Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Coping strategies



Early on during the second Iraq deployment, Gayle and I splurged and bought a DVD camera. DVD cameras record directly to a mini-DVD so they are very easy to use even for a certified technophobe like myself. Mini-DVDs record about 30 minutes. You push a button when you are done and it's ready to be used in a DVD player.

Mark had purchased a hand-held player when he got to Iraq. So Gayle and I would send him weekly video newsletters. It was mostly mindless stuff - usually of the dogs running around. No editing or sound tracks. Just point and shoot and send. It kept me busy and it was a little slice of home for him every week.

Haven't used it much since he came back. But it was great therapy for me . . . and for him.


3 comments:

MightyMom said...

well, it ain't Bagdaddy Beat. But it's pretty cool that technology is such that our soldiers can have little slices from home like this. I've been thinking a lot about WWII, how the soldiers and the women at home were so separated. Really separated. It would take weeks or more for a single letter to get to them, and by then they'd be "holy" There was no meeting online for email chats or phone calls across the seas. The support networks at home were different too.

sorry, I'm rambling. Been on my mind is all.

ABNPOPPA said...

'Dad, why did you keep this secret. A DVD camera never even occured to me. We sent Jacob a lap top and were just happy to get emails to him. Should it become necessary it will first purchase for me should he be deployed again. Up until a couple of years ago I thought CD stood for Certificate of Deposit now I know it also stands for Compact Disc...aka record like in the good ol' days.

Thanks for the idea

Airborne dad said...

MM,

You're right. It ain't Bagdaddy Beat. I was afraid if I started editing and laying down music tracks, I wouldn't do anything else....like work :) Technology has its up and downs. When you don't get the phone calls, or e-mails, or IMs, the anxiety factor ramps up significantly. But we were very grateful. We received a phone call almost every day when he was in Baghdad.

Pop,

Sorry. Should have mentioned it sooner. It was sitting on my desk yesterday when I was looking for something to write about. When Mark was home for Christmas in 2006, we bought him one. He didn't use it much but I do have a few DVDs to edit.