During the Holidays, Some Children Will Not See Their Military Parents

In April of 2009, on the way to a VFW meeting right before my husband, COL (R.) Randy LeCompte, deployed for war, our grand-son, Tristen, who was then six asked from the back seat, "Nana, how are we going to keep Papa Randy safe when he goes to war?"  I told him we would pray for him that God would keep him safe, because there was nothing that he and I could do, we are just human beings.  I told him we could pray that God would send angels to protect him.  I firmly believe that the earnest prayers of that little boy and others have been what has kept my husband safe for the past almost five years.

My daughter who served for eight years in the United States Army, married a Soldier.  After 9/11 she left the Arm,y worried that she and her husband might both be deployed at the same time.  She now works in the civilian sector of the Army.  Her husband returned from his fifth overseas deployment back in November.  They are both serving in Germany at this time.  Samantha and Gabby are my two grand-daughters who were born into this military family and have never known anything but the life of military kids. There are thousands of "military kids," and the people of our country, and other countries, should see to it that they do not stand in need of anything while their parent is absent at war.

One of the most defining moments of this conflict for me occurred when Samantha was about four or five and riding in the backseat of the car with her cousin Madie as we went to Walmart for things we needed to cook Thanksgiving dinner.  She was sitting quietly in the backseat, and asked a question that brought home to me the price of war for children who come from military families.  She asked, "Nana, does the enemy have families too?"  I knew I had to answer in honesty, and I replied," probably some of them do".  Then she asked a question I had no answer for.  She went on to ask, "Nana, if my daddy kills their daddy, who will take care of them?"

Samantha playing the Army Song at a school program, Ft. Hood, Killeen, Texas

I have wept many times, for many reasons, as I have thought again of those questions from such a small child.  I have thought of our own countries' children, the children of Coalition forces from countries around the world, the children from  Iraq and Afghanistan, and yes, the children of the enemy.  What a price these innocents have paid over the last ten plus years.

It isn't just the small children of military families that bear the burden of war.  Who more than a young teen needs their father or mother?  The older a child grows, I think the more acutely an absent parent is missed.  The award ceremonies where there is someone glaringly absent from the audience, the basketball games, the broken hearts, and the lectures that should sternly be given, fall to only one parent.  A phone call lecture just isn't the same. Nor is the congratulations offered over the phone, the same as that hug in person that says, "What a job well done!"  The suit picture of prom sent in an email doesn't feel the same as the kidding and smiling faces of proud parents as a young man leaves for prom.  There are pictures with mother, but not with father.  

 

 























There are even grown children who sacrifice holidays, birthdays, and the ability to call a parent on their cell phone for advice, or just to express their love, while a parent serves.  As with every age child of those in military service, some have had a parent return from war never to be the same again due to injuries sustained.   Some see their parent for the last time in a flag draped coffin.  Their sacrifice unnoticed or forgotten by most of the people that it was made for. 

Then there are the babies... infants born while a parent is at war.  I can't imagine labor and delivery without the father of the child I was bringing into the world at my side, but there are women in this country, and in the countries of all those who make up the Coalition Forces who have done just that.  I can vividly imagine however, the thoughts going through that woman's mind, and the state of her heart.  I wrote two poems about these babies who change everyday, who say their first words, take their first steps, cry through cutting their first teeth, and grow each day without the loving gaze of a proud father.  

 Rock Gently the Cradle Lullaby 

Rock gently the cradle of the Soldier’s baby where he sleeps.

Make certain he has no need that you have resources to meet.

Who would not with his life his son or daughter defend,

If an enemy stood in plain sight ready to make that child’s life end?

Somewhere across great oceans a Soldier tonight,

Stands for his country ready to fight.

Keeping watch to protect not only the son he left behind,

He keeps watch too for your son and mine.

For each of us, our children hold fast our hearts,

In order for them to grow up in liberty, someone to war must depart.

Remember the sacrifices of those left behind and take care should they weep.

Rock gently the cradle of the Soldier’s baby where he sleeps. 


I Came Home to My Daughter

There she lay, so warm, pink, soft, and sweet.
When first we finally did meet.

I saw so much of her mother there in her eyes,
The stamp of my own features on her countenance threatened to make me cry.

Wonder at the first sight of my darling daughter,
Swept my soul, and I knew my life she would forever alter.

Feelings too tender for the battlefield,
In that moment caused all my vigilance briefly to yield.

Then I realized more clearly than ever before,
I was called to war because of an evil good people everywhere deplore.

My newborn child and all the children of the world,
Need those of us in service, the flag of liberty to unfurl.

In my daughter’s face I saw the hope of our world and our nation,
Waiting for her contributions, which true peace will hasten.

