Connie

Well Melissa, did you not have any girlfriends? I mean come on now --enough with the convicts, drug users and guys you "didn't date".

The answer is yes and no. Yes, I most certainly did have girlfriends. You have to understand there weren't many of us --females that is. So in some ways Tom and Rob and TD --they were all my "girlfriends" too. But I certainly did have female friends and my roommates and I always got along quite well.

Its kind of like this --the average was about --Oh I don't know let's say 30% females. From that 30% pool you discount any married women as all they wanted to do is hang out with their husbands, take care of their kids, etc. Then you have the ones that have a boyfriend and just take them out of the mix too because all they want to do is hang out with their boyfriend (like the one couple that always dressed alike and would have matching tshirts made with each other's name on them --I digress . . ). Now we take out of the mix the females that um --you know, preferred only female companionship and only wanted to be with females that shared that same interest. From what is left there are the ones you simply have nothing in common with. So what's left? Connie.

Connie was my roommate both in the barracks and later when we got an apartment together. We became good friends almost immediately and stayed ever so close our entire time in Germany. She had been "in country" a few months longer than me and so she also left a few months before me. We were absolutely inseparable to the extent everyone commented to that end, "When I see you (pointing to me) I see her (pointing to Connie)", was quite a common thing for the two of us to hear. Every day, and I do mean every single day, we'd go back to our barracks room for lunch and catch up with each other on the day -- She worked in PAC (like an HR of sorts) and so she always knew what was coming down the pipeline before anyone else did --and would always fill me in too. She and I spent countless hours talking about our families. She had a younger brother she was particularly extra fond of --and of course her Mom. For all of my travel expeditions, she was my travel companion. We'd hop on a train and make our way through Germany or get a weekend tour for a different country such as England or France.

Connie was everything to me, as far as friends go and without her I probably would have absolutely lost my mind over there in Germany. It was a tough assignment and the Army is a tough place to be especially for women. Connie always "had my back" but what I valued more than anything in our friendship was she was a person I could trust explicitly. Our company and living in the barracks was much like a small town --and small town gossip abounded. It was hard to know who you could trust sometimes. Because of my friendship with Connie, I was able to pull away from that --to not get caught up in the mix of it. We spent every holiday together and when we got our apartment, we put up a tree, decorated our apartment and made a Christmas meal.

I haven't blogged about Connie up until now because I knew it was going to be difficult for me to do for two reasons. One is that I simply cannot put into words what her friendship meant to me. I loved her like a sister. Secondly, its hurtful because Connie and I have not spoken in years and in fact, after leaving Germany we only spoke a few times, sent each other Christmas cards here and there but we never did see each other after the day she left Germany. Something happened, which I will not blog about, and it kind of changed things.

But in my heart of hearts, I still love her like my very own sister. I have the best and fondest memories of living and traveling with her in Germany and all over Europe. I couldn't possibly tell my Army story without mention of her --she was 90% of all my experiences while I was stationed at 1st AD. At times like this, recalling the past, I miss her terribly.

Last I heard she was living in Atlanta, GA and had a baby girl. I have no idea where she is now but I hope someday when I sign onto Facebook and see that message, "1 Friends Request", I'll click on it and there it will say Connie has sent me a friend request. She is the main reason I put my maiden name on my Facebook, Melissa Dodge Newsome, in case she's ever trying to find me.

So Connie, if you're out there -- give me a call!