Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

military life

When They Miss Stuff

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When They Miss Stuff

Your service member doesn’t have to be deployed to miss stuff. This can happen at any time. Maybe they have a school to go to, maybe they have extra training to attend, maybe they have a 24 hours CQ. As military spouses, we get used to this…sort of.

We know they can’t be there for everything, we even know that had they not joined the military, their civilian careers could keep them from missing things too. If we are a national guard or reserves spouse, we already know that from experience.

Still…

When They Miss Stuff

When they miss stuff, we still get frustrated about it.

When they miss that first day of kindergarten, and you have to video chat with them about how it went later on.

When they miss driver’s training, and you wonder why you, the more paranoid parent has to be in charge of this.

When they miss your 30th birthday, and you know, even if you celebrate later, it won’t be the same.

Sometimes they will miss things, and it won’t bother you at all. You are used to doing this type of stuff alone. Have they ever been able to attend a parent-teacher conference? No, you simply stopped expecting that once your child got into the 4th grade.

When They Miss Stuff

But still…there is a part of you that wishes they didn’t have to miss so much.

There is a part of you that wishes that you didn’t worry so much that they will miss you son’s high school graduation, or sending your daughter off to college. That they would never have missed a birth, the first steps, or the first words.

That there would have been some way for them to serve in the military, and not miss anything important.

But you know that isn’t the world we live in. You know you have to do so much of this alone, even if your civilian friends never have to. You know this is just part of the military life.

You do what you can to include your spouse. You send them photos, and videos, and try to tell them about the event as best as you can.

You hope and pray that they will be there the next time.

That although they missed your 1st son’s birth, they will be there for your second. That even though they missed your 10th anniversary, that they will be there for your 15th. That even though they missed one birthday, they would be there for the next one.

We find military spouse friends that understand what we go through. Those who also potty trained alone, and started solids alone, and did so much of the early baby years without a partner in the house.

We connect with others who know what it can be like to assume that their spouse will be there for something and then at the last minute find out they won’t be. It would have been better to think they couldn’t come in the first place.

We have had to change birthday party dates, paid extra to change flight tickets, and even postpone weddings because they had to do something military related. We get frustrated, but we do what we have to do. We make the best of the time we have together and hope they will be around more than they are apart.

When They Miss Stuff

You miss things because sometimes you simply can’t be in the same place at the same time.

You have to decide which kid will have to go without, or who will have to deal with the disappointment of their mom or dad missing one more thing. You have to work to help your kids through the loss because they often don’t understand why their military parent had to miss something so important.

You listen to people say that parents need to be there for this, that and the other. But you know that your spouse had to be gone during that time, and there was nothing you could do about that. You make the best of that loss; you hope your kids will be okay and move on because dwelling on the fact that they were not there for the first few months of your daughter’s life,  isn’t going to do anyone any good.

As a military spouse, you know your spouse will miss stuff. More than their fair sure. You do what you can to include them; you do what you can to stay strong, even if you want them there more than anything else.

You make things work because you have to, and you want to support your service member through this life they have chosen, through the good and the bad.

What has been the hardest thing for your spouse to have missed because of military life?

Military Spouse Bloggers That Blog About Deployment

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Military Spouse Bloggers That Blog About Deployment

Going through a deployment? Looking for support or advice?

There are a lot of ways to find that support, one of them is to find blogs and blog posts that can help you through your deployment.

Military Spouse Bloggers That Blog About Deployment

Here are a few military spouse bloggers you should follow that focus a lot on deployments:

Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life

Well I know you already know about Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life or you wouldn’t be reading this. If you are new, I am an Army National Guard Spouse, former Army Active Duty spouse who has been through four deployments. I have three boys, and love being able to help other military spouses through deployments with my words. I have a big deployment post section you are going to want to check out.

Jo, My Gosh

Jo, My Gosh fell in love with a sailor, and while her husband eventually got out of the military, Jo has many posts on deployment, including posts on care packages. She will tell you about cute themed ideas, puns, and the ins and outs of sending them to your spouse when they are deployed.

The Seasoned Spouse

The Seasoned Spouse is run by Lizann, a marine spouse with four children. The motto of the Seasoned Spouse is, “we are all in this together” and its true. We can’t do military life alone, and Lizann’s blog is here to help. She also has a free deployment Facebook group and a deployment master class.

Military Spouse Bloggers That Blog About Deployment

Airman to Mom

Amanda, a former air force member, traded her combat boots for a diaper bag and shares about deployments from the service member as well as the spouse’s perspective. She also has a series, 31 Days of Deployment Stories you are going to want to check out.

Army Wife 101

Army Wife 101 is a lifestyle community for military spouses founded by Krystel. She has a deployment section with a wealth of posts to help you through your own deployments. Look for posts on reintegration, time apart, and even a Diary of a Deployment series.

