Learning to Live and Love My Military Wife Life

I think we all wonder sometimes, “How did I end up here?” in life. That’s what I wonder concerning this Air Force Wife role I stepped into 8 years ago. Yes, I appreciated the military then, I admired my husband’s commitment to defend his country. But now, as we move across the country for the second time in his career, I am challenged. I feel as though I have taken it all for granted. This government entity, established before the birth of the nation itself, is a world I have appreciated and admired from afar before my marriage, and yet even within my marriage I’ve observed from the sidelines. As they say, all military members give the greatest sacrifice, making a check out to the United States of America, payable up to and including their life.

It seems like I have only had an outside view. I don’t know the acronyms, I can’t remember who outranks who, and I wouldn’t begin to know what kind of courage those in the midst of their duties have to call upon. There seems to be a respect only those serving can really embody. I can speak of it because I’ve seen it in the form of a salute. The salute is a moment in time, capturing the deepest respect and privilege it accentuates, where any person, regardless of military or non-military status, can observe and feel the pride and esteem it exudes. This, to me, acts as a reminder that my husband, and those serving like him, live for their country and service to it, before self. I love this about the military, and I can always think to when my husband and his colleagues exchange a salute and my heart swells with pride.

Now, as I type, he’s entering the world of the Officers. He has been enlisted for the past 11 years, and today he will begin his training as a USAF Officer Cadet. I’m proud of him, and I’m thankful for the culture and respect the military teaches and continues to produce. They are the cut of our country’s finest cloth, the fabric of generations of servant leaders who selflessly pursued the mission to serve and protect this great nation. I am proud to be an American, and proud to be an Air Force Wife. Thank you Chris, for your dedication, example, and heart to continue in the world of sacrifice and courage, honor and valor, excellence and integrity. I stand behind you 100% and trust God is leading you.

God bless you, my love. I aspire to be as brave as you.