The other day I had to go to the base to pick up George after he had duty (every three days he has to spend the night on the ship standing watches usually from 12am-8am and then if it's a weekday, work a full day). I was still sleepy as it was 8am on a Sunday morning. I pulled in, got out my ID and rolled down the window and nearly ran over the MA (Master at Arms-military police) standing in the middle of the road with his hand out. It was still a bit dark and with his cammies on, I nearly missed seeing him. I screetched to a halt and was confused by all the cars pulled over to the side of the road and men standing outside them with their hats against their chests. My first though: something very bad happened. When I noticed the men at the gate with the machine guns standing at attention facing away from the gate I realized that it wasn't an accident or attack. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw something move. Old Glory was being raised. Quietly at first, the sound of Reveille filled my car. This is called Colors. At 8am and 8pm every day on every US Military base worldwise, the American Flag is raised or lowered, Reveille played and every person on the base is to stand whever they are, face the flag and observe a moment of respect. And then, being a Canadian something very strange happened. My eyes filled with tears and my heart swelled with pride as I thought; I am a military spouse.
Now, my husband does not foward deploy to the front lines. My husband does not come home with battle scars or bullet holes. But my husband does serve in the US Navy. And he makes me proud. I am proud of the sacrifce we make so that he can serve. I am proud of the commitment he has made to his country. I am proud that he is helping make our world and the world of our future children a better place.
It's hard to remember this pride when he spends months and months away from home. It's hard to remember this pride when I wait for weeks to get a 3 line email. It's really hard to remember this pride when faced with the daunting task of moving us to another duty station across the country...alone. But the pride is always there nonetheless. It keeps me going day to day when he's gone and it helps me encourage him when he's home.
Being in the military is not an easy lifestyle. You are faced with birthdays, holidays and months spent apart. I am still shocked how many wives I know that have given birth with their spouse deployed overseas. I know of husbands and wives who watch their children grow up through photographs. Even when they are home, there are often long hours, with no overtime. There are times when he can't talk about what goes on at work. Being a military spouse is not for the faint of heart.
A few weeks ago we celebrated military spouse appreication day. It was a bittersweet day for me as again, my husband was somewhere on the sea. It was nice to have people recognize my sacrifice for once because as on tv, all you see are the soilders and not his waiting family. You don't see the wife who has to be Mom and Dad. You don't see her fixing the oil pan in the car or playing catch in the yard. It's a joke among the navy spouses that we're married to the military; but it's a true story. We went to Seaworld a few weeks ago and before the big Shamu show one of the divers came out and asked that all Military service members and their families to stand. We did so and thus received a huge fanfare from the entire crowd. Those moments matter. With tears in my eyes I remember smiling at these people who took a few moments to thank us for what we go through. While my neighbours might not realize how lucky they are for everyday they get to spend together; I for one cherish every single moment that my husband is able to spend with me. I saw a bumper sticker today while I waited in line to get on to the base to drop my husband off for yet another 6 week to 6 month deployment and it read "Navy Wife, hardest job in the military" and I thought to myself...that couldn't be more accurate.
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