Photo By Sgt. Brian Glass | Staff Sgt. Joshua Jolly of B. Battery, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment,...... read more read more
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Fort Bragg, N.C. – For most soldiers who have joined the Army since the War on Terrorism began, deploying overseas has been part of the job. Everyone has to leave behind family and friends to put their country first. After serving the country overseas, soldiers come home to their families and friends and work to rekindling their lives at home.
Staff Sgt. Joshua Jolly, launcher chief for B. Battery, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (HIMARS), 18th Fires Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, just returned from a nine month deployment in Afghanistan this year. Jolly is excited to be home with his family once again. He knows though that even though he was gone, things didn’t slow down at home because he was away, his kids grew and his wife made significant adjusts to take care of the family.
“We’ve gotten back into the daily routines of coming back in from PT and going into work. We’ve had a lot of half days, which has really helped”.
Jolly is dealing with changes at work and on post at Fort Bragg.
“It's different seeing new faces in the unit that got here when we were gone,” said Jolly.
Also, dealing with being part of his family again, something any parent knows is tough.
“This is my third deployment, they know the routine. Having Skype helps a lot, being able to see the kids, them being able to see me versus talking on the phone. It’s hard to watch your kids grow up on a computer screen but having it is better than nothing,” said Jolly.
Part of being back is that time with the family and Jolly has used every free moment he has to make up for lost time with his wife and children.
“(We’ve) Gone to a movie here or there. I’ve gone to their school and ate lunch with the kids, saw each of the kid's classrooms. My youngest daughter and son started school and I hadn’t seen their classroom or taken them to school. I was able to do that and it meant a lot to them,” said Jolly.
“(We’ve been) sitting in the living room, popping up some popcorn, setting up tents in the living room with couch cushions. They haven’t been able to do that in nine months, so every little thing means the world to them,” said Jolly.
While Jolly re-kindles his relationship with family, his wife, Shannon, kept the family together at home with their three children, Madilyn (8), Rylee Ann (4) and Joshua Jr. (3), and is very excited to have her husband home once again.
“It is amazing to have him home. There is nothing better than being a family,” said Shannon. “Our children always adjust quickly to daddy being home. The relationship he has with them is a special one.”
Raising the three children with Jolly overseas has become routine Shannon says, as he has been deployed for three of the six years they have been married. The family kept a system in place to help them get along until he returned.
“I have come to realize that, for me, staying busy was the only way to get through the deployment. We would always take trips home to Oklahoma because being around family helps,” said Shannon. “We would plan our days around daddy calling on Skype. Being able to see his face and hear his voice made a world of difference.”
Knowing the children needed her to be strong, Shannon kept it together for the kids and herself, but it wasn’t easy.
“A deployment is a roller coaster of emotions. One minute happy, the next sad, always lonely without my love. It’s OK to cry, to worry, to be sad, but it is more important to shelter our children from the harsh realities of the war daddy left to fight,” said Shannon.
As the Jolly family is back home and rekindling day-by-day, they know the love they have for each other will help them get through all the days ahead.
“There is always adjustments when he returns home from deployment but we find our rhythm and in only a short matter of time, we are whole!” said Shannon.
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2013 12:20 |
| Story ID: | 118186 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG , NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | LAWTON, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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