so, this is my story.
i know that i'm, what some would call, "new to the game," but i've been around as a military significant other for long enough to know something about the life i chose.
i knew from the start that only four months after our relationship began, major barber
[captain back then.] was going to deploy for seven months.
that meant that our time apart was going to be nearly double our time together. i accepted this with a strange sense of peace. it felt as though i was destined for this life. i was willing to wait as long as i had to for this man, and he was willing to do the same for for me.
after those seven months, i look at everything through a different set of eyes. the little things, i no longer take for granted---every meal we share as a family, at the same table; every goodnight kiss; even every dirty uniform that i wash, or the mud his boots track through the house---they all mean the same thing, that, right now, he his home.
so what does it mean to be a military wife? honestly the question is almost impossible to answer, unless you have been one, and i'm sure it differs from person to person.
for me, it means accepting constant change---moving across the country [or world], uprooting your life, painting new walls, learning new roads of a new city; making friends with people you would've never known otherwise; not knowing when he will get orders to go TDY; knowing that any plans can be thrown out the window, at a moment's notice.
it means being stronger than you'd ever thought you could be--fixing broken washing machines while he is gone
[and not worrying him about it]; choking back the tears when he tells you your 15-minute phone call is almost over; protecting your home and yourself; being his support system from thousands of miles away; being your own support system when communications are poor.
it means being a patriot, filled with such a strong sense of pride for our country that your heart swells every time the Star Spangled Banner is played, knowing that your husband dedicated his life to protecting not only you, but also every other American who accepts the freedoms given to them by others just like your husband; hanging our country's flag high, for all to see; going to every ceremony, meeting, bbq, willingly, not because "you have to," because you know it is full of others who are in the same boat as you and your husband.
it means experiencing kinship like you never knew you could. sharing a bond with other military spouses, even if you thought you would never have a friend like them; having an instant connection, feeling like you've known each other forever, with women you've just met, simply because they chose the same life as you; knowing that you are not alone, and you will always have a shoulder to cry on, dinner on the table, an "emergency" coffee date, if you ever need any of those things while he's away.
opinions may vary, but mine is strong: the day we started dating, and i knew i was going to spend forever with this man, i "joined" the military. i chose a life of selflessness and duty to our country, but also one of adventure and experience. a life of being the "commanding home officer," holding down the fort on the home front, waiting for my troop to walk through the doors and say, "i'm home," again.
