Memorial Day 2010

Looking back in History, Memorial Day was known as "Decoration day." It was and is still a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories to this special day's beginnings, and there is also evidence that women played a role in remembering fallen soldiers in the south. These particular women were decorating graves, and a hymn was even published in 1867, called "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping," by Nella L. Sweet.

Spouses, especially women, play a large role in the military. We are our spouses biggest supporters, most devoted friends and lovers, and the backbone of the ever-changing household. We work very hard to keep everything balanced and "normal" at home, but inside, we grieve for those who have already lost their lives because we fear for our Soldiers safety.

The Soldiers who served and sacrificed their lives in all of the previous and present time wars are loved, missed, and truly respected. Those Soldiers who sacrificed precious time with their families to protect our freedoms are continually respected and thanked by each and every one of us.

Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. It is also about coming together and recognizing all of the great things those fallen soldiers did for our country.

Embrace those you love, every single day. Tell them you love them as often as you can. Live life to the fullest and appreciate what life has to offer, every moment of every day!

Happy Memorial Day!

Sapperette

Army Wives Prayer

Army wives prayer

Dear Lord,
Give me the greatness of heart to see the difference between duty and his love for me. Give me understanding that I may know, when duty calls him he must go. Give me a task to do each day, to fill the time when he's away. And Lord, when he's in a foreign land, keep him safe in your loving hand. And Lord, when duty is in the field, please protect him and be his shield. And Lord, when deployment is so long, please stay with me and keep me strong. Amen.

Custom Made Military Bags!

As a stay at home mother, I have a lot of time to "Surf the 'Net," and I come across some of the coolest things! However, this COOL thing I want to pass along to you all is something I actually saw being sold at the Post Wide Garage Sale at For Richardson, AK...

If you visit the website: http://www.custommadebymelissa.com/ , you will see some of the neatest ideas for totes in support of your Soldier (or yourself!). Her next batch of orders will be taken on June 15th!

Definitely check them out :) She has a sign-up e-mail for a reminder about the upcoming order date, so you could sign up for that, too!

Below is a beautiful example of what could be yours!

Photo Courtesy of www.custommadebymelissa.com

Sapperette

No Life Like It!

"If the military had wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one." Anonymous

I thought this quote was fitting for us. None of us had to sign a piece of paper promising to serve this wonderful country of ours. However, we did sign a government piece of paper legally binding us to our men in uniform, better known as a "Marriage License." We support our husbands, make sacrifices, pack and unpack, learn ALL of the military acronyms and fight for a better tomorrow for our future children. We do this not because of an order, but because we love our men in uniform; for better or worse. I am pretty sure our "civilian" spouses look forward to building their family's roots somewhere. We know that we must carry our roots with us. We know that knowledge of nailing something in the wall is temporary. Last week my garbage disposal plugged up, the washing machine wouldn't complete the spin cycle and the bathroom shower head leaked into the basement. HA! I have learned to be the "man of the house" as I am sure you also have had to do. I am not saying we are better then civilian spouses, but our country asks more of us. We do what we have to do, bound together by the love of our husband and our friendship with other military spouses.

Life is funny, especially for officer wives. Some of us have been with our guys for a long time... before Army life even existed in our heads. They graduated college, had a job for awhile, then they tell you "Honey, I'm enlisting tomorrow!" (Well maybe not quite so quickly, but still FAST!) Sometimes life appears to be all about them. People will begin conversation with not how are you, but, "How is your husband?" and "Where is he at?" and "Is it hard being away?" Sometimes it takes a lot to control those million questions. I know this is part of the "spouses" job and I gracefully answer their questions...even if I think it's prying sometimes.

I realize our lives as military spouses are tough. I truly believe no one understands this life better then this group of women. I feel a connection and I am blessed.

Hellen Keller said, "What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. ALl that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

Love to you all,

Red Leg (FA Wife)

The Military Life

Military Wife

Lots of moving...
Moving...Moving...Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Movingcurtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...Waiting...Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent',
but she knows better: She is fiercely In-Dependent.
She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move........all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert,The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.
Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into: Decorating,Leadership,Volunteering,Career alternatives,Churches,And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who comeafter them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee, Rely on the spouse network, Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond: The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands;
his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB' He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!

His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD

And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue thatholds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days, A travel brochure, A long hot bath, A pledge to the flag, A wedding picture, And she goes.
She packs. She moves. She follows.
Why? What for? How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man, Who puts duty first, Who longs to deploy,Who salutes the flag, And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband, She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

We are blessed to have found one another!

Five women from different states and from different walks of life, entered into a world of many unknowns. Little did any of us know that we would be beginning the journey of a lifetime full of love, friendships, disappointments, confusion, frustration, excitement, and endless travel. The good Lord brought us together by calling our loved ones (boyfriends, fiancés, and husbands) to serve our Beautiful Country by joining the United States Army as Officers. We endured the initial separation of Basic Training unknown to one another, therefore, we each have different stories, but, we were brought together during OUR Soldier’s Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 2008. Our hearts, minds and souls could not be more happy that God brought us together to share our joys, aches, pains, laughter, and every other experience and emotion under the moon. – We have chosen to put together this blog for other Officer’s Wives and Spouses can follow along with our personal experiences, opinions, advice, and maybe even rants and raves. Please, feel free to follow our blog and share your comments as you please! Remember, we are still learning and adjusting to our ever-changing life…. We don’t have the Army Life “down,” but we are doing our best to survive AND make the BEST of our Army way of LIFE!