The choice to serve wouldn’t be easy or taken lightly. Time would be given and careful considerations taken. Pros and cons would be listed, and those affected would be considered. God knew they’d need someone to understand what they were signing up for, that the sacrifices would be real, and that life wouldn’t always be easy.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew they’d be gone at times. Sometimes they’d be gone for days, sometimes for years. He knew there would be uncertainty during those times. He knew they’d need someone to pay the bills, mow the grass, and leave the light on. Someone to keep the home fires burning as they say.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew there would be more mouths to feed. Plants, pets, and even kids. He knew they needed someone consistent, who was always there. He knew that in those times of separation that they would comfort, protect, and care for those that they also love. He didn’t promise that those days apart would be easy either.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew they’d be attached to a squadron, a fleet, or a platoon. There would be other military spouses. They’d be older or younger and would have their own worlds to take care of. Sometimes those worlds will come crashing down. Illness, death, or unexpected changes. Those other spouses will need an ear to listen, a hot meal, or an extra hand.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew they’d have to wait. Wait for orders. Wait for shifts to end or planes to land. Wait for departures and homecomings. Waiting for the unknown. He knew they’d have to learn to wait patiently. Even when patience was wearing thin, they’d still have to learn to wait.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew life would change unexpectedly. Moves would come suddenly. Deployments or TDYs last minute. Jobs would change. Orders would change. Deployments would change. He knew they needed to be flexible and understanding. They’d have to learn to roll with the punches and to not make plans until things were in writing … and still knowing that nothing is guaranteed.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew they needed to be adventurous. Orders half way across the world? Orders to that small town in the middle of nowhere? They’d have to accept them both. They’d have to learn to make home where the heart is. Learn to fit the same cherished pieces of furniture in a 2,000 square foot home as well as a 1,000 square foot apartment. They’d have to accept being told where to live versus choosing where to live and making the best of it.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew this life would be hard. He knew there would be good times and bad. Sometimes the bad times would be very bad. Sometimes the job won’t be easy, and the hours would be long. The deployment would get extended and the TDY would be in the most ideal location during the worst months of winter back home. He knew they’d need to be forgiving of it all.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
He knew that they needed a companion. Someone to share the ever changing path they chose with. He knew they couldn’t all do it alone. He knew that nobody else among their family or friends would ever understand this life. He knew they’d need the love, support, and understanding that only a spouse could provide.
So God Made a Military Spouse.
There’s no mention of divorce in here. Inaccurate portrayal of marriage in the military.
It’s absolutely an accurate description of a military spouse….in the case of this particular description of a military marriage, ‘if’ a ‘spouse’ chooses divorce during the course of the marriage that is described in this article, that spouse is not the one that is described in this article. The one described in this article is exactly what a military spouse is and is exactly why God made the military spouse.
I’m pretty sure this wasn’t intended to be a thesis on the pros and cons of military marriage. I’m a 56-year-old AF brat, and the item certainly portrays the trials and tribulations of the way I grew up. Nothing but admiration for my mom and all the other military spouses out there.
Don’t forget infidelity during deployment, Jim!
Sometimes there is divorce. Definitely not easy… I know from experience! This lifestyle is not for the weak at heart for either spouses.
Thank you all for your responses! No, not intended to be a thesis about marriage in the military. It definitely comes with the good and the bad.
My husband has served in the Marines and Army. We retire in 2 1/2 yrs. He has given the country over 20 yrs of service. Not once has either of us strayed. It is possible to have a good marriage in the military. It takes hard work and trust. If you respect one another that strengthens the relationship.
He retires, not “we”, HE.
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What a nice tribute to military spouses. I am retired Air Force and my wife fits your description of the military spouse so very well. I shared it on her timeline. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful. All the negative comments break my heart that people need to be so negavite.
I’m an AF spouse of 10 years. This spoke to me. Thank you for this beautiful piece.
Oh the places we go, the people we meet, the food we eat, the fun we have and the memories we make!! How I miss it so!! I would spend another 27+ along side my military sisters and brothers!!
Thank you for a walk down memory lane! My husband retired 3 years ago after 27 years so that he could spend time with our son! It was a tough decision leaving behind the only lifestyle we knew, but we knew our son needed his dad and dad needed his son!! It’s not for everyone, but even after all that you mentioned, all those crazy changes, I would do it all over again and then some!!!
God bless all of you.
What a beautiful tribute. As a spouse of a retired af man I am truly touched by your sentiment- because it truly takes the blessing of a strong spouse to live that life. As I have been challenged during active life I find that now in retirement I am even more challenged as my husband is now a defense contractor who still deploys. I some days ask why I thought this lifestyle might have changed once he retired. Lol. And then I thank God for the courage I have had and continue to have to be His helper, by his side, all while he does what God called him to do, and that is to be a sheep dog.
This lifestyle is definitely not for the faint of heart. God is my rock and my fortress. He is my strength… even while calling me to be that military spouse.
Thank you Michelle for sharing what many go through. Very touching sentiment.
A great tribute to military spouses. I spent 20 years as one and just like any type life it has ups and downs. None of these derogatory responses are really necessary here. These things happen in civilian life as well.
To me it takes a special type of person to be a military spouse. You are expected to leave your hometown family and friends and move often. Sometimes you just get settled in and you get orders. You learn to run the household on your own because of TDY and unaccompanied tours.
You spend a lot of time being Mom and Dad yet even so I’ll bet the majority of military brats will end up being grateful for their life even though they can pitch a fit when they are forced to leave their friends and make new ones often.
I had a little embroidered pillow that said “Life is where the Army sends you. “
Being a military spouse is a special calling. So very grateful for all those military families out there who sacrifice so much. They serve.
I so loved my army life as a spouse. Yes there is some very hard times. When your husband has been stationed back to back over seas and one of those a war zone. But for the spouse your children are born on a military base and you get to watch your children grow up and it is now graduation time. Then your spouse gets 3 hour’s out of lock down to watch his oldest son walk across the stage and he looks at his wife and says, you done a great job raising our boy’s. I miss military life. This fine soldier retired on October 31,2005 twenty two year ‘s of service. He passed away February 22, 2009 due to kidney cancer. He is missed and loved.
Love this great tribute. Marriage is never easy. It takes two people working hard at it to have a good marriage. Military wives often have to wear more hats than most wives, but we love our hubbies and that makes it worth the work. My husband served 28 years, two tours in Vietnam and one in Korea.
Beautiful, perfect, and true!
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