A New Level of Stupidity

Most of my readers know by now that Dan is supposed to be on his way home, but that I've been told time and time again that he was going to be home to only have them push back the date several times. On top of that, main bodies that are numerically behind Dan's main body and who left Afghanistan AFTER Dan did are coming home before him, what sense does that make? Well, this morning hit a whole new level of stupidity.

At about 3:45am I hear the phone ringing so I rush out of bed to answer the phone. I'm not going to name names, but a very pleasant sounding specialist on the other end informed me that my husband was on a plane to Nuremberg and that he will be home in approximately 9 hours. GREAT NEWS!! I was so excited, I couldn't go back to sleep and I went straight into planning mode so I can get some things before he got home. I was laying in bed, wide awake, when I hear the phone ring again. I answer, and it was the same specialist with the pleasant voice that called earlier telling me that the phone call was a mistake and that it was meant for a different main body. I was devastated, to say the least, but also very, very angry. There would be no sleep for me.

At about 6am I decided to write the rear detachment commander. This is what I wrote, but for the sake of anonymity names have been removed:

Cpt.,

I am writing because I wanted to let you know how disappointed I am with how things are being run in rear-detachment in regard to re-deployment communications to the spouses, specifically with Main Body 3. In the last e-mail I have received from you, you stated that my husband would most likely arrive sometime on Tuesday, and that to avoid putting us through an emotional roller coaster that you were not going to write us every time the flight information changes. Honestly, your entire lack of any communication with the spouses of soldiers on MB3 put us through more of an emotional roller-coaster than keeping us up-to-date would have been. Most of us were told by our husbands on Monday that the flight for Tuesday was canceled, and I know for a fact that I was not the only spouse who was waiting for some sort of “official word” from you. Instead we had to rely on sporadic (and sometimes wrong) information from our spouses and the rumor mill. We also learned that MB4 is coming in before MB3, which doesn’t make any sense to any of us, and it would have been nice to receive some clarification on the matter. It is amazing that when there is an FRG meeting or some other battalion event I get more e-mails than my inbox can handle, but when the information I need means the most to me I receive nothing but silence.

In the last e-mail we received from you, you told us to wait for the phone call that that was the most reliable source of information as to when our husbands were coming home. At 3:45am this morning I received such a phone call from Spc. I was ecstatic beyond words, too excited to go back to sleep and went straight into planning mode. Fifteen minutes later, I received another phone call from Spc., telling me that the phone call was a mistake, that it was meant for MB4 and that I should be receiving a phone call tonight in regards to my husband. She apologized profusely, and I told her it was okay but I only did so to rush her off the phone before I totally melted down. Needless to say, I haven’t gotten any sleep since then. I understand that people make mistakes, but when the stakes are this high there is absolutely no room for error. I know for a fact that I am not the only spouse who received such phone calls this morning.

This is the fourth deployment that my husband and I have endured together and I must be honest and say that I have never been so disappointed with how a battalion has handled a homecoming as I am with the 173rd BSB. If this is what I am to expect, I fully hope that my husband PCS’s before the next deployment rotation comes up.

Respectfully,

Joanne Coddington
To the point, firm, but honest and not mean, right? I didn't expect miracles by any means by writing this e-mail, but I did expect more in response then what I go, which was:

Dear Mrs Coddington,

I am very sorry for our mistake. I am very disappointed too, by now I was hoping to have the entire battalion home safe and sound. There is nothing I can do to change SPC mistake but to apologize for it. The flights do change every two to four hours on the tracker. Sincerely:


CPT

That's it? Really? No "we'll try and do better to keep you updated" or "I understand why you feel that way, but" or anything. I mean, I understand that plans change and flights get pushed back, just keep the wives up to date with the information!

You ever feel like you're talking to a brick wall? Just when I think the Army or this unit cannot get any more stupid, it surprises me.