The Military Wife and Mom

The Military Wife and Mom is run by Lauren, married to an active-duty marine, with two children of her own. She will help you through your deployments with her posts about military life, and motherhood. She also has a fantastic Deployment binder to help you through your next deployment.

Military Spouse Bloggers That Blog About Deployment

Adventures of a Young Wife

Grace, an army wife and marriage and family counselor, owns Adventures of a Young Wife. Here you will find a wide variety of deployment themed posts, from solo parenting to pre-deployment, as well as posts on other aspects of military life, mental health, and wellness.

A Semi-Delicate Balance

JD, a Navy spouse, owns A Semi-Delicate Balance, a blog about finding balance as a new parent, a working mom, and a military spouse. You can find posts on care-packages, explaining deployment to your kids, and how to create a deployment binder.

Birdie and Bubba

Birdie and Bubba is owned by an army spouse, with plenty of posts to help you through your next deployment. She writes about communication during a deployment, OPSEC, and even what podcasts can get you through a deployment. (She has included one of my favorites!)

Countdowns and Cupcakes

Countdowns and Cupcakes is owned by Rachel, a Navy spouse, where you will find posts on deployment as well as a huge library of posts on care packages. She also has a shop where you can buy her super cute care package flaps to use in your own care packages.

I am sure I could add many more military spouse bloggers to this list! Let me know who to add! And if you blog a lot about deployment too, let me know who you are 🙂

We Are Military Spouses

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We Are Military Spouses

Being a military spouse is quite the journey. There is nothing quite like being married to someone serving in the military. This way of life is unique, filled with the good and the bad.

We Are Military Spouses

As military spouses…

We jump right into this life, dating someone who wears the uniform. Knowing that if we are going to get serious with them, we would have to be on board with a different type of lifestyle.

We marry civilians, and over the years, things changed and we stand by them as they sign papers to join the military.

We stay home, they go off to basic training, both of us not knowing what to expect, and hoping we made the right choice.

We pack up our first home, after waiting on orders for our first duty station, unsure how a California girl is going to do in Kansas.

We Are Military Spouses

We fly over the ocean for the first time, arriving in a city in Germany, ready to spend the rest of our 20s in a different country.

We move into military housing, unsure how we were going to make this tiny home work, but we will somehow figure it all out.

We stand by as the deployment orders come, knowing they will come again in the future too.

We comfort our friends as they say goodbye to their spouses, knowing that our turn is coming soon too.

We Are Military Spouses

We try to understand what all the terms mean, but even after years as a military spouse, some still confuses us.

We go to FRG meetings, even when we are not sure what to expect.

We leave our comfort zone because we know it might be the only way to make some friends who understand this life.

We feel left out of family events, since they are 2,000 miles away, but we take comfort in finding family-like friends at our duty stations.

We Are Military Spouses

We are never really sure how long we will be a military spouse, the struggle over re-listing is real.

We get frustrated with TRICARE but are thankful to have it all the same.

We hope and pray that the military doesn’t mess up our pay, and check the LES religiously just in case it does.

We start new hobbies, and learn new skills, trying to stay busy during the deployments.

We Are Military Spouses

We Are Military Spouses

We want to work on our own careers and get frustrated when the military makes that difficult.

We still try to do what we can, even if it seems impossible.

We are stay at home moms, work at home moms, and working out of the home moms.

We are stay at home dads, work at home dads, and working out of the home dads.

We Are Military Spouses

We come from different backgrounds and can learn a lot from one another.

We know that not everyone grew up like we did, and we have a window into other ways of doing things.

We are young, barely out of high school and we are more seasoned, turning 40 during our spouse’s 6th deployment.

We have been to college, or want to go, and hope that the military will help make that happen.

We Are Military Spouses

We have five children, or three children, or one little baby.

We don’t have children and don’t intend to ever change that.

We have dogs that stand by us through the hardest of days, and cats that piss us off, even though we love them so much.

We live on post, we live off post and make the best of any housing situation.

We Are Military Spouses

We Are Military Spouses

We have lived overseas for half of marriage and hope to go back someday soon.

We are scared to death to get orders to Europe but know it will be an experience of a lifetime.

We want to go to Hawaii, it’s always been a dream, and now with the military, going over there can happen.

We are not sure we will ever be able to be stationed OCONUS, but hope that it can happen with our next PCS.

We Are Military Spouses

We worry when our loved one is in a dangerous place.

We know, no news is good news, but that is hard to remember sometimes.

We learn OPSEC, PERSEC, and try to remember both even in the midst of a difficult deployment.

We know who we can lean on, and we reach out to others going through the same type of situation.

We Are Military Spouses

We welcome back our soldier, airmen, sailor, marine, or coastie, having spent hours finding the perfect outfit.

