Military Wives

(Edited to add picture.)

This post is a part II of my Q and A from yesterday.

Casey, as I started to answer your question, my answer just kept going and going. And then it went on some more. It was like a bad run on sentence. And in some places, I feel it didn't really make any sense. But I think it's important enough that I give it it's own attention. I wanted to address it properly. And I don't want anyone to misconstrue anything that I have to say.

So for those of you who would like to know also, here is her question:

Do you think you are the typical officer's wife, or the atypical officer's wife, and why?

Well, I think this would qualify as the toughest question thus far. I'm not exactly sure what typical is. I think some people have opinions of what officer's wives are to be like. So unfortunately it's purely subjective as to what the typical wife is.

I can however address an opinion that I have personally heard. Possessing an attitude of grandeur that correlates directly with husband's rank.

I have known some officers wives, and I can tell you that I have met a few that could easily qualify and fit into the above described category. I have also met many more totally kind hearted and generous women who don't display a single diva-ish bone in their bodies.

I also think I don't really fit into a category of what an officer's wife should be. I have been married to my husband for 8 1/2 years. And for the first 4 years, he was enlisted. I honestly felt very proud of him for what he had accomplished prior to becoming his wife. When I stood by, and encouraged him and supported him through finishing his education, I couldn't have been more proud to see him selected to attend Officer Training School. I felt that he worked hard to get there. He sweated hard along side the best and hardest working men and women in the Air Force. And he most certainly logged his time. I am very happy to see him achieve his goals.

I don't think I am typical in any sense of the word. Sometimes I think that officers wives have gotten a bad rap. Now by saying this, I'm not saying that I agree with the negative statement that I mentioned above. But I have heard it before.

What I can tell you, is that I don't define myself as an officer's wife. I just say that I am an Air Force wife, or in general, a military wife. My husband wears a uniform, and I like that when he goes to work, he has a part in defending our great nation. And I honor and respect every single person who wears any one of our military uniforms.

I can also tell you that I have even deeper respect for the women who have husbands who are deployed, as their sacrifice is much greater than mine. The typical military wife does make sacrifices on a daily basis, when she is pulled away from her family, and asked to move across the country every few years. Sometimes even out of the country. The wives who stand guard on the homefront, they are true heros too. They have the ultimate strength, and I am not even sure that I could stand in their shoes.

Though I may have strayed off topic just a bit, I can say that these are the things that come to mind when I am asked about the typical officers wife. I don't know what anyone else thinks about, but these are some of my thoughts. And I don't think I am any different than any other woman out there who is married to a man in the Air Force.

I like to think that we all as humans have a lot to learn from one another. I tend to want to see the very best that we have to offer. I would also like to add that I have a sense of pride in what my husband does every day for his job. In that sense, maybe I am typical. I think that many of the Air Force (and military) wives also feel this way.

As a whole, I believe that military wives are a very special breed. We have to endure things that other wives simply do not. We are unique, patient, and accomodating with the unknowns that are constantly thrust upon us. So, to answer your question, yes and no. I'm a regular girl who married a guy in the Air Force. I love what we stand for. And I am happy to know other wives who share this passion.