Rob Smith spent his last few days in Canada carving pumpkins for Halloween with his two children and filling out a $6 will he and his wife Beth bought at a grocery store.
The 31-year-old Master Seaman was among 235 crew who set sail from British Columbia yesterday on HMCS Vancouver as the U.S.-led war against terrorism entered its fourth uncertain week.
He will be gone for at least six months, too many "sleeps" for his five-year-old son Andrew and daughter Emmalee, 2, to count.
Mrs. Smith and his children waved goodbye after a farewell ceremony at a navy dock in Esquimalt, B.C.
They were among hundreds of relatives, waving Canadian flags and carrying red roses, who gathered to watch the ship set sail for the Arabian Sea. Many wept as they watched the vessel sail past them to the strains of military band music.
Thousands more gathered along Victoria's shorelines to wave goodbye to the crew of the patrol frigate.
The Vancouver is the fifth navy ship to be deployed to the Middle East since the United States began air strikes against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in retaliation for the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks.
The routine of daily life in hundreds of households across Canada is being disrupted by the mission, known as Operation Apollo. The absences of 2,000 troops will be marked by missed holidays, birthdays and anniversaries until they return home next year.
Mrs. Smith, 33, remained positive moments after Defence Minister Art Eggleton said the ship's "just and noble cause" could be longer than the six months military officials had initially anticipated.
"Now that it's under way, he's that much closer to being back," she said. The sailors, many of them wearing poppies on their uniforms, waved goodbye from the deck.
Four other patrol frigates, all from Halifax, have already been deployed. A sixth navy ship has yet to be named to the deployment.
The Vancouver, armed with guns, torpedoes, missiles and a Sea King helicopter, will be protecting a U.S. carrier in the Middle East. The vessel has a crew of 175 men and 60 women.
Mrs. Smith said the children don't understand how long their father will be gone. "They know he won't be home for Christmas. We just talk about it in terms of events."
Mr. Eggleton urged Canadians to have patience because the war against terrorism could be a long and uncertain mission.
"It's been said right from the very beginning, this would be a long campaign," he told the troops at the solemn sendoff. "It will not be quick; it will not be easy. We're in it for the duration to ensure terrorism is suppressed."
On a calendar inside the Smith family's two-bedroom mobile home in Langford B.C., Oct. 29 is marked with the words: "Rob Leaves."
Mr. Smith will miss Christmas, his ninth wedding anniversary, his wife's birthday and Emmalee's third birthday in two weeks. He hopes to be home in time for Andrew's birthday in July.
He will also be on the ship for his own birthday next month. "Dad, you can have a ship birthday [party]with an aircraft on it," Andrew told his father a few days before he left. When he does return, the family will have moved into a new house.
The Smiths are high-school sweethearts who grew up in Blenheim, Ont. They are accustomed to spending long periods apart. Mr. Smith has been sent on missions to Haiti, Russia and Korea since he joined the navy 12 years ago.
"Deployment is just part of life," said his wife, who is a daycare operator. "Daddy goes and daddy comes home."
Mr. Smith was aboard the Vancouver during a routine mission off the coast of California when he and the other crew members heard about the current deployment on Thanksgiving weekend.
"We were kind of expecting it," he said. "The people on the ship want to go. It's what we're trained to do."
The Smiths' congregation prayed for the Vancouver crew and their families at the Colwood Pentecostal church the day before he departed. Mr. Smith, a devout Christian, packed his Bible.
"We ask God that they will be instruments of peace in a world torn apart by turmoil and strife," pastor Rev. Al Funk told the Sunday service. "God, we ask that you would surround them and watch over them."
Mrs. Smith said, "our faith is important to us. It makes times like this a lot easier."
Gaynor Jackson, executive director of the Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre, said staff at the base of 4,000 military personnel will counsel children and loved ones of the Vancouver crew during the long separation.
"There is a heightened anxiety around this deployment because of the world situation," she said.
"This is a new kind of call to arms," B.C.'s Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo said yesterday.
The Smith family spent their last few days together at home carving pumpkins and helping the children get their Halloween costumes ready.
Andrew will be dressed as a firefighter; Emmalee a caterpillar.
The family also bought balloons for Emmalee's third birthday party on Nov 12.
For the most part, the children appeared oblivious to their father's departure, climbing over him for hugs and playing by Langford Lake.
When the Smiths went shopping at the mall, Andrew tossed a penny in a wishing well. He told his mother he wished for "a second father," just like him, to keep him company while he is gone.
"We're just going to take it one day at a time," Mrs. Smith said as her husband's ship drifted further away from them in the Pacific.