Wednesday, August 20, 2008

What is a MILITARY Wife?

What is a MILITARY Wife?

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique

But this they have in common.

They have THIS IN COMMON!

Lots of moving---

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.

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

Military Wives are somewhat hasty

They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career
Alternatives, churches and friendships

They don't have 15 years to get to know people.

Their roots are
Short but flexible.

They 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 just Decide to
quit he's on-call for his country 24/7 but for you, he's The most

Unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign

TDY

PCS

NCO

ACU

FTX

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.

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 because 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.

8 comments:

Sonya said...

LOVE THIS POST!!! Funny, Roy just came home for a few days and started in with the little prefixes they use and I was totally confused!!!! I told him to talk to me like I am blonde when it comes to military talk! :)

Hope all is going well!
Sonya

MommaSuds said...

I love this post Brandy!It is so true.

Damama T said...

I love this so much that on Wednesday there'll be a post coming out on my blog directing people to come here and read it. (Just thought you might like to know in case, like me, you need to tidy up a bit for company.) ;o)

Laura Paxton said...

Wow...that was GOOD! And ALL true!

Amy said...

My daughter just moved to Texas last month - with 2 toddlers and one on the way - her stuff to arrive a couple weeks later - including... GASP... her CAR!!!

Her husband left this morning for a month's training in California...

I'm forwarding this to her because it describes her to a T!

Unknown said...

Wow. So that's what I got myself into huh? Awesome post. Love it!

Vanessa said...

I spent only 4 yrs as a military wife and hat was enough. My hubby was medically discharged but I do remember some of that and it aint fun. I do commend all those wonderful women. Thank you for sharing this about those who hold the fort down while their man is gone.
Vanessa

kristi said...

Hi, sent from Damama. I love this!!!