Oh… Military Life! This is likely what brought you to Mission: Milspouse in the first place. It is what binds the military community together with its wildly unique lifestyle.
Whether you are here to learn how to better live in this military life, how to support a loved one who is living the military lifestyle, or to see if this lifestyle is something you may like to be a part of, you have come to the right place.
Here at Mission: Milispouse the military lifestyle is what inspires us, drives our home lives, our moves, and our service member’s career, and gives us a camaraderie like no other. So welcome friend, take a seat and read more about all things that make us who we are and make the military lifestyle a life like no other!
When I wrote my previous post, my husband and I were preparing for homecoming and reintegration.
The homecoming day (that only changed a couple times) has come and gone. We’re now in the trenches of reintegration.
I say “trenches” not because it’s bad, but because there are highs and lows, including some I didn’t expect. (Silly me, thinking I could plan for everything.)
Dearest National Guard spouse, I see you.
Your partner is gone and you may have wonderful friends, but none understand what you’re going through. Your kids have a slew of friends and they don’t have to PCS, but they also don’t have friends that understand why their parent is gone. Your family loves you, but they too do not comprehend the feeling of a spouse being away.
Don’t worry, I see you.
It began during our first year of marriage, these mistresses. He brought the first one home one night. When I questioned my husband, his reasoning made sense to me, so I said no more.
But she persisted, and soon he was spending more and more time with this “mistress.” I would hear the conversations, and I became increasingly annoyed, and then even angry.
He said it was ending. We had orders to PCS. I remained patient and tried again with him at the following assignment.
But it got worse.
There was a time I wanted a career in front of a camera, behind a news desk. That was before I discovered my love of serving military families.
Actually, I had accepted a job as a news anchor in Maine when my life took an unexpected turn toward military support volunteerism. My husband was working on his Ph.D. when the Navy recruited him—to borrow a line from the movies, “it was an offer too good for him to refuse.”
I have a tough time trying to connect. Is it me?
We’ve been at our new duty station for about a year and three months. Let me start by saying that I love our home, and I love having all the space I need in our home. The area is nice, but being stationed in a remote area makes me miss having a military community nearby. I say that because we all know that, no matter what, you can find a few friends with a common interest. You can spend time together and have fun and get to know a person fully and without judgment.
Like many military spouses living in the greater Washington, D.C. area, I get my medical care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Sitting in the lobby at a recent medical appointment, I couldn’t help but notice how busy the place was. People coming in and out, wounded warriors heading to appointments, medical equipment being delivered, staff members rushing to their next shift, and patients receiving critical care.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904