Thursday, November 18, 2010

Toughest Job in the Army/Military?


I know we've all see them, these stickers on cars or on people's blogs/Facebook pages maybe even on twitter. I'm not sure how they make you all feel but they kind of annoy me. I was given one quite a few years ago, not sure where it is right now, it never made it on my car. When I go to pick up my son at school there is a parent who's mini-van is covered with different decals, including this one.
The day after Veterans Day one of my Facebook friends left a comment on my wall telling me thanks that being a Military Spouse was one of the toughest jobs in the Military. I responded with an "I don't think so". I knew she meant nothing malicious with her comment but I will admit that it did offend me.

Considering what our Troops go through everyday, it is an insult to me to say I have one of the toughest jobs in the Military. I don't sleep in tents while there is a sandstorm going on. I haven't had to watch my friends die or get seriously hurt right before my eyes. I haven't had to participate in ramp ceremonies. I don't have to wear gear that is a good portion of my own body weight and I don't have to wear it in extreme heat or cold. I'm not stuck living with people I may not really like for a year or more. And I could go on.

Don't get me wrong, I have tough days as a result of all the aforementioned trials my husband deals with but I'm doing it as a virtual outsider. Yes, the memorial services I have attended have been hard and often the loneliness of being home without the person I love most gets the best of me. But I have a lot of choice. I can choose to stay home or go out. I can choose who I want to interact with. I can choose to be miserable or to tolerate and make the best of it. I am lucky that when my husband goes I have three boys to keep me company. While my husband may have friends in his unit that isn't always the case.

It's tough sometimes loving the job my husband has but being an Army wife isn't the toughest job because it's not tough at all to love my husband who happens to be in the Army.

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