A Military wife can be tough to describe.
She is a Southern belle, a Northeastern Mets
fan, a California 3rd generation recycler, a
Pacific Islander or even European.
She is short or tall.
A tomboy.
A fashion diva.
A physician's assistant.
A Republican.
A Democrat...
A Military Wife is a career gal.
A home-schooler.
A scrap-booker.
An accomplished cellist.
An auto mechanic.
What IS a Military Wife?
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...
Lots of moving...
Moving.
Moving.
Moving.
Moving far from home.
Moving two cars, three kids, one dog,
and a cat...
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 20 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...
As well as check the fluids in her car!
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 POA (Power of Attorney).
She welcomes neighbors that don't always welcome her.
She re-invents 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... all the while recording 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 military wives, their husband is the most unreliable
guy in town!
His language is foreign:
TDY
PCS
OPR
ACC
BDU
... so, a Military Wife is also a translator for her
family and friends.
She is the long-distance link to keep them
informed, the glue that holds them together.
A military wife has her moments...
She wants to wring his neck,
dye his uniform pink, and
refuse to move to Siberia.
But she always 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.
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....
THAT is what a military wife IS!
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