My husband is currently deployed.

Before they left out, they received orders with a set number of days on them. It was put out that anything beyond those days would take the approval of a high-ranking officer. All of that sounds really great, and from my recent experience, soldiers have been returning in that originally publicized window.

However, I’ve learned that orders are nothing more than a piece of paper.

I was recently watching The Breakfast Club, and as many of you know, something that sets it apart from most movies from the ’80s (apart from it being a John Hughes film) is the song at the end—“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds. This song is really an iconic and defining piece from this time in history and is basically synonymous with this movie.

Skype, email, Facebook, texting, and phone calls, among other technology, has made keeping in touch with a deployed service member much easier. Somewhere in this mix of communication, a real handwritten letter has lost its luster.