They are the glue that holds together our national security and our social fabric. They raise, feed, guide, clean and dress our children when we go off to fight in our wars. But mostly, their existence is a continuous jolting of human emotions. Saying goodbye over and over. The long, lonely deployments with no guarantee if or when he will return. Her career on hold. Living with a perpetual feeling of fear, loss, anxiety, and depression. Awaiting that phone call that he has been injured or killed. Being there to comfort the families who got that call. Going through pregnancy and giving birth alone. Staying “pretty” for him. Remaining loyal. Preparing for the next deployment, next duty station, next relocation. Changing schools, making new friends. Packing over and over again. Utterly no control over if or when he will be able to make any important family functions, ball games, graduations, first steps, dinner, weddings. These are the stories of the champion spouses who marry warriors and make us better men.
Through Her Eyes: Perspectives of Military Spouses Married to Career Combat Veterans
