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One local soldier switches traditional roles at home.
It's not unusual when a soldier or sailor is sent off to war and leaves behind someone to take care of the house, the kids, the lawn and laundry, but sometimes it means switching traditional roles at home.
Petty Officer First Class Christopher Washington starts his everyday routine by waking up his boys, Chris Jr. and Cory, getting them dressed, getting their teeth brushed and getting them breakfast.
"Then I'll come back up and put my uniform on, get ready, make sure I'm shaved and everything."
One morning's routine gets diverted when his wife calls from Iraq (web|news) . Washington's wife, Petty Officer Second Class Simone Johnson is also in the Navy. She was pulled from shore duty to guard military detainees. She didn't think Chris could handle the house and routine without her.
"At first, I didn't think so, but then, slowly but surely, I knew he could handle it," said Johnson.
It is a lot, getting the kids dressed and out the door to school and day care.
"Once I leave this world, I go to the Navy world," said Washington.
At Dahlgren's mess hall, Washington supervises the galley and feeds hundreds. He sometimes slips away for an errand or load of laundry. "Once I get off work, if it ain't about the kids, I'm sleeping."
Any other down time Washington gets is spent looking ahead to that next phone call and worrying. "If it's ever a case where she's supposed to call and she doesn't, it only makes it worse."
When asked about unexpected positives with the separation, Washington says he's a better father. His wife stayed on mission turning around opinions on how the military treats detainees in the wake of Abu Ghraib.
"Hopefully we've changed some peoples minds."
There's comfort in the routine for both, if nothing else, it makes the days apart pass more quickly.
"Before you know it, it's time to do it again," said Washington.
The military tries to avoid sending both parents, but Washington and his wife are required to have contingency plans just in case. Washington says it's more likely that once his wife gets home, it won't be long before he takes a turn abroad.
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