Supporting Our Soldiers and Families for Their Time

This is a story about supporting the soldiers and their families. Understanding what they go through when a loved one is away.

Have you thanked a soldier and their family today? Ever thought about the time they must spend apart! The sacrifice they share to serve our country? These are just little things that the men and woman do to serve our country. Still, they don’t get enough thanks for all they do!

I am a navy wife, and I can tell you first hand the sacrifices we make while our spouses our serving this country.  The time spent apart from them is the hardest factor of all. I just spent two years without my husband, and it was hard to do. Never knowing when I would receive a phone call, email, or even a card in the mail. Many of times I worried that the “black car” would show up at my door. It was a lot of uncertainties. Many spouses fight depression and a sense of hopelessness. They fight these things because they are unsure of what is to lie around the corner. This also creates a sense of fear within each of us.

I can’t begin to tell you everything that we have experienced together as a couple and being married to the navy. Still, even with all the hardships of him being gone there is nothing like when he returns home. A sense of pride overwhelms you as you walk in the airport with husband and his uniform. I still remember it and it stays fresh in my mind. That day coming home and walking in the airport as we were given a standing ovation in the waiting area. I was smiling all over again! I knew that as hard as things had been for us this was what it was all about. It meant he had done his job and done his job well. Yes, it has been tough on both of us. It is tough we must learn to adjust to one another again. Things are never the same there are always adjustments to be made. But the love you feel between each other has grown even deeper than before.

This is where the real work begins. Now, it is time begin adjusting toward one another again. This is not an easy task. You have each grown a little bit more. Some things have become better and others just got worse to deal with. You have developed new traits and behaviors. These are things we must learn to live with all over again.

Then finally, watching them wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream. A dream they remembered from being in another country. The visions they have and try to share but sometimes can’t. It is hard to watch them adjust and try to be the person they were before they left. Sometimes you find that they can’t do these things. Then it is heartbreaking to the families who were left behind!

These are the stories of many of our men and woman that serve this great country. Even though this is only my story, there are still many others that could be shared. Just remember to thank your solider and their families for their time serving our country. It is because of them that we can live in such great place.