Monday, September 14th, 2015
For the past six years, I have been living the military life. I have supported my husband through six patrols, many times not hearing a word from him for several weeks at a time. I struggled a lot in the beginning. I felt empty, lonely and I missed him terribly. I forgot what he sounded like. I forgot what he smelled like and often times went into our closet to sniff his shirts. It was so hard to explain to my civilian friends what it was like to have your husband deployed. Holidays were an especially difficult time since i couldn’t possibly fly across the country for every event.
In my experience, my husband’s command was very good about thanking us as spouses for supporting our significant others during patrols. I once heard a Master Chief describe military spouses as the, “backbone of the military.” His statement has stuck in my head over the years. Without our support, many of our spouses could not have made it through the long night watches or long deployments. Having someone to love and support them is what keeps them going.
A military spouse needs support as well. Just a simple gesture of kindness from a stranger letting you know that you are cared about as well, makes a huge difference in their life. It is essential that these spouses know that they are not alone and that they have someone to talk to who understands what they are going through. The slogan, “Support the troops” basically means to support our military. Our military is comprised of those who serve and their families. Support Military Spouses supports our military by providing love and encouragement to those who keep our troops strong. I feel blessed and grateful to be a part of this mission.
Amber H.
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