Help: Two boys too young to understand but too old not to try

How in the world can you get two boys ages 5 and 6 1/2 to understand that their daddy is going to be gone for over a year of their short lives. They don't remember the last deployment in 2005. I talked to them on Friday I said "boys we need to talk about some things, Daddy is going to be going to Iraq again." They responded with "okay" and ran off to play. It's so crazy. Since the first of the year he's been in the field for two weeks in January, went to California for most of February and now has been home two weeks last friday and leaves on Easter. Who decided that was a good idea?

So now the mathematical side of me has figured out that he will have been with us for only 8 weeks.......well 10 if we count the R&R he'll get after being in the sandbox for a while.......10 weeks out of a year and a half. He wont be home until the summer of 2009. This sucks!

Ok I'm done venting done pouting! Putting back on my army wife hat and will pretend that I accept this whole situation for what it is.....my life!