The Military Wife

I've seen this posted many times by several of my friends/fellow Military Wives. So, I wanted to post this to (1) pat myself on the back a little ;0), and (2) to thank all the Military Wives for what they do, and for being such woderful friends!

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique. But what do they have in common? They have THIS IN COMMON!

Lots of moving...Moving.

Moving far from home.

Moving two cars, three kids and one dog - all riding with HER, of course.

Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house.

Moving curtains that won't fit.

Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.

Moving away from friends, moving toward new friends.

Moving her most important luggage; her trunkful of memories.

Often waiting...Waiting, waiting.

Waiting for housing.

Waiting for orders.

Waiting for deployment.

Waiting for reunion.

Waiting for phones calls.

Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.

Waiting for him to come home for dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'military dependent', but she knows better.

She can balance a checkbook, handle the yard work, fix a noisy toilet, bury the family pet. She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts.

She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move - all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. Reinvents her career with every PCS; locates a house in the desert, the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home.' She MAKES them all home.

She is fiercely IN-dependent and somewhat hasty; leaps into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches and friendships. She doesn't have 15 years to get to know people.

Her roots are short but flexible. She plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other. They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil.

Military Wives have a common bond. The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands, his commitment is unique. He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' - he can't decide to quit - he's on-call for his country 24/7, but for the military wife, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign:

TDY

PCS

OPR

ACC

BDU

And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his. She is the long-distance link to keep them informed the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments - She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia. But she pulls herself together. Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture...and she goes.

She packs. She moves. She follows.

Why? What for? How come?

You may think it is because she has lost her mind. But actually it is be cause she has lost her heart. It was stolen from her by a man who puts duty first, who longs to deploy, who salutes the flag and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband, she will remain his Military Wife.

Re-United

...after 4 months

Deployment 2006-2007

...after 4 1/2 months

Deployment 2008