Being a Military Spouse is a Lifelong Commitment

May 7th is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. It is a day to honor and celebrate these selfless men and women who, in my opinion, are the backbone of our military. Military spouses did not sign-up to serve our country, but serve they do. They don’t serve in the traditional sense – they aren’t driving tanks or dropping bombs or living in the desert for months on end – they stay back and take care of the home front.

During deployments and long TDYs, they are the sole caregiver and take on roles of both mother and father, in addition to being the chauffeur, handy-man, teacher, nurse, chef, travel agent, entertainment director, party planner, cheerleader, mentor, counselor, etc. Even when their spouses are not deployed, they are rarely “home.” Working nights and weekends is commonplace and on the rare occasional night out, “shop talk” always makes an appearance. It’s become “normal” for military spouses to handle EVERYTHING; the house, the bills, the kids, pets, school, PCS’s, cars that need fixing, planning holidays, birthdays, vacations, the list goes on and on.

The majority live far from family, so they do not have the luxury of calling upon their parents or siblings to lend a hand or just give them a break. So, they lean on each other. The phrase “it takes a village” never rang truer than for military spouses. They are always actively supporting their fellow military families whether through home-cooked meals, babysitting, accompanying a spouse to doctor appointments or just being a shoulder to cry on. The network of military spouses becomes a true family of its own. They may not be family by blood, but they are family nonetheless.

This military life is not for everyone, the only constant is change and it takes an extraordinary person to successfully navigate this way of life. Military spouses are resourceful – they can plan the best homecoming, holiday, kids parties with almost no budget; they are creative – they can make their old furniture/curtains work in any size house; they are resilient – last minute deployment while pregnant, no problem!; they are selfless – they sacrifice their own
career to follow their spouse all over the world in pursuit of his/her dream; and most importantly, they are compassionate – they will drop everything to help their fellow military spouses and families. They are quite simply our very own superheroes.

Through my husband’s 20-year career, I have had the privilege and honor of knowing so many extraordinary military spouses that encapsulate these qualities and so many others. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to walk this military life with them and for their support in good times and bad. To my fellow military spouses, I know you don’t seek any praise or acknowledgement for all you do – you are silent warriors - but you deserve to be honored and praised because without you, your spouse in uniform cannot do their job. You are the backbone of your families, but also of the country.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Cheers to my fellow military spouses!