Home

I've been in Korea for over eight months now. For the past month or so, this song has been striking a nerve in me. I've been pondering it, feeling it and just living it for so long. It really brings out quite a bit of emotion in me. In fact, I thought about it so much one day that I had a moment where I didn't think the song applied to me.

When a child first leaves the 'nest' of their parents, 'home' is always considered where their parents reside. This is especially true for those who go the route of joining the US Military to serve their country. When people ask me where 'home' is, my answer is Texas, of course.

But, there comes a point in life where one starts to build their own home. Their own legacy. Their own life that... well, takes on a life of it's own. And, when you start establishing those roots, 'home' is no not necessarily where your parents live. It's where you have settled.

I'm in the US Army. I haven't settled anywhere. I haven't began rooting down anywhere. I haven't a house to call my own. I haven't a steady home to return to. My parents still live in the same house as when I left, but it is no longer my home. Where is my home?

Before I came to Korea I considered Fort Campbell, KY/Clarksville, TN my new 'home.' After-all, I lived there for eight years and fostered many a close friendship there. I never stayed in the same dwelling for more than a year, but the town was my home. Yet, as I build new and just as deep friendships here in Korea, I find myself feeling a little guilty calling FTCKY/Clarksville my home. Like it's an insult to the bonds I've built out here. And, even still, many of my friends no longer are in FTCKY/Clarksville.

So, where, then, is MY home?

Honestly, I no longer know the answer to this question right now. It is said, 'Home is where the heart is.' Even then, my heart is scattered throughout the world. From Afghanistan and Iraq, the US, Germany, Turkey, everywhere, my heart is with those close friends. Those bonds of friendship that probably only other military members can understand.