Dear Mr. President

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/04/government.shutdown.military/index.html?iref=allsearch&iid=EL

Dear Mr. President and Members of Congress,

I am the wife of an American soldier.  A soldier who loves serving his country and its people.  There are thousands like him.  May I remind you that your inability to pass a budget bill of any kind that is now threatening a possible government shutdown will greatly impact these soldiers and their families.

But the funny thing is, you already know this.

You see, a soldier's paycheck is considered to be one of those "nonessential" expenses that will be delayed funding if there is indeed a government shutdown.  So for the thousands of soldiers who are out there putting their lives on the line, fighting, and providing security in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, they will have to continue to do so without payment until Congress gets its act together.  But it is not just the soldiers who are affected, it's their spouses and children who've been left back at home.  Yet those who work in Congress will continue to be financially compensated no matter the outcome.  It makes me wonder how quickly you all might get the job done if you were also forced to work without pay too. 

Did I mention that those paychecks are kind of important to our family of four children?  You see, those paychecks provide 90% of our family's income.  Amongst all of your bickering between party lines, my family is facing the very real possibility of going without any money for a time.  The majority of soldiers make only enough to live from paycheck to paycheck and our family is no exception.  Yes, yes, I know that the military families will eventually receive backpay for the time worked during a government shutdown, but that won't happen until you are back up and running again. Until then, we will be forced to figure out where the money will come from that will put food on our table, gas in our car, pay our bills, and keep the roof over our heads.   

As if this deployment hasn't been hard and stressful enough on our family, you have to add this to it as well?  It's ridiculous.  I  want my husband to be able to stay focused out there so he can come home safely and this situation isn't helping.  He doesn't need to be worrying about his family back at home.

So, please Mr. President and members of Congress, here are just a few of the faces who will be affected by all of your squabbling and finger-pointing:

(deployment day)

These are the faces of those who often cry quietly at night, missing and wondering if their daddy is ok, 

(deployment day)

or when they wake up, worrying if he is still alive or not.

(deployment day)

These are the ones who sit every night at the dinner table beside an empty chair.

These are the ones who celebrate their birthdays and holidays fatherless or motherless.

(deployment day)

These are the ones who ask over and over again where their daddy is, not understanding why he is never home.

(deployment day)

They sacrifice for this country in their own small way.  They are letting you borrow someone who is precious and dear to them.

Isn't it about time you did the same?  To put aside your differences and come to a compromise?  Is this how you show your support and gratitude?  You say you care and that our troops should not go without pay and yet are unable to come to a resolution?  Yesterday my husband had to stand up in front of his soldiers and inform them about what is going on back in Washington DC.  He said you could just see the shock and worry on their faces.  Dear elected officials, I believe you should be the ones to deliver such a message in person and then witness firsthand the reaction of every soldier's face. 

Sincerely,
One Very Disappointed Military Wife

PS: Thankfully, we have tried to consistently to put a little money aside for a rainy day.  Which is a good thing because it looks like it's going to start downpouring and who knows for how long.

Oh, and a few of the Marines had a message too: