Seabee Wife Disappointed by Bush Message

As the wife of a Seabee, I have learned to put up with a lot of bureaucracy, time-consuming red tape and a lack of control. I realize that in a finely tuned military (especially as a dependent), these things are necessary and I have come to accept them. But for all the experience that I have as a Navy wife, I have never had to endure the type of insensitivity and humiliation I experienced at Point Mugu Air Station upon the arrival of President Bush earlier this month.

I was one of the thousands of dependents who were coerced into being a part of an elaborate publicity stunt. I was called (as were many other dependent families of men involved in the Desert Shield Operation) to Point Mugu to greet the President. He was going to address the families of the men currently deployed. The extent of his address was simply to say “Thank you for that warm welcome” before he stepped into a limo and was whisked away.

I waited with that very quiet (albeit excited) crowd for over two hours to hear those words. Some of the other women had brought their small children and they too stood outside patiently waiting for those same earth-shattering declarations. I am not sure what I expected. I am sure this was not it.

I guess I was waiting for something special. Words of solace and comfort, an acknowledgment of the stress and suffering that our families are experiencing, hope or encouragement that we could pass along to our spouses so that they could believe that they are not over there for nothing. I needed to hear something supportive, anything that would ease some of the anguish over this particular deployment. I was disappointed and angry.

We wait daily for news. Every scrap of information is precious, and it is the very lifeline that holds our families together. That hunger for information makes us vulnerable.

I hope whoever masterminded this plan got the desired effect for the media or whatever. Next time, I hope they have the courtesy to consider the lives of the individuals involved and the vulnerability of those they use. We don’t ask for state secrets, only the respect and dignity that we deserve.

LUCINDA L. W. CONNELLY

Port Hueneme