I shopped at the commissary (military only), I volunteered on base (military only), I joined different base groups (military only).
Every time my husband’s rank changed, I was required to get a new ID.
I could walk into a hotel and ask for the military discount.
I was offered special prices at local stores.
Indeed, I was military!
From the moment I became a military spouse, I became part of the military!
Thinking back to that conversation, I know the comment was not said with malicious intent; I realized something significant: those who have never been intimately involved with the military, whether as a service member or spouse or dependent child, shouldn’t be expected to understand the comprehensive dynamics of military life. It took me years to understand it! But those words forced me to think deeply about the part of me that is military…a part I hold with great honor and privilege…a part I wouldn’t exchange for anything…a part that is wholly and undeniably military.
Military spouses are never sworn in. We do not wear uniforms, nor do we salute others on base. We are never trained for combat; we are not deployable.
We are simply the military spouse.
But make no mistake… We are military.
