Posted on 08/13/2020 8:23:12 AM PDT by Mrs. Warrior
After my husband was commissioned, we were assigned to Fort Rucker, Alabama. We moved our mobile home from Michigan and lived in Tiara Park, the mobile home park on post; it was a nice quiet place with nice people and a friendly community. Soon, My husband was deployed to Egypt.
That fall, I was alerted by Military Police pounding on the door. There was a strong tropical storm heading this way and all the residents in the park had to take shelter in the installation gymnasium. Already it had been raining hard and there was lots of water on the ground.
I told the children, now ranging from six to ten years old, to pack up some clothes and I got our photo albums and important documents out into the our GMC Jimmy. We started to drive towards the gym, there was a current like a river on the roads but we made it to the shelter safely. I parked as close as I could and when I opened my door the wind blew it back, I was fighting heavy winds. I went to the passenger door and opened it and stood in front of it to keep it open. “You kids grab your luggage, and come out one at a time”. I took each child and shuttled them into the gym foyer. We finally all were inside between the sets of doors where the sign in station was located. Just as we entered, we heard a ripping sound in addition to the howling of the wind and rain. I looked over at the PX across the street as the roof lifted up on one corner then the whole roof went up . Roofing and debris were flying every where!
As we began signing in a plump female Soldier told me we could not stay there as they were only taking the refugees from Florida. Frustrated, I got in her to my face “look here, you may think you are large and in charge but my kids and I were told by the MPs to evacuate from Tiara Park!” “Okay I didn't know”, she grumbled. “Well now you do!” “Sign us in now”!
We went inside to the gym floor and found a spot to put our luggage. I just wanted to sit down and try to de-stress! A woman came over and told me I needed to neaten up our luggage. The refugees from Florida bases were arriving as well, they were very stressed. This woman would go over to them and tell them to neaten up. I did not think that was the right thing to do, it was not as if everyone was throwing their belongings everywhere! Once the children were settled a bit, I went near the entrance and began to welcome people, I asked them how their trip here went. They would tell me, I would tell them I was sorry to hear that. I asked our children to help carry luggage.
As I looked outside, the tops of the pine trees were bent over and some were touching the ground!
Soon the staff began giving out cots cots to set up for the evening. I was sitting on a suitcase trying to figure out how to get the cots together. I was struggling, and got to the point where throwing it seemed like it might help get some stress relief. So I did.
Who was coming over just as I expressed my frustration? The neat picky lady! It landed right in front of her. She huffed and came over to me and said “I know you don't like me, but that is no reason to throw things at me”!
The staff made some food available for us displaced folks in one of the rooms. While we were getting dinner, some sweet person had set up our cots for us. If you ever had occasion to use an Army cot, you know how hard they can be to assemble!
The building began to shake as the storm's intensity increased and I realized that perhaps we chose a poor spot in the gym as the basketball hoop apparatus above us vibrated and shook ominously all evening! So we moved away from that danger zone! I gathered our kids for prayer and we hugged and drew comfort from and for one another. I wanted to give comfort to our kids as the storm raged outside.
I reassured the children how God had given me the most precious gift of joy when He gave you all to dad and I and when each of you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you became Children of God. I wanted to affirm that as born-anew people, they had everlasting life and that no matter what might happen while we sleep tonight angels will spread their wings over us and keep us safe.
Overnight the storm moved father inland and the area around Fort Rucker, although flooded and damaged by high winds and heavy rain, was quiet. In the morning they said local residents could go back to our homes.
I went out to the Jimmy to see what condition it might be in, and to my amazement all around the vehicle was a circle of debris but there was no damage to the vehicle! We gathered up our belongings and drove to our home. Many of the homes in the park were damaged, roofs torn, skirting and walls mangled. Again, amazingly, our home had sustained no damage! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
My husband called from Egypt on an Army radio/telephone link moral call to make sure we were safe. He told us that he had been watching the storm's progress and kept calling the house and thought as long as no one answered but it rang, everyone and everything was okay.
As the recovery and clean up process began, there was a tree in our yard had a big limb hanging down, it was very unsafe! I was quite concerned as our house was kind of the park's kids gathering place. As a stay at home Homeschooling Mom, we always had the latchkey kids coming over after school. I would give them cookies and milk. I would ask them how their day was and we all would play some outdoor game together.
I called DPW (the public works department) to come fix the dangerous tree. Three guys came over looked at it and told me that they had to go to the commanding general's house first. “Does she have kids I asked”? “No” they said, “but she has priority”.
Ahem! When I have problems with unreasonable people who will not do the right thing I have become proficient at enlightening them as to the risk they are about to embark on. I learned how to try to get them to see things more fairly.
I decided that I would use an age old trick woman have. If you cannot get a guy to do something needful, then you start doing it yourself. You then intentionally mess up a little so the guy usually cannot help himself. He will take over so its done right. ( but of course, I have little to no need to use this technique with my husband, we work together very well throughout our 38 years of marriage)
I told the DPW men “go ahead, the general's wife awaits!” “I will take care of it myself since my husband has a chainsaw”. Do you know how to use one they asked? “Well, I have watched my husband lots of times, I'll just cut out a notch at the bottom of the trunk”. One of the guys started to sputter, “that will knock the whole tree down”! “Well, all the kids will be home soon so I better get started” I replied. He said “You made your point, we will get it done right away!”
bttt
You sure like exclamation points.
I’m glad you’re our side, Mrs. Warrior.
Hey Tom, go read Theodore Roosevelt’s ‘The Man In The Arena’. See what he says about critics.
Only 20. Heck I use that many in one sentence sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read it years ago. Thanks anyway.
Your name, your story and your attitude, in other words, you, are AMAZING! Thank you for sharing.
Love this, thank you for posting!!!
Terrific chapter, Mrs. Warrior!
You havin' yerself a bad day, Tommy boy?
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