Military Wife's Turn.... (unknown)

[AngelswDirtyFaces]

Military Wife's Turn.... (unknown)

You probably didn't realize who was sitting next to you.
You rattled on about how silly this antiterrorist war is,
and that it's just a political ploy.
You complained about America being the world's police.
You said you'd never let your son run off to fight, and
you'd throw a fit if they just sent your husband off.
At that point, I almost turned around and told you who I am.
I am a military spouse.

Life in the military has never been easy.
It means low pay with long hours and no overtime,
watching your husband go to work with a fever because
the doctor didn't deem him sick enough for the day off.
It means years of rules and protocol that wear on you like a dripping faucet late at night...right down to how your spouse can wear his hair.
Don't even get me going on the weekly inspection of our yards...weeds growing the in the sidewalk cracks can cause a yard ticket, there is no slacking allowed and no excuses...it doesn't matter if it's 90 degrees and you're 8 months pregnant. It's living in housing with so many layers of paint that the square footage has been reduced in half.

We live with Terms like "Exercise" which means 12-14 hour shifts for up to 2 weeks with NO overtime. And "TDY," which means your spouse is gone for up to 180 days. And "Remotes," which means your spouse is gone for longer than 180 days. And finally, "PCS," which means your whole family is going on this ride with no choice and often no warning. You have to pick up and move your life where ever the military wants you to go whether you like it or not...often to places where the locals despise us.

Don't get me wrong, whining is not my intent here.
While the road we've been down in the military hasn't always been paved; it's been a good life.
My kids know you don't wait to make friends because you never know how long they'll be here.
We know how precious good friends are even when miles separate us..friends become families you get to choose.
We know that value of a good, old fashioned love letter.

It's being a single parent although you are still married to your children's father.
It's keeping a marriage alive through letters, care packages, and 10 minute phone calls that you wait for weeks to receive...you're afraid to leave your house because you don't want to miss "the" call.
It's having to answer the question, "How many days till daddy comes home?" two hundred times...a day.

It's waving good-bye to a figure on a ship or a plane or a bus and trying not to blink for fear you'll loose sight of them, those extra seconds so precious.
It's living a thousand miles away from loved ones...having kids alone, grandparents and extended family are hundreds or thousands of miles a way, not just down the road.

I lie in bed and try to recall what his breathing sounds like next to me- or I hear the door open and try to envision him walking in from work.
What I would give to hear his clear voice without telephone static and worrying about how much the phone call will cost us.
It's missing birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas's, the births of children.. Not to mention first steps, first words, lost teeth, nightmares, school plays and a millions
other "daily events" that civilians take for granted.

It's living with the knowledge that any day they could be sent on a mission that will change your and your children's lives forever.
The deep fear - what if this separation becomes permanent?
Distance is a horrible thief of what is precious, because it only reminds us of how precious it is

You kept on talking for a while.
You could sit there freely and give your opinion because of the military families like ours. We do not have the luxury of political opinion. We only
know orders, patriotism and duty.
We are paying the price for your freedom.
I've heard it said that soldiers of the past, present and future pay for the flag.
Nah, we're the THREADS it's woven with.
Support Our Troops


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[bestmidwest]

Thanks...I needed that!

[flash3992]

Thanks Angel. Another great post. You seem to find these things that make the "un-sung" heros of military life known. The family! Thank you and keep 'em coming! I salute you again!