I'm a military wife...then there's silence...what does that mean? Is that any more of a responsibility than being married to someone with another occupation?
There's this stigma surrounding the spouses of soldiers. We have no life or interests beyond the military, and we must be, somehow, stronger than any other spouse. In my experience we are normal...or as normal as most of us can be :-). Sure, we have to keep secrets, to protect our men, from our families that most people don't, and we never know if our address is going to stay the same for any length of time that will help create a feeling of belonging in any one place. For us, home is where the combat boots sit...even if its just the spares he keeps in the closet, and he's busy somewhere away from you.
We support our men, just like everyone else does....some of us are just a little more vocal about it. What support do we offer? We sew patches on uniforms minutes before bed so that they are within regulations for work the next day. We get up at 3am and make them food for early morning flights. We help our men study by reading their books a highlighting so that its not so daunting. We attend PT tests so that our husband feels calmer and can focus better...not to mention he says it feels like he's showing off for you ;-).
We are called "the silent ranks"...but only because we are not consulted by the decision-makers in the military. Sometimes its frustrating, especially when said decision-makers cannot make up their minds...but we learn to roll with it.
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