We know that the outfit doesn’t matter, just being back in their arms again does.

We worry about after the deployment, not knowing what to expect.

We try to be there for our spouse as much as possible, as they try to make their way during reintegration.

We Are Military Spouses

We Are Military Spouses

We solo parent, even with three toddlers under our foot.

We give birth without our partner, hoping we can video chat sometime during labor.

We depend on our friends, and family members to help when they can but we know we have to do a lot of it by ourselves.

We can’t help but laugh when Murphy’s law hits hard, that first day of deployment.

We Are Military Spouses

We dream, we hope, we pray…

We cry when things get hard, we comfort when they get hard for our neighbor.

We know that things could always be worse, and we know that things can and will get better when we are in a difficult place.

We grow stronger through it all and know that someday we will appreciate what we have been through if it hasn’t happened already.

We Are Military Spouses…the partners of those who serve our country. The ones back at home. The ones who wait.

How long have you been a military spouse???

 

Yes, National Guard and Reserve Spouses are Military Spouses Too

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Yes, National Guard and Reserve Spouses are Military Spouses Too

I’m not sure where the idea came from that National Guard and Reserve spouses are not military spouses. This myth, it’s not a good one. Serving in the National Guard or Reserves is just a different way of serving in the military. As far as I am concerned, if your spouse puts on a uniform, you are in fact a military spouse.

Yes, National Guard and Reserve Spouses are Military Spouses Too

It doesn’t matter the branch; it doesn’t matter the status, you are a military spouse.

While it is true that being married to an active duty soldier and a National Guard soldier are different, trust me I know, I have done both, there is still plenty the two have in common.

There are definitely pros and cons to each way of serving and some of them can sometimes be based on who you are as a spouse and as a military family member. Not everyone has the same exact experiences. While active duty life can be perfect for one family, national guard life can be perfect for another.

While we shouldn’t ignore the differences, especially ones that are harder for each side, we can come together on what we have common.

We all deal with deployments

One of the biggest myths about the National Guard and the Reserves is that they don’t deploy, but they do. They go to a lot of the same places active duty does and can be gone longer. And while they are gone, most of their spouses are not surrounded by military communities. Deployments happen, whether your spouse is active duty or not.

Yes, National Guard and Reserve Spouses are Military Spouses Too

We all miss our spouse

All military spouses miss their husband or wife at some point in their military careers. While the length of time can be different, both active duty and national guard and reserve spouses will miss their spouse during their time as a military family. While it can be easy to look at the other side and assume they don’t have a right to miss their spouse like we do, we simply need to stop doing this. When your spouse is gone, you are allowed to miss them, no matter how long they are away for.

We all deal with the military craziness

Whether it is waiting on PCS orders, or waiting to find out of your spouse is, in fact, going to be deployed for the summer, all of us spouses are dealing with the craziness of military life. You have heard people say, “Well that’s the Army for you” or “That’s how it is in the Air Force” and it is true. There is a bit of crazy associated with dealing with the military, and that isn’t always fun.

If we have kids, we solo parent

Whether you are solo parenting through Basic Training and AIT, a deployment, Annual Training, or a school, you will be solo parenting at some point. Maybe you will be a solo parent for a weekend, maybe for nine months worth of weekends, but you do what you have to do. And you figure out ways to make solo parenting a little easier for yourself everytime they go away.

Yes, National Guard and Reserve Spouses are Military Spouses Too

We all live a military life

At the end of the day, we are all living a version of a military life.

While some might live right on a military installation and others live five hours from the closest one, we are all living the military life.

While some see their spouse put on that uniform every morning, and others see it once a month, we are all living that military life.

While some move every three years, and others are still in their hometown, we are all living that military life.

So, if you ever question if someone is a military spouse or not, think about this, does their husband or wife put on a military uniform to serve their county? If so, yes, yes they are a military spouse. 

How To Go About House Hunting From Afar

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Excited to have this guest post from Millie! Please visit my Duty Station Guest Posts page for more information on guest posting 🙂

How To Go About House Hunting From Afar

How To Go About House Hunting From Afar

“We have orders to WHERE???”

By Kellie Artis, gomillie.com

Once the orders drop, there are a few decisions that need to be made: will we live on base or off? And if we decide to live off base, will we rent or will we buy? Each of these decision points come with several considerations, but let’s just say that you decide to rent or buy a home in the community. Great! Now, where do you start?

Sometimes the stars align so that you can actually take a trip out to “recon” an area before your move. Often, this is a luxury considering all of the things that must fall into place to allow for such a trip: childcare, time off work for the spouse, leave for the service member, and non-reimbursable travel expenses. More often than not, you’ll be house hunting from afar.

