This week I had the fun experience of learning how Emergency Leave works. I found out last weekend that my grandfather had died from esophageal cancer. The bureaucratic machine that is the army went into motion to get me home for his funeral. On Monday, my mom talked to the Red Cross who helps verify the death for the army. From there, the Red Cross talked to West Point to initiate the paperwork process to get me excused from classes and weekend training. That evening, I spent several hours working with some of the cadets in my company on the “Exception to Policy” paperwork that would need to get signed off by a couple of different officers in charge of me. Tuesday morning we submitted the paperwork and by the end of the day, I had official permission to leave until Sunday evening. After my morning classes on Wednesday, the senior missionary couple here took me to district meeting with them and then dropped me off at Newark to fly to Salt Lake. After the funeral on Thursday, I went back up to Boise with my family and got to enjoy two days with them. I flew back to Newark first thing on Sunday and was driven back to West Point by my sponsor family, ready to jump into the next week of classes.
Aside from spending time with my family, the coolest part of this was seeing how much work people will do to get someone home for a funeral. From my company Executive Officer (see: paperwork god) spending 3 hours on a busy school night helping me fill out paperwork and Elder and Sister Demmars (the senior mission couple) driving me to the airport instead of going to meetings, to my Team Leader (the Yuk or sophomore who is my boss) constantly making sure everything that needed to happen was happening and my Tactical NCO (an enlisted guy with 15 years in the army assigned to my company) walking my paperwork into the offices of the people who needed to sign it as the business day was ending, I think people gave around 20 hours to help get me home and I couldn’t be more grateful – neither could my mom.
Me and my siblings at my grandpa’s viewing. We haven’t all been together for about two years.
Me and my grandma after the funeral
So grateful you go to be home for the funeral AND Spend a few days at home with your family, I’m sure your mom was thrilled for a much needed reunion with all her kids. Wished I could have made it up for the viewing to at least give your mom a hug!! Glad you made it safely!!