Cinco de Mayo...

What do those 3 words mean to you? Maybe not much, maybe you go out and drink a lot of beer. To me it has significant meaning, it is the day that my husband should have died.

May 5, 2004 5AM my phone rings. Nothing out of the ordinary! Dana called me everyday at this time when he arrived in Kuwait. This particular morning was different though.
D "Are you sitting down?"

Confused "yes, whats up?" Expecting him to tell me of an extension or something.

D "I hit an IED today and I'm in a hospital"

I don't remember the conversation much after that. I remember being really calm and thinking I should be freaking out. After we hung up the phone I called our parents and my family support group leader. Then I think I just got ready for work like normal. Not that I was cold to the fact that my husband had almost just died, but I figured I had 2 choices sit at home and worry about it or go to work, have something to keep my mind off of it and have the support of my friends who had always been there for me.

Later on in the day a representitive for the Army came to Ford and told me what they figured had happened. In fact it was not an IED but a RPG that hit Dana's truck that day. A RPG (rocket propelled granade) is suppose to penetrate it's target and then explode. By the grace of God, the RPG that hit my husband did not do that it exploded on impact, causing the door of the truck to take most of the trauma.

Dana had a surgery in the CASH hospital in Bahgdad then he was transported to Germany, he underwent another surgery there. Then he was on his way back to Ft. Carson CO. I had decided that Dana's mom and I would be in Colorado when he got there no matter what, the following Monday morning there was a plane leaving at 7:30 and we would be on it. Remember how much I loved my job? This is an example of the wonderful people there. The owner of Sioux Falls Ford, is great. When he heard what had happened he came and told me to take all the time I needed then 2 weeks more then he gave me his personal credit card and told me to pay for our trip with it. I dont think he'll ever know what that meant to me! So the following Monday morning we were on the plane. It worked out perfect! Dana was just getting settled into the hospital as we landed.

So what do I do on Cinco de Mayo? I thank God that my husband is here with me, that he can still walk and he is going to watch our kids grow up with me. That we got to have little Grace! I mourn for those that weren't as lucky as I am.