Andrew's no longer being deployed.

Great news! Andrew does NOT have to go to Iraq anymore in the fall for a year. We found out yesterday for sure. There is a stop loss rule which states that so many days before a unit deploys everyone listed in the unit MUST go (even if their contract with the army ends during/before deployment, or even if they're too fat and going to be kicked out, they won't be until after the deployment)-- if that makes sense. Anyway, they stopped this rule in the National Guard. Andrew's contract ends in November, a month before they leave to go overseas, so he doesn't have to stay in for the tour, he can get out-- and plans to (well planned to yesterday). However....

He did however talk to a recruiter TODAY about why he was getting out (i.e. not getting all the GI Bill that he's entitled to, schooling going wrong because of army not paying tuition like promised, Iraq, and only having 1 year left of school which puts him off ANOTHER year before he can graduate if he goes to iraq, leaving family etc, etc, etc, )

The recruiter figured out why he wasn't getting all the GI Bill he was entitled to (which has been a mystery for 3 years now). He told him that he could make a deal, if he stayed in, to move him to another unit to get out of Iraq so that he can finish school. Plus get all the money he was supposed to get from the GI Bill for the last 3 years (over $6,000) and continue to get the money he should be getting from it, as well as making sure paper work is correct so that they pay for his tuition. and then we'll still have health care with the army (so that any babies to come in the future will only cost us $25-- no not an announcement, but a relief). But it does require re-upping.

We have until Tuesday to think about it. I fasted about it today. And not surprisingly, the day I fast is that day that things miraculously start to fall into place from talking to the recruiter today.

We'll see how it goes, but for sure, Andrew will not be returning to Iraq in the fall for a year. Soldiers and their families who go through these deployments have my greatest respect and prayers. The thought of us going through it was tough, but we would have made it through. I'm glad we don't have to though.