I knew that in a land far away, where long I had stood the wall,
Children were seeing first hand our intent in the service of us all.

As they watch, I know they too will learn,
Their own hearts for peace and liberty will come to yearn.

In this the power of the enemy will disappear,
The truth of all our brotherhood will finally do away with all fear.

So though my heart longs to stay,
I will again return to the war zone in just a few short days.

In my mind, images of her gentle beauty,
Will give me strength and bring complete commitment to my sacred duty.

Talking by phone with my grand-children is always precious time to me.  I miss them more than I can describe.  Gabby in particular has such a devotion for the ministry we conduct at our little place called Soldier's Heart Ranch.  We didn't know when we first purchased the property and christened it Soldier's Heart Ranch that during the Revolutionary and the Civil War, Soldiers who suffered from symptoms of PTSD, (post traumatic stress disorder) were said to be suffering from Soldier's Heart.  We had, by accident, selected a name that would reflect the cause we would publicly dedicate our home to Memorial Day, 2012.  A statistic of war that you won't find just everywhere, for the statistics are managed so that they do not appear all together, but must be assembled to get the true picture, haunts my mind everyday, and prompts me to dedicate my life to serving families of the military.  In 2010, 462 men and women gave up their lives in combat, 468 took their own lives.  Many of those Soldiers had children too.
 


Our grand-daughters, whose family is stationed in Germany, will not be able to attend this dedication ceremony, and Gabby is probably the ranch's biggest fan.  When she calls me, (almost daily) all she wants to talk about is what is going on at the ranch.  Today when she called she wanted to write a poem about the ranch and "military kids."  So I helped her with making her words rhyme, and here are the results.  Read the words of a seven year old child who does not understand well the meaning of war, but none the less, has sacrificed for her country.  Someone's father or mother must go, for many of our military are women, and surely without the defense made by these men and women, none of our children will know liberty.

 Gabby's Poem  

 

Sometimes even a Soldier needs a quiet place to rest,

When he has worked hard and given his best.

Their children at home offer prayers to God above.

Asking Him to send His protection on wings like a dove.

God hears and answers their sweet prayers.

When their petitions are lifted for the fathers who dare.

To face evil enemies who against our country make war.

Freedom and liberty are what they are standing for.

They ask the Heavenly Father their mom or dad to defend,

As the struggle goes on to make the fighting end. 

I

In this photo you just have to note that Gabby insisted this day on wearing Papa Randy's boot... all day long.

Being in a military family involves many sacrifices.  The rewards can be equally fulfilling as well.  That happens if the one serving makes the time and effort to not only live a life of sacrifice and service before their children, but in that service they carefully communicate the importance of honor and devotion to sacred duty.  The other parent must also support and be committed to service.  That must be evidenced by both parents lives and all they say and do, as the reason they serve.  There is a special set of skills, a special identity, and the knowledge of how to live with purpose "above the common man," as General Douglas  MacArthur stated in his most famous speech, that is the reward that comes to the children of those who truly serve God and country.  They are empowered by the ideals lived before them, rather than being disadvantaged by the sacrifices required.  May God richly bless the children of those who serve, and may His mercy be with all the children who live with the reality of war.

 Samantha, Gabby, Brian, and Rebecca, thank you for your many sacrifices for our country.  Brian and Becky, your father and I commend you personally.  You are both persons of courage who have been through much. Thank you, and we publicly acknowledge all you have given.  Samantha and Gabby, Papa Randy and Nana have watched all you have sacrificed too, you have both done well.  We love you, are proud of you, and hope to see you all soon.

                                                      

More of My Sweet Grand-daughter at the Beach

She played, she talked to herself, she sang, and she danced.  Her little heart is so pure and precious.  I got her a baby doll in her Easter basket, and she told me on the phone that her older brother and sister were throwing it between them and not letting her have it.  Now that is not the way they usually play, and I had to scold both of them.  I could tell I was not impressing them much with my "stern voice."

However, when I mentioned emailing Papa Randy... there was a pause, then a sincere, "we promise Nana, we will never do it again!"  Randy is like my dad, they can both give you a quite and calm talking to, and make you wish they had beat you instead.  Randy is the kind of person you want to think well of you.  Most military people are.

