Personal Narrative

My brother kept on crying as I pulled him closer into my arms, listening to the sirens blasting the in distance. As the ambulance pulled up, I couldn’t move. My body was frozen holding my brother watching the paramedics pull my mom from the car. I tried to call out for her, but nothing came out. They worked quickly strapping her to a gurney and whisking her off into the distance. Through the fog, I watched the ambulance until I could no longer see the lights. It was then realized that my mother was gone, and we were all alone. As a policeman approached us he got down on one knee to be face to face with me.

I couldn't believe we were actually leaving Florida. My heart sank when I got into the car. "Why do we have to leave?" I asked my mom as I started to cry. My brother had helped us pack, and he walked up to the car and gave me a hug and said goodbye. Saying goodbye back was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Earlier today a few of my friends dropped by to say goodbye. I love my friends in Florida i didn't want t leave them at all! But, The hardest part of today was leaving all of my family. I don't now what I'm going to do without knowing that they were not going to be a few minutes away anymore. They would be 16 hours away!

It was a cold day in November as I scampered out of my Biology class, unsatisfied with the grade that I had received on my exam. I rushed to the basement of my campus’s athletic facility brimming over with frustration and quickly tossed aside my school supplies in exchange for a pair of soccer cleats and goalkeeper gloves. I threw over my grass-stained gray cotton sweatshirt, stepped outside to the bite of an approaching winter and joined my comrades in our warm-up lines. The boys were all laughing and talking about what happened over the weekend as we prepared for another practice. Being surrounded by my teammates made me forget about my worries and allowed me to disappear into the routine of physical activity. My collegiate varsity soccer

Then he looked at me with hesitations and told me that he was moving tomorrow. My crying went so much worse, but he said he will be back, he just don’t know when. My stomach started to hurt I felt tightening of of my mussels that happens when I start to feel significance. The last things he said was I am going to beat him up once I get back then to take a picture of us and save it as my cover photo and I’ll always get to see him. And that he is always here no matter how far away he is even without the only true brother I just give prayers he is

I started playing volleyball in 3rd grade. My dad wanted me to play because my sister also played. It was my first day being a 3rd grader and my dad told me I should get into volleyball. From there I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play. I watched my sister play every game and it looked like it was hard so I didn’t think I could do it.

My nose fills with the sensational smell of garlic bread as I bound down the stairs. My dad just got home from work and I greet him with a massive hug. Dinner is just about ready so my brother and I set the table. My mom, dad, brother, and I sit down and begin eating our spaghetti dinner. We sit in the sad, scared silence we usually do ever since we moved here.We all know that we wish we were still in Carlsbad with the rest of our family and that with everything going on there’s nothing we can do to change that. So, we sit in silence because we are also tired of hearing about how close we are to nuclear war. Then out of nowhere my brother slings a fat meatball at me from across the table. For the first time in a long time, I can hear the cackle of my mom and dad’s laughter that sounds like music to my ears. The table erupts with laughter and I can feel the mood of my whole entire family shift back to the happy easy going people that I know and love. For the first time since we moved here, I thought I could actually get used to living here with my one of a kind family. Then the bomb sirens go off, only this time we can see the bright balls of light headed our

I mended my body into the fabric of the hammock, curling my face into its warmth and accepting its embrace. Alex began swinging the one next to me before settling in. My legs rose up in the air, swaying around while I examined the old scars on them.

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself there again. I always find myself in the same place, stuck in the exact moment of time when it all happened. I struggled to get a hold of myself. Is this a memory or am I still in Afghanistan?

September 20th, 2016 was the day I was dreading the most out of the whole year. That was the day when my boyfriend of almost two years would be leaving to begin his training as a United States Army Military Policeman. We had to wake up at six in the morning to begin our journey to the Gloucester Army Reserve office where his recruiter would take him to the Richmond International Airport to begin his trip to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Saying goodbye to somebody who has been by my side nonstop for the past two years was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Little did I know, the next five months would be nothing but a few phone calls and occasional letters by mail.

It had been around 42 days. I had no way to know when the sun was rising or setting; I only had my sense of time. They came in every day and gave me a small loaf of bread, some sort of meat, and only enough water to wash down my food. It was not enough to give me strength only enough to keep me alive. I was not sure where I was or even how I got there. The only thing I knew was that I wished I could go back home to my loving family.

Right before my brother left to bootcamp, I lost my Uncle while he was deployed. This had a huge impact on my life as well as my family. It is still hard for all of us. I did not want my brother to leave and in the same field as I lost my Uncle. Anything referring to the Military, brought up those fresh memories of him. I wanted to share the happiness of a new adventure for my brother, but was also torn. On one hand, I was excited but scared for him. When he got ready to leave (being tough guys) we exchanged bro hugs and tried not to shed tears. But he said, "It's not good bye, it's see ya soon." As he walked away I yelled our old saying, "Catch ya in the flipside!" That was our way of, "It's gonna be

Reflecting on my emotions from the past week I can say, I am finally able to smile. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend my husband’s Basic Military Training graduation, which took place in San Antonio, Texas. I had been waiting for this event all quarter, that day where I would finally get to see my Airman. Even though I was only in Texas for a few days that was enough to appreciate, and realize how much I missed and need my husband. Nonetheless, the hug and that kiss at the end of his graduation made up for all of the tears and sacrifices I had to go through these past weeks. It had been eight long weeks without seeing him, so I was super excited to see him. However, before getting to the base, I wondered if he would be the same person. I wondered if I would be able to turn on my emotions or pick up where we had left off. I was unsure, of my emotions since I had managed to turn them off for some time, I was afraid of the way I would react, nevertheless, all I wanted was to see him.

It started out as yet another wet and sloppy day in the camp with nothing to do. I sat in my bunk listening to my buddies talk amongst themselves about the crappy weather and the war. They chatted about the normal things; all of them wanting to finally get home and be dry, but all of them knowing that it would not happen any time soon. As I sat there in my hard cot, my mind drifted off to the fond memories of home in Iowa. I remember my sister and my two brothers and recall the great times we had together. I can still picture the looks on the faces of my family as I left them that day and also the face of my dear wife, Chris. Oh, how I miss them all so much and I know that I have to make it back to them. I also think about my job back at home at the truck and trailer repair shop and the

A few months pass and it is now June. It was my last night of work before leaving, so I did overtime at work. Drained and once home, I went over all the things I would need while gone. Everything seemed to be in order, so I turned out my light and went to bed. “Wake up Boo, you need to get in the shower and finish a few things before you leave, gripped my mom. I groggily rolled out of bed, got in the shower and loaded my suitcase in the Jeep. Our drive was silent. Mom always hated dropping me off at the airport. She felt as if she would never see me again. At the departure terminal, I said my good-byes and made haste to the security check. Once threw security I waited around until my boarding time. I was headed to Detroit, Michigan.

My heart ached like I was hit with a ton of bricks. The white busses were lined up and it was time to say goodbye. I did not want to take the time we had left for granted. Our hug seemed like it lasted for an eternity; each time we would let go we would grab each other once more for another strong embrace. Wiping away my tears, my husband made a promise to me and our unborn son that he would stay safe and would come home soon. He told me this was not a goodbye but only an “I will see you soon.” His ever so caring smile calmed me and I was able to let him go.