I’ve been thinking about this post for a while. One of my big pet peeves (since meeting Seth) is when people use “military” terms for everyday conversation.
The word that gets to me the most is:
Deploy – This term should not be used lightly, but it is. I work at a public school district in the technology department. Pretty much everyone in my department (excluding me), will say, “get ready for the deployment of this computer to all the schools” or something like that (be it phones, computers, computer software, etc). Unlike military members, the computers are not getting ready to go off to a foreign country, to fight for their lives, to fight for their (and our) freedom, to leave a loving family behind, possibly a pregnant wife, or a newborn child, to leave a girlfriend/fiancé/wife behind who stresses every day about how her soldier is doing, who longs for a hug, a kiss, or just his touch.
Can we please use “distribute” or “set up” or “install”? Deploy/deployment has so much more meaning and I cringe when people use it lightly. I don’t think people at work realize how much this bothers me.
Deploy to me means: goodbye’s, lack of communication, loneliness, guns, sad, constant stress (for the soldier and for the wife at home), terrorists, no kissing/hugging/touching your spouse for an extended amount of time, HUMVEE’s, constant danger, care packages every week to show you’re thinking about them, him living in a tent on a cot for a year, worrying if he’s going on any missions or convoys (and even if he tells you no, is he saying that so he doesn’t worry you even more?), hand written letters, loneliness, keeping the home front going, war zone, physical attachment to your cell phone, MRAPS, being asked the same questions of “how’s he doing?”, “when is he coming home?”, “when does he get out?”, “how do you do it?”
It also means an immense amount of: pride, love, strength, commitment, adventure, and trust.
By the way, according to dictionary.com, the number one definition for “deploy” is “Military. To spread out (troops) so as to form an extended front or line.”
Maybe I’m just overly sensitive to these types of things, but it just bothers me when this word in particular, that has SOOO much more personal meaning, is used lightly in everyday conversations.
What does “deploy” mean to you?
Deploy means alot of different things to me this deployment. I used to be just like you and feel most of the same stuff. But now it means no alarms at 4am, no compromising on meals, unlimited girl time, half the laundry, half the dirt, and well, pretty much unlimited solitude :) I definitely see more positives things since we started deployment 3 :)
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