Kristin Walker is used to uncertainty. To her, it's just part of being a military wife, but this is something she has never had to deal with.
Her husband, a Navy F-18 fighter pilot, was set to ship out Friday with the Truman Striker Group, but Wednesday she found out his deployment was delayed indefinitely.
"At first, for me personally I was happy,” Walker says. “It was kind of a mixed feeling. I wasn't sure if I should believe it or not."
Walker considers herself lucky.With four kids and several deployments under her belt, not much changes for her family in Virginia Beach, but thousands of other families are left wondering, 'now what?'
"They've given up their barracks room, they've given up their apartments, they've turned off their cell phones all of their stuff is in storage,” Walker says. “Civilians may not realize that yes this is great, I get to have my husband here for longer it's still a major hardship on the other families.”
With kids skis leaned up against the wall, snow shoes placed neatly near the front door, the Walkers were planning to have one last family ski trip to Wintergreen tomorrow.
Now they will have more time together, but for Kristin, it's the uncertainty of if or when her husband will deploy that has her worried.
"It’s the not knowing, it's the uncertainty that kind of makes it different,” she says. “It's an added stress."
This announcement also means a smaller paycheck for those who were depending on using deployment money to pay back bills. This is just one more issue that has become a harsh reality for thousands of military families.
Related:
Navy cancels Friday’s planned deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman over budget cuts
Thousands of families forced to readjust after USS Truman’s deployment delayed
Sen. Mark Warner responds to delayed deployment of USS Truman
Rep. Rigell makes statement about delay of USS Truman’s deployment
