Lately it seems that I continue to read more and more about people romanticizing the Military life, especially deployments. My reply to this is “WHAT?“
My problem is with the people who choose to believe, that in becoming a member of the military family, they are going to be living the “perfect” or Fairy Tale life. I can admit that in the past, while my husband and I were dating, I even had these thoughts. The excitement of travel to unseen places and the “romantic” homecomings seemed so wonderful. The issue is that people forget the realities of what they are going to be facing.
It is true that our reunions and homecomings may seem overly sweet. Of course there are lots of hugs, smiles, and tears! What people tend to forget is that we have spent months upon months apart from our loved ones. These months of separation due to deployments and missions are anything but romantic. We endure the pain of dealing with lack of communication & intimacy, becoming single parents, and the running of our households all on our own.
The typical military couple spends more time apart than we do together. Divorces within the military communities have continued to rise since the attacks on September 11th, 2001.
Do not get me wrong, I am not criticizing living the military life.
I, myself, love my life. I can honestly say that my husband’s choice to re-enlist was one of the best things that could have ever happened to our marriage and family. While there may be issues, this lifestyle suits us; BUT it is not for everyone!
Reprinted with Permission Via Jessica
