Shingleton’s understand costs of serving country
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Susan Shingleton, 25, keeps her cell phone next to her pillow at night. It goes with her everywhere—even into the bathroom and the shower. Missed calls from her husband on the
front lines in Afghanistan create gut-wrenching anxiety.
It happened once when Susan was working. She missed Josh’s call by five minutes and didn’t hear from him for another 36 hours. There for his second tour with the U.S. Army in
Afghanistan, Josh has been gone for eight weeks. Susan has another 44 weeks to wait until he comes home.
She says counting the weeks is too painful because the number is so large.
A time to remember
Memorial Day, May 30, is a time to remember those who served and those who have died protecting the United States, but it’s also a day to remember those who serve now.
As he serves in Afghanistan, Josh said he always is aware of the soldiers who serve alongside him on the frontlines, those who support his unit, those who have paved the way
before he came and those who will take his place when he goes home.
Susan knows his job is dangerous. He describes his position with the Tenth Mountain Division from Fort Drum, New York, as “one step ahead of the front line of combat.”
He often sleeps on the ground among the Taliban at night. He told Susan that he and his fellow solidiers take turns staying awake in the cold night air, trying to grab a straight
hour or two of sleep before dawn.
“We’re doing a good job,” he said.
Josh does not complain about sacrifice. He does speak of duty.
“Josh loves the Army,” Susan said. “He says he has a job to do. It’s a job he loves and one that is important to peace and security.”
Susan said that personal faith has brought them through long separations. Other soldiers in Josh’s unit ask Josh if Susan will pray for them, too. There is no chaplain where they
serve, and Josh is one of the few with a Bible.
“Josh really misses church,” Susan said. “He didn’t even have an Easter service.”
The two met at Berea College in 2008. They dated long distance during his first deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. They never had the luxury of going on dates to restaurants or
the movies, or even taking long walks and sharing a cup of coffee together. They got to know each other through e-mails, Facebook and phone calls.
“We got to know each other’s hearts before we had time together,” Susan said.
Josh came back in December 2009 and asked Susan to marry him in September 2010.
Wedding dates were difficult to plan, as the Army changed deployment dates. In the end, Josh had a four-day pass from where he was stationed in New York to fly home, get
married and report back to work. Their pre-wedding meeting with the minister who conducted the service had to be conducted via Skype.
Josh flew out on a Friday at 6 a.m., and married on Saturday. The couple drove 12 ½ hours on Sunday, arrived at their apartment about 3:30 a.m., then Josh reported to work at
5:30 a.m.
There was no time for a honeymoon.
The young couple spent two months together in New York before Josh was shipped out at the end of March. They tried to squeeze in some of the things such as going to Niagara
Falls, Gettysburg and an aquarium.
Until Josh returns, Susan is living with her parents in Louisville. They have a baby due in December, and Susan already knows that Josh will not be able to come home when their
child is born.
Susan hears news reports of causalities in Afghanistan. She knows the risks, but she refuses to live in fear.
“If you allow fear and anxiety, you’ll go insane,” she said. “I have bad days, but I try not to wallow in sadness or depression. I’m determined to enjoy every day that God gives me.
Every day with Him is a blessing.”
Josh has a wish list of activities he wants to enjoy when he returns home in August for a break. The couple will finally honeymoon for a few days in Gatlinburg, and Josh wants to
go to an aquarium and eat a hot dog.
Susan does not dwell on the fact that she can't spend each day with Josh.
“We know thousands of people have done this before us, and thousands more will do it after us,” she said. “The wives of soldiers in World War II, Korea and Vietnam weren’t able
to talk on the phone or have e-mail. They didn’t hear from their husbands and sons for months or years. They didn’t know where they were stationed or what they were doing. I
know where Josh is, and I get to talk with him.”
While they are apart, Susan spends a lot of time praying for Josh and for the soldiers in his unit.
“A lot of times, these soldiers feel forgotten,” she said. “While life goes on here, they’re in the middle of a full-blown war.”