But to back up a bit.... the weeks leading up to Hyrum leaving were filled with a lot of family time. During the holidays Hyrum had two 4-day weekends in a row, and on regular work days, they weren't required to go early for PT (exercise). That meant he was around when the kids woke up, which is always a nice treat. Mixed in with all the family time was all the packing! Our guest room was taken over by camouflage, and it took Hyrum a few weeks to get everything in the right bags. Not to mention the night before he left staying up till 3 am. Some things don't change. I need to learn to embrace it. (But it's so hard! So many people are self-proclaimed procrastinators; I am just not one of them.)
On Friday morning we took a quick family picture. Then we dropped Hyrum off at work on our way to the gym, and said our 9- (10?) month goodbyes. They were flying out to Poland later in the afternoon. [Except of course he forgot something at home, so we actually swung by the office again later in the day.... and said goodbye again.] Unlike last deployment, where I cried all the way home at 4 in the morning, this was way less emotional. Maybe because I was less tired. But I also have a clearer picture of how things will all work out, and I know we'll be fine.
But these kids are sure going to miss having the 'fun parent' around.
We were excited to find great cell service in Poland! Hyrum can send/receive text messages and connect easily to Skype, so despite the 8 hour time difference, communication will be a piece of cake. What a blessing!
Hyrum said that when they flew into the airport in Wroclaw, there was a ton of press there to greet them. Because he was traveling in his Stetson hat, a lot of parents wanted to take pictures of their kids with his hat on. Imagine the difference between flying into Poland with such a warm reception and flying into Baghdad or Kandahar wondering who might be shooting at you.
So more information about his deployment, part of Atlantic Resolve, from ArmyTimes: The Army has increased its presence in Europe – sending soldiers and equipment – in an effort to reassure its allies in the region and deter against an aggressive Russia. This is the first time, however, that it is dedicating an entire armored BCT to the region for nine months at a time.
They'll be moving around a bit in Eastern Europe, but the first third of the deployment will be spent in Poland.
We visited Poland in 2014 with Tiago in tow. We stopped in Boleslawiec, where they sell Polish pottery. Then we visited Krakow and saw Auschwitz before driving back home. Coincidentally, Hyrum won't be far from Boleslawiec, but I'm sure his experiences there this time around will be very different.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks of Poland, and just envisions a big country in Eastern Europe.... nothing else. So I did a little research to find out more about Poland.
Famous Poles:
Marie Curie
Nicolas Capernicus
Pope John Paul II
Fryderyk Chopin
History
Poland has been around forever (it was an independent country over a milenia ago!) but in modern history has lacked independence. In the 1700's it was taken over by Slovakia, Russia and Prussia and did not become an independent state again until after WWI. That was short-lived; after WWII the Soviet Union instituted a communist government. Poland finally re-gained it's Independence in 1990.
Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 is what started WWII. During the war, 90% of the Jewish population was killed (almost 3 million) and nearly 3 million ethnic Poles were killed. Between the extermination of the Jews and the re-aligned boundaries, Poland went from being a diverse country to one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world-- 96% consider themselves Poles.
Popular food includes pierogis, sausage, cabbage. (The few meals we had there in 2014 were delicious! Hyrum will be eating meals in the same military cafeteria as the locals, so maybe he'll have sauerkraut for breakfast... ha)
Poland is a very flat country, geographically.
There aren't many young people, and birth rates are crazy low.
Polish is a slavik language.
It's one of the most religious countries in Europe. 85% of population is Roman Catholic. Pope John Paul II (Polish) was the first non-Italian Pope in 450 years.
Making the mission even more important, Poland actually shares a northern border with Russia, through their geographically independent province Kaliningrad. (A month ago I would have been clueless that there was a piece of Russia floating by itself over there on the Baltic sea.) It will be an interesting mission, since they're they're training with allies. There's way less concern this time around on my end about his safety, although stuff happens everywhere. I'm hoping it will be less stressful for Hyrum as well.
Good luck, 3rd brigade!
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