WE ARE BORG. Resistance, while not futile, just leaves you in the dark.

It occured to me that some of you may have no concept of what things are like here in the military community with nearly all the soldiers deployed. I thought I'd give you a glimpse.

Once we found out the brigade was on orders to go to Baghdad, the spouses began discussing what we would do while the soldiers were gone. It was interesting to me that many folks were seriously considering "going home" (that is, back to the USA) for much, if not all of the deployment period.

The community leaders and those with a lot of experience in these things all said the same thing...staying in this community is the better strategy...because here you will find more support than in the states.

I wasn't sure I bought that, but it wasn't a decision I had to make...I have a job here, I live here...so I stayed here.

It has only been in the last two weeks or so that I have come to understand that those who argued for staying here had a good point.

It works like this.

In the 33 days that CPT Patti has been gone, I have heard from her three times on the phone, once via email, and once on the telephone answering machine. As I mentioned below, I've not heard from her since Sunday. That is five contacts in just over a month.

But every day I come to work...and I talk with the ladies in the office. And if Julie hasn't heard from her husband, perhaps Christina has...and tomorrow it might be Doris or Deb or Justine or Carmen who gets a call or a note or a letter. And every time one of us hears from our soldier, there is information in that communique that is shared with all the others.

Just in the office then, if the contact rate is constant from family to family then any among us benefits as our contact rate goes from 5 to 35 over the same period of time. And that is just in the office. That doesn't count the contacts made by friends in the stairwell or the family readiness groups or the checker at the commissary.

Now certainly, when Doris hears from her husband, this is not remotely the same as me hearing from CPT Patti in terms of emotional impact. But in terms of situational information, it is nearly as good.

So - in terms of filling in the situation over there, we become like the Borg from Star Trek...we are part of a collective conciousness that shares individual details to create a mosaic. This allows each of us a greater understanding of what our soldiers are going through than we could ever glean by the few contacts we have with our own.

So, over time our understanding is greater for being here than it ever could be elsewhere. And that is a comfort.

It is also beneficial to our soldiers...because it is through this collective conciousness that we learn of the shortages in comfort items for our soldiers...and this instructs us in assembling meaningful care packages for the troops.

And, as you might imagine, a bond develops from the common experience. I find myself taking much more interest in the lives of those around me than I would under normal circumstances. We all ached together for the one lady in the office who had heard nothing from her husband for a month. And we all rejoiced when she received two letters in two days - and sat around her listening to her read parts of the letter aloud.

These are feelings perhaps that we should feel routinely...but as for me, I don't really. But I do now...

And that is what makes all of this special.