Just like I can’t remember who I was before I took on my married name in the early 1980’s, I can’t remember not being a Navy wife. Even now, 4 years since my husband’s retirement from that career, I continue to feel like a military wife. My husband generously tells people that our family served in the Navy just as much as he did. Though that’s an overstatement, we did invest and do our part. Military families are a cohesive, unique dynamic…and when I speak of military families, I not only mean my little group of 4 but all of the squadrons we were attached to and even those we were not. We did serve in our own way, I suppose.
We did leave schools and jobs that we loved.
We did make friends and said the inevitable good byes.
We did have calendars that counted down months/weeks and days to homecoming.
We did move into new houses and neighborhoods with efficiency and excitement.
We did hang out with other Navy wives and their kids during deployment.
We did play sports at the MWR field and buy season passes to the base pool.
We did eat pancakes for dinner.
We did anxiously await the mailman’s arrival every day.
We did send care packages regularly and pretended like he wasn’t that far away.
We did create a new way of running the house in dad’s absence.
And then we did transition back to a relaxed, safer life when the helicopters flew down the St. John’s River bringing my husband home. Fortunately, my kid’s dad came home. My family didn’t pay the ultimate price but…
We did attend the funerals of those who did.
Today is Memorial Day. If it’s a family picnic, backyard BBQ, afternoon matinee, baseball game or a day spent poolside, please take the time to honor those who have died protecting your freedom and your right to enjoy all of the American past times we love.
