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By Alyssa, November 30, 2009 6:29 pm

It was really early for Bubba

After a few naps and lots of cleaning, I’m officially back from the Thanksgiving holiday.  It was a great week catching up with an old Army friend and his boys.  That’s right, I was outnumbered six boys to just me, and felt right at home!  We started a new family tradition this Thanksgiving and all signed up for the Turkey Day 5K in our neighborhood.  The four of us were out the door at 8:15 am and ready to run.  Well, we were kind of ready if you don’t count forgetting a bike pump for our jogging stroller (a friendly stranger helped us out) and showing up right as they ran out of race shirts (supposedly they will send them to us later).  Hubby and I got our competitive juices flowing during the run and Bubba even ran his first race in the kid’s 400m fun run.

It was nice to work off some calories before totally engorging ourselves that afternoon, but the real reason we ran the race was to support National Guard families.  The race sponsored the Colorado National Guard Foundation, a program that provides assistance to National Guard service members and their families experiencing financial hardship.  What many don’t realize is that more often than not Reserve and National Guard service members that deploy take pay cuts in order to serve their country.

During my first deployment, my unit crossed the Iraqi border with a platoon of Florida National Guardsmen attached as a security detail.  Stuck in the middle of the desert with these infantry men, I learned a lot about the hardships of “part-time” soldiers.  Several of the soldiers left six-figure jobs when they were called to active orders in support of the war.  Although there are laws that protect soldiers from losing their civilian jobs during deployments, those laws don’t protect soldiers from missing out on civilian promotions and incentives.  The platoon sergeant of the unit was passed over for promotion during our deployment because he wasn’t in the states to take a test given only once a year.

Is this treatment fair?  Probably not, but it’s just part of being in the Guard.  I think of my parents as my mom tries to hold down the fort during my dad’s current deployment.  Unlike active soldiers that have well-organized family support groups and a fort or base nearby, my mom resources her help on her own to survive.  Because National Guard and Reserve issues are so close to home, it felt good to support their cause on Thanksgiving.  While I started a new tradition with my family on Thanksgiving, my dad took part in an old tradition.  He and other senior leaders served Thanksgiving to the troops at his dining facility in Iraq.  I’m praying next year he can take part in my tradition, home with his family.  Check out the Colorado National Guard Foundation website to see how you can support soldiers and their families this season.

Run, Bubba, Run!

I won, Mom!