By: Michael
Few people appreciate just what it is that military spouses endure and some times just flat out put up with. Being married to someone in the military is not a job for someone with a fragile ego or someone with an inferiority complex. It requires a lot of patience, self-sacrifice, quick-on-your-feet thinking and the understanding that even though he or she may have walked down the isle with this person, their spouse belong to their service first and as much as they may try to make their family a priority in their lives, when the military gives marching orders that basically is the end of the discussion. How many times have the daily routines of military families been turned upside down with the news of a surge deployment downrange, or a spouse's ship is rapidly deploying in support of reflief efforts after a natural disaster has devastated some foreign country on the other side of the world? For the military spouse, there is no negotiation; no room for rescheduling their loved-one's deployment for a more convenient time. How many times throughout the year do military spouses have to host birthday parties, holiday celebrations, attend weddings or funerals solo because their spouse has weekend duty onboard ship and can't be home?
Being a military spouse requires someone to know how to operate like a single parent even though they're not, technically. School events, doctor appointments, car trouble, balancing the checkbook, housework, and everything else in between are now your responsibility because it's not possible for your husband or wife to help out with these matters from out in the middle of the ocean or from a tent in Afghanistan or Iraq. It's also not for someone who has an expectation for their loved-one to always have a 9 to 5 job either. Military members don't punch a time card and sometimes, their day doesn't end until the job is done, well past the kids' bedtime.
Military wives and husbands deal with these challenges with the grace and humility that would make a saint blush, never missing a beat, holding back the tears until their loved one walks out the door, or leaves the pier, not to return for months on end. Military spouses deserve the admiration and respect of everyone. If you know one, take the time out of your day to thank them. Without their love and support, the men and women in uniform that have to leave them behind when the mission calls, couldn't be able to do what they do. Thank you for all that you do.
