Four Winds Came Blowin' In

by William Snead

Poem


The Gates of Nothingness

by Ben Hawkins

Poem


Answer to Our Youth

by Dennis O’Brien

Poem


Solitude by the Sea

by William Anderes

Poem


This Road I Am On

by David Marchant

Poem


The Nurses and Staff of My VA Hospital

by Jeffrey Saarela

Poem


Having a Baby in the Navy: A Memoire

By Deborah Welch, Navy

Writing Type: Prose


It was the Vietnam era, the 1970's, when my daughter was born while I was stationed at the Communications Center in Charleston, S.C. What a life-changing event for me at 24, five days away from turning 25 years old. Her dad and I met while we were both TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty) attending naval schools in California. Her dad was on a destroyer in a Mediterranean at the time of her birth. I felt so fulfilled even when I was big as a blimp. After a difficult 11 hours of labor I had a saddle block delivery.


Of course, I had been given maternity leave and put on a day schedule at work I was late by two weeks, and we were all getting anxious. I told everyone, "God is making her extra special." He did. I started reading about raising a child as I wasn't given an immediate knowledge as some think mothers are. She was so precious-- my girlfriend and I would watch her instead of the television. A real charmer!


Not too long after schedules were resumed, my family came to visit their new granddaughter. Then the joy became problematic. I received orders for Keflavik, Iceland, for two years of isolated duty. My time was up and I would have needed to re-up for another two years, as well. She was a newborn. I was young and unprepared to bring a baby overseas. She would need a series inoculations and I knew she was much too young to receive them. I pleaded by letter to be given a wait period until she turned six months old. There was another option, the Naval Communications Station in Sidi Yahia, Morocco. Yet for both places I would need to find a nurse or full-time child care giver for a newborn while I worked a 56 hour rotating watch bill. This did not sound good to me.


Since I was not granted a wait period, I completed my enlistment by a few months and received an Honorable Discharge under general conditions. I was a 3rd Class Radioman Petty Officer with five years of active duty service. I drove home with my girlfriend and my baby girl to New York. She is now 40 years old, beautiful, talented, intelligent, a USAF veteran married to a Retired USAF officer and I have grandchildren to boot. Her dad is very proud of her, too.

Four Winds Came Blowin' In

by William Snead

Poem


Metamorphosis of the Mind

by Shon Pernice

Prose


Combat Nursing

by Louise Eisenbrandt

Prose


A Knock on the Door

by Diane Wasden

Prose


A 1984 Exception

by Katherine Iwatiw

Prose


Jamie and Roxy

by Richard Wangard

Prose