Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
There's not enough THANK YOUS in the world to be given to Military Spouses and all the STUFF given to them (us) throughout the military careers. PCS, deployments, training, in field exercises, TDYs, boot camp, MOS Schools, OCS schools, Mojave Vipers, vacations alone, child birth alone, and more. The sacrifices are endless and countless. But, do we really know any other way?
I write this as I am sitting across from bookshelves that contain books like The Pacific and American Solider and stop and wonder about the generations of spouses before us. The wisdom, sacrifice, dedication, commitment, and grace shown through them and passed down to us, the newer generations. And then I think, we're one of the OLDER generations of current Active Duty. I am the one who has gone through this stuff for 13 marital years while we're inching upon retirement and last duty station talk. The Marine has been a Marine for SIXTEEN, soon to be seventeen years. What wisdom and knowledge are we passing down to those who are gently stepping into our roles from our first enlistment all those years ago? Maybe that is why FRGs and Key Volunteers, and such other programs work(ed)? The passing of knowledge, the bond of the military spouse, and the sheer panic of not knowing a single person every time you move.
We endure sleepless nights, broken phone calls, long-distance marriages, missed family events, last minute notice on holiday guests, and children crying for daddy (or mommy). Yes, all these things can happen in a non-military marriage but then add in the unconsolable spouse who couldn't get his friend out in time, the best friend who never made it home, the blank stares, the zoned-out moments, the endless weekends with friends, the anger, driving as if everything is going to explode, and more. We have been married almost the entire time our country has been at war. I almost forget what the world inside the Marine Corps was like without war(s) going on and deployments, and trainings happening every second of the day across the globe.
So, with that...
Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day
There's not enough THANK YOUS in the world to be given to Military Spouses and all the STUFF given to them (us) throughout the military careers. PCS, deployments, training, in field exercises, TDYs, boot camp, MOS Schools, OCS schools, Mojave Vipers, vacations alone, child birth alone, and more. The sacrifices are endless and countless. But, do we really know any other way?
I write this as I am sitting across from bookshelves that contain books like The Pacific and American Solider and stop and wonder about the generations of spouses before us. The wisdom, sacrifice, dedication, commitment, and grace shown through them and passed down to us, the newer generations. And then I think, we're one of the OLDER generations of current Active Duty. I am the one who has gone through this stuff for 13 marital years while we're inching upon retirement and last duty station talk. The Marine has been a Marine for SIXTEEN, soon to be seventeen years. What wisdom and knowledge are we passing down to those who are gently stepping into our roles from our first enlistment all those years ago? Maybe that is why FRGs and Key Volunteers, and such other programs work(ed)? The passing of knowledge, the bond of the military spouse, and the sheer panic of not knowing a single person every time you move.
We endure sleepless nights, broken phone calls, long-distance marriages, missed family events, last minute notice on holiday guests, and children crying for daddy (or mommy). Yes, all these things can happen in a non-military marriage but then add in the unconsolable spouse who couldn't get his friend out in time, the best friend who never made it home, the blank stares, the zoned-out moments, the endless weekends with friends, the anger, driving as if everything is going to explode, and more. We have been married almost the entire time our country has been at war. I almost forget what the world inside the Marine Corps was like without war(s) going on and deployments, and trainings happening every second of the day across the globe.
So, with that...
Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day
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