Many of us have seen and cried at those homecoming videos, but there’s a lot that happens both before and after that video that the public doesn’t see.

Military life is hard. So is military spouse life. And there’s no shame in saying that.

But, it’s easy to see others doing the same things you are and think that it’s normal and not difficult. There’s a time and place to soldier on, but there’s also a time and place to take the armor off and talk about what’s going on. And art can help you work through all those feelings.

That’s where The Veteran’s Spouse Project (VSP) comes in, offering free online workshops and classes for spouses. They’ve created safe spaces for spouses to connect and stand on their own truth. There’s nothing wrong with saying something is hard. There’s even a study out there that talked about how a military spouse’s mental well-being affects the entire family. If the spouse is doing well, the spouse can help the whole family be in that good mental state. The Veteran’s Spouse Project helps spouses be strong enough to share their stories. And story-telling helps to humanize the military family.

VSP is the only nonprofit, 501(c)(3), that gives voice to the experiences of veterans’ spouses across generations, by providing opportunities for creativity and healing through the arts while helping bridge the gap between civilian and military communities. With less than one percent of the nation’s citizens serving in our all-volunteer force during a 20-year war, cultural competence of what military families experience is increasingly important for creating a sense of belonging. Military family resilience is, in large part, contingent on an effective, culturally-competent support network within the community (Unger, 2019). This resilience directly benefits the health and well-being of our nation’s military.

Amy is the founder and artistic director of VSP and playwright of the play, I Will Wait. Amy grew up in Woodburn, Indiana, and received her BA in theatre performance from Purdue University. She spent several years as a working actor in New York City and has performed in numerous productions around the country as well as taught hundreds of students and directed shows from Alaska to Georgia. Amy was a proud military spouse for 21 years before her husband, Lt. Col. (R) Jamie Uptgraft retired from the Army. Amy, Jamie, and their four children recently settled in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where she continues to write, act, and direct.

If you want to learn more about VSP, check out their website here, or connect with them on social media via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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