t have a reliable family member or spouse to take care of matters at home. Never once did I have to worry that Anne didn’t have things under control.”

A Precaution

            An area known as Gold Mountain, not far from the Schlegel home, was an ideal spot for people to target shoot. Anne and Mike had heard about the area from others.

            “I knew Anne was quite capable and could take care of herself and our sons while I was deployed, but she was alone with Noah and Aaron so much of the time. We had conversations about what she would do if ever it was necessary to protect herself and the boys. We checked out Gold Mountain—it would indeed work for target practice.

            “If Anne was going to handle a weapon, she needed a handgun she could feel comfortable handling. After I got back from Rota, we spent some time shopping and educating ourselves about the pros and cons of different models of handguns—Anne decided on a .45 caliber Taurus Judge. Its weight and balance were perfect for her hands.

            “Our boys came along for target practice. In spite of their respective learning disabilities, each proved to be a good shot. We taught them how to properly handle guns, stressing gun safety above everything. Anne became proficient with loading, unloading, and shooting her Taurus Judge. Every weekend we went target shooting we threw hiking and biking into the mix—we were well aware the boys wished those weekends would never end.”

            Since Anne had become a proficient shot, Mike knew he would worry less about his family when he wasn’t home. He prayed, however, that she would never need to her handgun to protect herself or their boys.

***

I couldn’t identify with what it took physically and emotionally for Anne to keep things going while her husband was deployed. She didn’t want him worrying about her or their boys. Mike needed to focus on his responsibilities.

He couldn’t do that if he thought his family wasn’t safe.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Continue to Chapter 23