The military families go unnoticed while the men and women get all of the glory.  I say that is okay but not right.  Military families suffer just as much as the military men and women; having to stay behind while their loved ones have to go elsewhere to train or get shipped off to war.  The military families are the silent ranks, suffering with one another, being alone when their loved ones are deployed or are in another state for training.  It doesn’t matter how long the men and women in the military are gone, it’s always hard to say good bye to them.

          The military wives or husband raise their children, writing down everything for their husbands/wives can read when they come home or to be sent via mail, the only really reliable communication system since the computers always go down or there are no computers at all.  Even the children get into it by making cards for their mom or dad, or even make videos to send overseas, a wonderful gift that the military men and women I am sure treasure for life.  The wives/husbands are the ones who has to deal with financial problems, paying bills, renewing things like for the cars, raising the family, working, and keeping themselves from going completely insane from the loneliness they feel without their loved one by their side.  They have to keep going even when they feel like they just want to break down and stop doing anything; when they feel like crying, they shake their heads and keep moving forward, not wanting their children or those around them to see them so sad.

          Some wives even have to deal with pregnancies without their husbands, giving birth without their husbands by their side at the hospital, and having to raise a newborn with the help of other family members but not the one they really want to help, their husband!

          Mothers and fathers are proud of their sons and daughters who join the military but it is just as hard on them as it is their daughter-in-laws or son-in-laws.  Worry, stress, having to hear people who talk horribly about the troops when they are in war, all of this weighs down on their shoulders and it’s unfair!  Cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, all family have to deal with the fear, the stress, the disrespect from others, and worse of all they all have to deal with the fear that their loved one may never come home again.  That fear weighs the heaviest on anyone’s heart and mind, but they don’t let it show, smiling and doing everyday things.

          So why doesn’t people thank them for their sacrifices?  It is hard being a part of the military family and no one shows them their gratitude.  Everyone thanks the military men and women but what about their mothers, their fathers, their spouses, their children?  Don’t they suffer just as much as the military men and women do but in their own way?

         Well I say THANK YOU! Thank you mothers, fathers, spouses, children, cousins, aunts, uncles, godparents, grandparents, in-laws, and everyone else in the families of these brace military men and women.  You have gone through hell and back being married into the military and being a part of the military family.  May your love and strength be an ever glowing beacon for those who are in the military, whether they be shore duty, sea duty, training, just starting in boot camp, and especially to those fighting in the war.  Thank you for your sacrifices and I hope that if your husbands or wives aren’t home yet that they return to you soon and safely.  And for those who have lost their loved ones, I am truly and most sincerely sorry for your loss and I hope that the love of your families as well as appreciative people who support our troops helps you to cope and continue living each day with strength and blessing.

I am now married into the military wife, Navy, for almost 2 years and I have had to deal with my first year of marriage and my first 6 month deployment, but I wouldn't marry any other man but my Navy Corpsman. I am very proud of him even if the deployments and trainings are long and he is so far away. It was definitely hell on me since it was my first time moving away from my parents’ house to a new state, Hawaii, and I knew no one except for a family member on my godfathers’ side but she hardly ever came around. I had to be strong, and I was strong even though I felt like just giving up and moving back to my parents’. I knew that this was a test and I think I passed with flying colors. It is always hard when my husband leaves even if it is for a week for training because of how we had dealt with a 3 year long distance relationship, and then I move out to Hawaii and he leaves for 5 weeks, came back and we got married then turned around and left for 6 months.

Sadly I did not have the support I wish I had gotten out there with the other Navy wives, but I know I did good since everyone tells me that I did and that they are proud of how I had handled myself alone for that time he was gone. I am proud of myself and I know that I can face other deployments, hopefully with more support from other military families. Thankfully even so far away I had the full support of family and friends and I couldn’t have done it without them. They were my support and my strength when I felt I could no longer go on. I worked and even then I couldn’t stop thinking about my husband and I couldn’t stop missing him. He is my rock, my love, and my life partner and I would be absolutely lost without him.

So again thank you military families for your sacrifices and your strength! You are all my idol and I hope that I can be as strong as you; for my husband, my myself, for our future children, and for our family members. Thank you!  Your husband and wives in the military are heroes, but you all are heroes, my heroes, as well!