Armanda is a captain in the Army. She is stationed in a large southwestern city in the United States. She has a 20 year old daughter living at home with her. They live in a nice suburban area of the city. Armandas job in the army calls for her to frequently travel. Her daughter is left at home alone sometimes for weeks.



Armanda is grateful that her daughter is independent and able to take care of herself. Nevertheless she always misses her when she is away. Her daughter attends a local college, which keeps her busy most of the time. She is a very dependable girl who can operate on her own. Mom does not worry. She knows her daughter will take care of the responsibilities.

She does however; worry about her daughters personal security. One month in late summer, Armanda was called away on 4 week Army mission. This was not new to her, but she was looking forward to spending the summer with her daughter. It would have to wait. This was a critical mission. She packed her bags and got ready for the trip.

She said her goodbyes and they parted company. Armandas daughter had homework, so she hurried to get home. As she started doing her homework, she fell asleep on the couch. She was awakened by a strange sound in her kitchen area. She went to the kitchen to investigate. She saw a man standing in the kitchen. He looked to be in his early 20s.

He did not see her. Apparently, he thought they were away from home. She thought oh my god, what do I do now? She knew she could never make it out of the front door in time. She sneaked to one of the back rooms. She grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket, turn the audio down and dialed 911. She knew by law that they had to investigate any emergency call as long as the line remained open.

She locked the door to the room and waited very quietly. She could hear the man going through their things. Then all of a sudden it got quiet. She heard footsteps moving toward the room. Then she heard a twist of the lock. She thought, he must know I am in here. There was another twist and she began preparing herself for a fight if necessary.

She did not have a gun, but she was sure she could find something to use as a weapon. She looked around and found a shoe with a sharp heel. She was afraid, but prepared to do battle. The next few minutes seemed like hours. At that moment, she heard a siren in the distance it was the police. She also heard someone running toward the back door. Then she heard a struggle.

After the struggle she heard someone say, clear the rest of the house. She knew it was the police. She came out of hiding. They arrested the man trying to leave the house. They placed her in a secure position until her identity was verified. They checked the rest of the house.

They told her that the man was a petty thief who targets military homes. He watches to see when they leave for missions and then just makes himself at home. Military members are called to make great sacrifices. Those they leave behind make an equal sacrifice. It is our duty to make sure our family members have a self defense plan in case of emergency.