[ WP ] A parent 's thoughts , on an average day , about their deployed child .

`` Back Bell, Back'' 
 
 The damn dog was n't getting walked enough without Dan around. Besides, the mutt was his. White with brown speckled, slobbery, and smelled like genuine horse ass. Bell was a good dog and Dan had raised her well. 
 
 
 Unfortunately, he was n't around at the moment, otherwise this dog would be attached to his side stronger than any leash could hold it. He received the orders six months ago, underwent the training, and then shoved off to a land he had never seen to fight people he never knew. Letters and calls could n't replace the kid. He was like the dog, a slobbering mess of happy energy. 
 
 
 From what I know, he was somewhere with a lot of fighting. Multiple times, he had close calls. He never told us about the bad missions until after they were done' acting like he did n't want us to persuade him to back out. How could we quite honestly? 
 
 
 The kid signed up at 18 without talking to us. Told his recruiter he wanted to be on the ground so he got a 11b designation: infantryman. Basic, advanced individual training, and drill from then on. He grew up really fast. I did n't know where it came from, but the kid never made a quick decision in his life so I figured he'd thought about it for awhile. Never told me about it though. 
 
 
 `` C'mon Bell, lets head home'' 
 
 
 Damn kid, damn dog. They were too good. All the military did was mess around with how things were supposed to be. I had a college fund saved up for him. He should be graduating college right now. He was accepted for engineering at some state school. Probably would have done decent, not great, but decent. This dog would n't have to whine at night waiting for a man better than me to be there. 
 
 
 We got back on the road where I put a leash back on the dog. Rounded the bend, took the long cut back to see how the neighbors were doing. Got home to a letter in the mailbox that smelt of foreign lands. A treasure from the East. 
 
 
 The dog whined, scratching at the door. I let him in and he bounded for a vacant room. I read up on how Dan was doing. He would never tell the bad parts, his thirteen hour work days with no break in the week. Good enough for me. 
 
 
 Bell was in his old room, licking at her paws. She had claimed the room for her own. I guess she knew that she could dirty up his things. Damn dog. I hope she gets to see that kid again.
