Day One

My name is Rhonda Reagan and I'm a wife, a mother, and a military member. I have three beautiful daughters, Brittney, Beccie and Noelle; a handsome husband, Captain Robert Reagan III, US Army; and I am Chief Petty Officer Reagan, US Navy, Maintenance Control. One woman and three jobs, all important. I think the question I am asked most often is, "How do you do it?". My answer is always the same, "I just do. I have to."

I don't think any of us really know what our life will be like when we choose our first path. When I enlisted in 1988 I was a student living on campus at Old Dominion University. I didn't come from a well to do family and I worked three jobs just to be there. Not suprising, I struggled with work and school work suffered. The Navy offered me the opportunity to do make good money and obtain educational benefits, so I raised my hand and swore to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic". What started as a four year job to earn college benefits, turned into a career.

Twenty years ago I could not have seen myself with three daughters, two ex-husbands (one of which was so brief it shouldn't count), one perfect Army officer husband, one BA degree and a MA in the works and 'STILL' in the military! How did that happen? Well, I'll tell you.... in brief....in very brief ...... how about a cliffnote version of brief?..... no? Okay, how about in micro-minny-super-short. "How did it happen? I don't know, it just did."

What I can tell you is what I do know. I know that as a woman in the military it hasn't always been easy. It is a male dominated environment and I chose a traditionally male field. I am an AM, that is Aviation Structural Mechanic. I was never mechanically inclined in high school. I was the fluffy cheerleader who called the football players to push my car when I needed help. When I chose my job I had just seen the movie "Top Gun" and I wanted to meet and marry Tom Cruise. So I told them to get me near airplanes. Ha! Once I got into the Navy I learned that the pilots were officers and I was enlisted and we were not allowed to date!! Ouch! I did have the opportunity to leave that job in favor of the more traditionally female fields with clerical tasking, but I'm stubborn. If you don't want me to do something, don't tell me 'it's a man's job and there are a lot of men waiting for jobs like this. You could get a secretary job. How's that sound?'. I'll tell you how that sounded. That sounded like "I'll show you!"

I am now a Chief Petty Officer working in Maintenance Control in my squadron. I am one of a team of Chiefs that control the work on our aircraft and its safe release for flight. I am one of four female Chiefs and the only one in Maintenance Control. Not bad for a fluffy cheerleader.

There are still challenges for us, but they are slowly dissapearing, but not all of them. Last year I was called to deploy. Leaving is never easy, but over the years I've developed ways to make it easier for me and my family. My youngest daughter, Noelle, gave me one of her little stuffed dogs, Buster, to take with me as company. I carried Buster everywhere and sent her pictures, but when I went looking for a book to leave Noelle, I had no luck. I found dozens of books written for children whose father's were deploying, but absolutely nothing for children with mother's deploying. What about us?

Women make up 30% of the military. That is approximately 250,000 women. Every day at least 38% of those women are mothers. Based on an average of 2.5 children per household, there are about 245,000 children with mother's serving. In Iraq today 1 out of every 7 servicemen is a woman. I think there are enough of us that our children should matter too. I could continue to complain, but what good would that do? Not much.

If I want a book designed for children of military moms and no one will write it for me, then I will write it myself! Why not? I know the struggles of the children, the struggles of the mom and I know what the left behind dads have to go through.

So ladies, I'm here for us! I proudly serve my country, support my husband deployed in Iraq (the care package is coming babe), and I love my daughters. Join me on this journey and meet me at the end.