Calling all military spouses

[freemus]

I finally got an idea for an essay I have to write for English class. We are supposed to answer the question : Are There Any American Heroes? Well, DUH...it was right under my nose the whole time. Military spouses go through a lot of chit, and I don't just mean when their other half is deployed. Even everyday life can be a struggle. So, if anyone has anything they would like to say on the subject, stories or whatever, and wouldn't mind if I possibly included it in my essay, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

C'mon, doesn't anyone have something to say about life in the military? Tell me why you DON'T think you're a hero. I have to give both sides. I know that I'm no hero, but I think a lot of spouses out there have made sacrifices for all of us.

And for the non-military who read this, I'm in no way saying that your life isn't tough too, but I have to stick to a topic and it took me 5 days to come up with this. :)

[gemini26]

Bumping for you.

[Shancopp]

Good luck on this! Though my husband is in Iraq, I am not a "military wife" per se. My hubby is in the National Guard. So, my life is pretty normal except for the weekend a month and 2 weeks every summer he has to leave. I don't live the military life everyday, except for the past several months while hubby has been in Iraq. Those that are full time military have it much differnent than I. Having to move alot, shop at commisarys/PXs, etc. I hope some of them can give you their stories. Did you post in the Military Support Thread on the top of OTC? Good luck!!

[freemus]

Gemini26 - Thank you for the bump. :)

Shancopp - You may not be a military spouse everyday as I am, but my hubby is here and yours has been gone for months, so who's sacrificing the most right now?? Actually, I think you have helped me...maybe one of my paragraphs could be about the "temporary" military spouse. Hmm...
Am I allowed to post the same thing in a different thread??

[Shancopp]

Glad to help! (didn't even know I did! LOL!) and yes, you can post it up there also! I am sacrificing right now, yes, but not nearly as much as the guys over there are! And, in a few months, my life should be back to pre war normal! (no more Tricare~Id cards~LES's that don't make sense~High phone bills~Stomach knotting up when you read a soldier has been killed~Answering my 3yr olds' "I want my Daddy! cries) Just back to the once a month "I'll see you on Sunday", which sometimes was like a mini vacation from each other! LOL! Good luck on your paper and I'd really love to read it when you get it done!

[freemus]

Yes, I know the guys over there are sacrificing terribly, but I figure I'd let one of the soldiers in my class write about them. Write what you know and such...I'll have you know that my paper will most likely suck, because I am NO writer, but maybe I could let you read it, depending what grade I get. I hate this class.

I hope you get your life back soon! Thanks!

[kelii23]

Over the years I have talked a lot about military spouses,
>how special they are and the price they pay for freedom too.
>
>The funny thing about it, is most military spouses don't consider themselves different from other spouses. They do what they have to do, bound together not by blood or merely friendship, but with a shared spirit whose origin is in the very essence of what love truly is. Is there truly a difference? You have to decide for yourself.
>
>Other spouses get married and look forward to building equity in a home and putting down family roots. Military spouses get married and know they'll live in base housing or rent, and their roots must be short so they can be transplanted frequently.Other spouses decorate a home with flair and personality that will last a lifetime.
>
>Military spouses decorate a home with flare tempered with the knowledge that no two base houses have the same size windows or same size rooms. Curtains have to be flexible and multiple sets are a plus. Furniture must fit like puzzle pieces.Other spouses have immaculate living rooms and are seldom used. Military spouses have immaculate living room/dining room combos. The coffee table got a scratch or two moving from Germany, but it still looks pretty good.
>
>Other spouses say good-bye to their spouse for a business trip and know they won't see them for a week. They are lonely, but can survive. Military spouses say good-bye to their deploying spouse and know that they won't see them for a month, or for a remote, a year. They are lonely, but they will survive.
>
>Other spouses, when a washer hose blows off, call Maytag and then write a check out for getting the hose reconnected. Military spouses will cut the water off and fix it themselves.Other spouses get used to saying hello to friends they see all the time. Military spouses get used to saying good-bye to friends made the last two years.
>
>Other spouses worry about whether their child will be class president next year. Military spouses worry about whether their child will be accepted in yet another new school next year and whether that school will be the worst in the city...again.
>
>Other spouses can count on spouse participation in special events, birthdays, anniversaries, concerts, football games, graduation, and even the birth of a child. Military spouses only count on each other; because they realize that the Flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. It has to be that way.
>
>Other spouses put up yellow ribbons when the troops are imperiled across the globe and take them down when the troops come home. Military spouses wear yellow ribbons around their hearts and they never go away.
>
>Other spouses worry about being late for Mom's Thanksgiving dinner. Military spouses worry about getting back from Japan in time for Dad's funeral.And other spouses are touched by the television program showing an elderly lady putting a card down in the front of a long, black wall that has names on it. The card simply says, "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. You would have been sixty today." A military spouse is the lady with the card. The wall is the Vietnam Memorial.
>
>I would never say military spouses are better or worse than other spouses are. But I will say there is a difference. And I will say that our country asks more of military spouses than asked of other spouses. And I will say without hesitation that military spouses pay just as high a price for freedom as do their active duty husbands or wives. Perhaps the price they pay is even higher.
>
>Dying in service to our Country isn't near as hard as loving someone who has died in service to our Country, and having to live without them.
>God Bless our military spouses for all they freely give...
>And God Bless America.

[gemini26]

Cool Kelli, thanks for sharing!

[freemus]

Kelii - Thank you so much!!! That gives me a lot of material to work with!! Did you write that? I think I am supposed to tell where I get my info. I'm gonna ask about that tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing that. You are an angel!!!! :):):)

[kelii23]

sorry i forgot to include who wrote it...my bad. HERE YA GO!!


>By Colonel Steven Arrington

There is the end part for you, sorry 'bout that! :D

[freemus]

Thank you Kelii. That was really a big help.

:)

And thank you Emelle for sharing. I do NOT know how Navy wives do it!

[kelii23]

you are most welcome!! I am a military spouse myself...when my hubby was deployed it was hard with a job and 2 kids by myself. it gets very lonely and the kids really miss daddy. its hard for him as well because they grow so fast while hes away. i can say it is a relationship like no other and when these things happen you really have to work as a team even though you are not together. between keeping finances in order, sending care packages, making sure you write often and send picures of the kids and you, that can be difficult especially if when he is there he usually takes care of all the business. If they are gone for a long period of time...when they come back..sometimes its difficult to adjust because of the independance you developed while they were gone. glad i could be of help to you!! :D