As a military spouse, I meet a lot of different people every day- people from all colorful walks of life...people, whom I wouldn’t normally have anything to do with- as in get a chance to meet, and the only common denominator in it all, is the military...And naturally, which goes with the territory- not all of us are going to have the same opinion/beliefs/thoughts on topics such as parenting, government, marriage, religion, LIFE.
So for me, a rather opinionated female!, it’s a must to try and stay indifferent to the many opinions everyone seems to have on what the military is to them...Whether its just a job, one you neither love nor hate, but steady employment that offers the means for one to provide for themselves and their loved ones...Or more than simply a job for them, but a career they are passionate about {as it is for my husband}...Or rather just a steeping stone to bigger and better things in life...Whatever your station in society may be, who am I to judge the reason or rhyme as to why you‘ve decided to enlist in the service...That’s none of my business or anyone else’s for that matter...However, one certain opinion I have an issue with, and will always speak out against- is when you have a service member OR his wife, OR both!, bad mouthing the very thing that is allowing them to L I V E !
The Navy is putting food on our table, a roof over our head, and providing our daughters with the best medical care that is available to them...My youngest daughter was in the NICU for 4 months, not to mention the cost of after care once she was released, and that added up to well over 3 million dollars! I was on strict bedrest in the hospital for 6 weeks before I had Elizabeth, who was a twin, and the cost of that stay was no small amount I tell you! Everything was approved, no cost was spared in the quest to save my daughter's life, who was given a 2% chance of living after being born 17 weeks too early. I saw firsthand the added stress and grief couples were facing because their insurance carriers would only cover so much after an extended period of time. How can you ever put a price on the life of ones child? And because of that, not having to have any of those fears or worries, I developed a greater sense of appreciation for the Navy and all the benefits our family has been rewarded due to my husband’s service.
So when I witness spouses bad mouthing the military, I find that my normal rule of indifference is no longer one I can AND will adhere to, and something must be said to address this ignorance.
Okay, we get it. You aren’t fond of the Navy, or the military as a whole, and that’s allowable!....but the level of disrespect one shows when speaking ill against the military, WHEN they are a military spouse, is unimaginable to me!
Now, I am a rare classification of spouse, this I truly know. I have an intense love for all things Navy and the Country for which it proudly serves! I am very patriotic, and I love the fact that my husband is serving his country. I actually had plans to join the Navy myself out of high school...but I met a certain Sailor, handsome in his dress blues- and the rest as we say, is history! I have now been happily married to that Sailor for almost 10 years, and one thing that will always remain the same, is the pride and honor I feel at the privilege of being able to call myself his wife...a Navy wife.
So I ask- did I miss something along the way? Something vital, that would explain why some wives truly find it a right of passage to act in such a manner? I must have, because other wise this is just ridiculous!
I too have done the deployments, the workups, the fast cruises, the random underway periods...My husband has missed the anniversaries, the birthdays, the Holidays, the significant firsts of our daughters...SO WHAT? Its part of being a military spouse...Yes its tough, its not for the weak spirited, so if you cant cut it as a military spouse- do us all a favor and bow out gracefully, OR put your big girl panties on and keep your ridiculous dimwitted opinions to yourself.
So in conclusion to my rambling- I’m truly perplexed with the backwards thought processes of some of these wives now a days- hypocritical and ignorant are just the beginning of what I want to say, but instead I will settle for ranting here in my lil’ ol’ blog!