Here is a little video of her play:  

 http://youtu.be/tYTNb7pYrFk

I Went Home With a Stranger After Lunch At Tony's

I am a soft touch for an abandoned baby anything, and yesterday after  a Sunday morning filled with all kinds of excitement, my best friend and I, along with her husband and two of her grand-children, headed to Tony's in Sealy after church for lunch.  That is a great little place for Sunday lunch,  they always have a buffet with several selections of meat, all kinds of well cooked vegetables, rolls and cornbread, and the lunch is only $7,95. On Sunday they always have turkey and dressing, roast, fried catfish, chicken fried chicken, and chicken fried steak.  Before we even got in the restaurant, as we were walking up to the door, there they were, three pretty little puppies, out in the rain.  We had a fairly severe thunderstorm while we were in church, and they were a sad looking little group. They were soaking wet, hungry, and so surprisingly calm.  They were not jumping around, yelping, or whining, just sitting there in the rain shivering.  I could hardly eat my lunch.  I just feel that if your pets are allowed to breed, it is your responsibility to see that they get a good home.

Many people stopped and looked at the puppies, some went back in the cafe and got scraps from the plates they had just left to feed them a bite or two.

Randy has been wanting me to get another dog, Ginger is getting really old, and she is just too friendly to bark when someone comes up to the ranch.  She just wants them to stay for dinner, and to beg for a scratch behind the ear from them, and maybe a bite from the table after lunch or supper.  After Ginger went missing for twelve days, I had told Randy I would never have another dog, I had cried every hour on the hour the last two days she was gone.  I could accept she was dead, but I could not accept that she might have suffered, and that she had died alone.  Low and behold, God brought her home.  Then on Sunday I went to lunch at Tony's and there were the puppies, and one of them stood out to me.  I had a change of heart on the "never having another puppy again thing."

So I told Brenda I thought I would be taking a puppy home with me.  She just laughed at me and told me, "I knew the minute we went by those puppies at least one was going home with you."  So we got a box, and picked her up, and I took her home.  Another couple eating at Tony's took the other two pups.  So all of the puppies were lucky on Sunday afternoon.

She was eat up with fleas, and the first thing I had to do was give her a bath, de-flea her, and get her warmed up and fed.  She is a delight, very calm dispositioned, and obviously very intelligent.  I was a little worried about she and Ginger getting along, Ginger is unaware that she is a dog, wants nothing to do with other dogs, ignores them, and if they get too close to her food, she will go from the calmest animal you have ever been around to a wild dog in a split second.  This little pup is unusual, she is as calm as Ginger is, doesn't jump around, demand that Ginger play with her, or otherwise annoy Ginger.  There is obviously some jealousy, and Ginger keeps wanting to sit closer to me than the puppy, and of course I let her. 

                                                                            She slept most of the afternoon, and I was a little worried that she would be up all night since she had always had the other pups and a mom to snuggle up,  but she hardly made a peep.  She has already made herself at home, and soon she will go out to the kennel each night.   The only thing left to do after I get her shots tomorrow is to settle on a name.  I had first thought of Angel, then I thought of Patriot, and calling her Pat, and I like Stranger for a name too.  I can't get much enthusiasm on that one from either Brenda or Randy.  I like that it is a different kind of name, but this little stranger, I found sitting out in the rain, has stolen my heart.  

Then There Are the "Other" Mothers...

Not everyone enjoys the blessings of growing up under a loving and God centered mother.  There are those among us who as children survive only by the grace of God.  I am writing a book, and the following chapter represents what God can do with a broken childhood to fashion a Warrior Soldier.

Chapter 5

“Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.”  Maya Angelou 

 He stood in the middle of the street, completely immobile, unable for some time to move.  There he struggled to stop the words from entering his consciousness which he had just heard from his mother’s lips.  Whatever small trespass he had committed was a lost thought, already he had no memory of it.   Her words were so cruel, that for the rest of his life, though he would never recall what he had done that day, or any detail concerning the incident, 

her words would remain seared on his heart and mind.

 Those words she had shouted would sometimes threaten at the edges of his mind at the most unexpected times, usually when he was relaxing, and especially when he observed young families of Soldiers.  He had been innocently playing some childhood game, being the child he was, and so seldom allowed to be.  She had come running from the house in a rage over something he had done or not done, and at the end of her chastisement, she assaulted his child’s heart and dealt a wound that would never quite heal.

The weapon with which he combated such wounds of childhood, and now in adulthood utilized whenever threatened, was work.  Always when he worked hard at anything, the demons of his childhood, and more importantly in adulthood, all negative life experiences, were held at bay.  Work had always done that for him; been a rock and a high place of safety from the disregard of his feelings and the needs that went unmet by his warring parents.   He was only five years old when he stood in the street paralyzed that day, but those words would become by God’s grace, an empowering strength as the years went by.  God is like that in His love, and we are purified in the fires of adversity, "like gold." 

