The day my brother mentioned he was thinking of leaving West Virginia University to join a branch of the service, I knew he was dead serious. It was not one of those times when someone has a big idea and doesn't follow through with it. Us Kmick's are doers - we follow through and get it done.
A few months of contemplation went by trying to decide what branch best fit him (and what branch would give my parents the lest amount of anxiety). The Air Force required excellent eyesight (which my brother does not have), and, at the time, the Army was a 100% guaranteed trip to Iraq or Afganastan.
After two years at WVU, he was meant for something bigger, something that could show him more of the world. He didn't go back the next semester and enlisted in the United States Navy.
I was a wreck.
I was scared.
I was worried how my parents would handle it.
I was proud.
The amount of courage it took him to make a decision like that DURING A WAR is way beyond the amount of courage I have.
He enlisted for 4 years and started at the Great Lakes Naval base located in Chicago Illinois in December 2008 for basic training.
So, what did I do the few weeks leading up to that?
Shed some tears and told myself to buck up, be strong, and deal with this. Not only did I think of my brother and how he was handling this, but I thought about myself and how I would actually deal with it. How would I feel without seeing my only brother for months at time? Would I be sad every holiday because he was not there with me to open gifts? Would I miss him yelling at me for asking questions when we watch movies? Would I be able to handle my parents seeing him go? Looking back I had no idea what to expect or what feelings would surface over the next 4 years.
The day to see him off finally came. My mom could not go - she just could not do it. She stayed at home while my dad and I drove him to the Naval recruitment office. He didn't want us to go in so we said our goodbyes in the parking lot. A few hugs, some quick words and we watched him walk off into his future. I'll never forget my dad quietly saying how proud he was of him and the look on his face seeing his son leave. It was one of those times when I realize how lucky I am to have my family. Just the four of us.
The next few months were a blur of letters, packages, and short phone calls every few weeks. Finally, February 2008 and his graduation from basic training allowed us to see him. He looked great, seemed happy and we were ecstatic to be part of his graduation.
A few more months went by and he was assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln - an aircraft carrier stationed in Everett, Washington at the time. It was not far from Seattle but just about as far from Pitsburgh as you can get.
Some facts about his ship (courtesy of Wikipedia):
- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier in the United States Navy. It is the second Navy ship named after former President Abraham Lincoln. Her home port is Norfolk, Virginia, and she is a member of the United States Atlantic Fleet.
- She is currently the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Nine and host to Carrier Air Wing Two.
- On 1 August 2011, the U.S. Navy announced that the Abraham Lincoln will shift its homeport from Everett, Washington, to Newport News, Virginia, for its Refueling and Complex Overhaul in August 2012.
- The ship departed Everett for the deployment that would take it around the world to Newport News in December 2011.
In civilian talk, this is a giant ship (364 yards to be exact) with tons of planes and helicopters. When on active duty, the planes fly 6 days a week to lots of locations but mainly Afghanistan and Iraq. The ship houses around 5,000 soldiers; ranging from cooks, medics, electronic techs, and pilots. The ship serves more than 20,000 meals a day, gives 250 haircuts a day and washes 5,550lbs of laundry a day. Her most recent trips include the Persian Gulf, Turkey, Dubai-United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Suez Canal, North Arabian Sea, Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur.
Oh, did I mention he signed for another 2 years?!? That will be 6 years total and he is still undecided if he will make the Navy is career or leave after 6.
This past August, after finishing his second deployment, he got to spend 3 weeks in Pittsburgh. This was the longest he had been home in over 4 years. It was awesome to have him home and spend some time with Jake. They had met the year before, but the most recent deployment has not allowed us to spend much time with him.
After that visit home, Adam moved into his first apartment in Norfolk, Virginia. He drives to the ship everyday since it is currently decommissioned and being renovated for its next tour of duty. My parents, Jake, and I took a long weekend to visit him and bring him some furniture (and the various meals I have been cooking and freezing for him the past few months).
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| The boys in front of the ship |
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| Adam's antenas on the bridge |
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| Adam showing us around |
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| The only way to get from level to level |
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| Little fuzzy but that was Adam's bed for 8 months |
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| The anchor chain mechanism |
He gave us a tour of the ship, which Jake was super excited about. We spent the weekend turning his apartment into a home, eating, shopping and spending the much needed time together as a family.
My little brother has been around the world and back (a few times!), all to protect and serve this country. Before all this Navy stuff went down, I was not the most patriotic or sentimental person. We all have heard stories of military kids not seeing their dad for a year and couples being separated due to deployments. It's all very sad but you can't fully understand what it's like until it happens in your family.
I have a new appreciation for the thousands of people in this country who have a loved one in the service. I can't even pass a flag without thinking of Adam and all the sailors on his ship. This experience has really softened me up, or maybe that's just me growing up, either way the past few years have not only changed my brother but they have changed me.
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