The Bravest Families in America

Myself like many other people watched the Oprah show yesterday about The Bravest Families in America. The opening segment was about a young man who is a husband and a father who was in the Army and while he was deployed his humvee was hit by a roadside bomb. Hearing this story brought tears to my eyes. I put myself in their position to see how I would feel if that happened to my husband, I would be devastated. My husband is my world and the supporter in our family. He's never pressured me to find a job that makes more money, he rarely tells me no, and he has supported me in everything I've done.

This man who was hit by the roadside bomb is blind and relies on his wife for every day tasks including getting dressed, taking his medication, and going to doctors appointments. As a wife who is married to someone who serves our country I know that any second he could be deployed and I pray that when he does deploy he will return home safely as I do for other families that have loved ones that are putting themselves in danger.

I try not to watch the news because it worries me, I've made the mistake of watching the movie Brothers and cried at the end telling my husband I didn't want him to get hurt when he deploys, I've watched the documentary Restrepo and it was shocking to see young men my age and younger in gun fight. Like Oprah said, "whether you agree with the war or not, we're in war." I can't wait for the day when we're not in war and the worry can be pushed aside. I'm not trying to make people feel bad, I want them to understand that living the military life is difficult. Our spouses work 12+ hour days and come home with a smile on their face helping with the kids or cooking dinner. We have to live with the unknown, when will he deploy? How long is the deployment? Etc. And putting your life aside for your loved one. To be honest I had a hard time with that one. When my husband and I were dating he placed me on a pedestal and was always planning romantic dinners and surprises. When we moved I knew absolutely nothing about the AF and pilot training. Pilot training was one of the most challenging times in our life, he suffered from air sickness and it was heart breaking when he would come home with disappointment on his face because he got sick, but we stuck through it and he graduated and is now an instructor. Now when I look at my husband I could care less about myself, I put my husband and son infront of me because I want to. I'm not the one who gets deployed and misses, birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries. Every moment my husband and I are together I want it to be fun and I want to get along because I don't want to regret a second of our lives.

I'm not sure how many people have seen the quote "An AF wife is the hardest job in the AF," and I couldn't agree with that more! But I think wife should be replaced with spouse. We hold the fort down and we have to learn to live a life without our spouse for some time. We have to stay strong not only for ourselves but our family and children,

I know the day will come when my husband has to deploy and I used to dread it but I've came to the reality it's something he has to do and I should proud of what he's doing not sad that he's leaving. What I want people to get out of this blog is to understand our situation. We may have a smile on our face but what we're feeling on the inside can be indescribable. Thank you to all of the men and women who are serving our country and I pray a safe return home and to the military families stay strong for some its almost over and others it has just begun, but be proud and know that there are only a few people in the world that can handle the military life.