On that day however, the purity of his child’s heart accepted somewhere in his subconscious, the words as being legitimate.   Years later he would have accepted the raging accusations of his commanding general as an accurate assessment of him as well.  Except that this woman who he had only recently pledged himself to in marriage, sat beside him and said, “wait, that isn’t the way it is, I have been there every battle assembly, down the hall in the FRG office, and those things never happened."  Never had he been so grateful for her thoughts, and as she talked with him he too rejected the accusing words.   His mathematician’s mind, and his bent toward the scientific method of thought and reasoning took over, along with his own personal honesty.  Then as he reconsidered all the rhetoric of the dressing down he had received, logic verified that Dianne's assessment was true.  In this realization, years of devotion to the Army, and the honesty of his pledge to the cadet code of honor at West Point, a painful realization began.  The betrayal which was just beginning, would unfold, and would threaten all he was, all he had achieved, and his very life.  He had  always taken to heart criticism from a superior, and just as in childhood embraced its' validity.  The events that would be a long and painful journey for both of them. The road would teach him that no matter how noble the philosophy, the principles, or how many speeches were made by leadership proclaiming the sacred duty to uphold these ideals, the Army had very dark side.  Corruption was eating away like a cancer at the organization he had so long given his life to.  As the black clouds of the approaching storm formed, the years of emotional abuse from his childhood would rise to the forefront of his thinking and bring a tenacity in him to face the whirlwinds.  Those same burdens he had lived under would begin also to heal.  Though the experience would threaten all he was and had become, in time it would sharpen his leadership capabilities like close hand to hand combat teaches a Soldier the skills of war .

Everything a Cowgirl Needs, Including a Trusty Pony

If you are going to be a cowgirl, you need a trusty pony!  This little pony is just adorable, her name is Snowball because she is all white, with a black mane.  She whinnies and makes a galloping sound when you saddle her up and squeeze her ear, and her reins are good for riding many a mile!  You can load up you pink cowgirl hat with all kinds of goodies, but you will have to leave all the goodies that come in this pretty and velvety soft hat shaped basket.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 



Riding the Trail on Snowball, a girl needs a loyal saddle buddy riding in her cowgirl hat, and you know Pinky is up for the trail ride!

Pinky the rabbit is beyond 
cute and made of that soft material that every child loves in the velor fabric.  Chocolate candy bar in a billion dollar yellow wrapper, a sweet little wind up hoppy chick, and a lollipop toting, bicycle riding pink plastic bunny is sure to please!  The pretty little keep sake tin holds a delicious chocolate cookie, and what little girl won't be adorable in the pink fuzzy rabbit ears wearing her various pretty colored beads, while she eats her white chocolate bunny with the other treats she finds in her special plastic eggs in very shade of  pink and all the complimentary colors!  Snowball and Pinky, along with all this cowgirl gear can be your little cowgirls this year!  Come on by in Sealy and visit our booth in front of Palais Royal!  We will love to see you, and come by the ranch to see all our beautiful Barbies, drink our lovely tea, and visit with Rocket the Peek-a-Boo Goat!

Rocket just doesn't know how to be a good hostess, but she does love her pony Carmel!

               

                                      

There Are So Many Things To Do At The Ranch

When you come to see us at the ranch there are many things available to enjoy, 
and as always, active duty military and their families enjoy the ranch at no cost.

 Accommodations Pricing

All prices include breakfast served from 6 am until 9am

Additional meals available at a cost of $8.00 per plate by reservation (What’s in My Pots.)

Cabins have air-conditioning, dressing table, hot and chilled water,

electric fire places, microwave, and micro fridge

Bedrooms in the house share a bath room

Separate Bath room is in the house for cabin guests,

(Outdoor bath house/restroom facility under Construction.)

Cowboy Cabin, $40 per night

Gardener’s Cottage $30 per night

Jewel Cabin $40 per night

Rose Bedroom $45 per night

Carousel Bedroom $45 per night

Blue  Bedroom $35 per night

Camping $10 per night Bring your Own Tent, use of our tent $20

Motor home parking $20 per day (no hookups available presently but coming soon.)

Activities pricing

Day Pass for Property $20 per vehicle

Canoeing $10

Grilling $5 (use of our grills)

Fishing $10 per day per fisherman, (Texas License Required)

Dove Hunting $50 Per Day Per Gun,  Deer Hunting $100 Per day per gun

(exclusive reservation required,

no other guests on the property during a hunting reservation, and appropriate License required.)

Four Wheeling, bring your own four wheeler, $50 per day per four wheeler (Reservation required.)

Horse back riding $20 per hour per horse, (reservation required.)

The petting zoo, hot tub, and above ground pool are free, swim at your own risk, no lifeguard on duty!

The doll barn is always free admission,

barbie play in diorama $4 per hour per child, party pricing available

Call us at 979-865-8919 for reservations and more information!