Research

The absolute first place online you should visit is www.gomillie.com. MILLIE is a one-stop-shop for researching your next duty station, understanding the surrounding areas, and getting the inside scoop from a military family perspective. All of the information comes directly from hundreds of military spouses stationed at each of the 70+ installations featured on the site. Just go to the Find a Base page and search for your upcoming duty station! You’ll get the dish on area schools, the local housing market, attractions, pros and cons, even unit-specific maps and commute charts.

Grab a coffee and settle in to learn some of the most pertinent information about your new home and where to start on your virtual house hunt! From here you should have a pretty decent idea of where you’re going to want to start your home search. You will be a dream client for any real estate agent, and you’ll save tons of time by doing your research up front.

House Hunting

Finding an Agent

If you are considering buying a home, you’ll want to find an agent that understands your unique situation as a military family, and won’t be afraid of geographic restrictions (ie. potentially not being able to physically tour a home!). They also need to understand that military families buy with the future in mind. Unless this is your last stop, this purchase won’t be a forever home, but likely be a rental property after a couple of years. You’ll also want an agent that is knowledgeable of the VA loan benefit. We’ve heard over and over again of agents that have tried to talk military buyers out of using their benefit, likely because they have bought into some of the myths surrounding it, or aren’t familiar enough with it. A great agent will also be willing to do virtual tours (sometimes with really snazzy VR tech), and work around crazy time constraints.

Recommendations from friends is a good place to start when choosing who you’ll trust with this massive transaction. But if you don’t have a network where you’re headed, you can be expertly paired with a real estate agent who meets all of the above criteria, AND has also actually personally experienced a PCS. MILLIE’s AgentHero Network is made up exclusively of military spouse and veteran real estate agents who have served – just like you! They’re top agents who are also uniquely attuned to the needs of military clients because they’ve been in your shoes. You can connect with one of over 600 AgentHeroes within an hour directly from the MILLIE site.

House Hunting

Finding a Rental

Sometimes buying a home doesn’t make sense, so you’re on the hunt for a rental. By now you’ve done your research and have an idea of what area to focus on in your search. Next head over to MilitaryByOwner.com to start compiling actual listings to consider.

With each listing, remember that you can’t smell photos (cat pee or cigarette odor, anyone?) and they may have failed to mention the neighboring cellular tower in the listing. Sometimes homeowners or management companies will offer to give you a virtual tour, but keep in mind that there is an incentive for them to gloss over or completely omit the quirks and/or defaults of a home. Asking local friends to help out with “recon” is always an option, but if you don’t have a network where you’re headed or don’t want to lean on your friends in that way, you can turn to a MILLIE Scout. Scouts are military spouses who can be your boots-on-the ground when you can’t be there. You can hire a Scout to conduct a Facetime tour with you, provide neighborhood reviews, and more! This way you have an objective fact-finder that you can trust from afar to help provide decision support, and feel better about the dreaded “sight-unseen” situation we’re often faced with.  

House hunting from far away can be stressful, but with the right tools you can make decisions efficiently and from an informed point of view.  

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MILLIE is an online community and digital marketplace that connects members of the military and their families with specialized knowledge and trusted resource providers to remove the stress and anxiety of PCS’ing. Check out MILLIE’s Installation and Neighborhood Guides, our network of Veteran and military spouse Realtors, and Scout, our on-demand task service composed of military spouses.

www.gomillie.com | MILLIE Journal | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest| Twitter

 

My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing

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My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing

My Country 'Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing

Another summer, another 4th of July. The holiday to celebrate our country’s birthday. The holiday to celebrate our love for our country.

As a child, the 4th of July was all about fireworks, BBQs, and time with family and friends. My parent’s neighborhood always had a parade and my brother, and I would dress up our bikes for the occasion.  We would grab a bucket of fried chicken and go somewhere to watch the fireworks.

As an adult, I have tried to recreate so much of that with my children. These days we live in a military town. We don’t even have to go anywhere to see the fireworks show, going out to our backyard with a chair works well. And as the holiday gets closer, I can’t help but think of one of my favorite patriotic songs from the time I was a little girl, My Country Tis of Thee.

My country, ’tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims’ pride,

From ev’ry mountainside

Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.

My Country 'Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing

I can remember learning the lyrics to this song when I was about four years old. This song, which spoke so strongly of our country, reminds us of who we are and where we came from.

In today’s world, there seems to be this idea that you can only be patriotic if you belong to a certain political party, and that simply isn’t true. So many of us, no matter how we vote, love our country deeply. We want the best for her. We want her to succeed. We want her to be the best that she can be.

This fourth of July I can’t help but think about all of our military families.

Those who have just started this journey and those who are getting close to retirement. Those that have been injured, and the families that mourn those who never came home. Those who are home this year, and those currently going through a deployment.

My Country 'Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing

I think about all the people of this country, from the beaches of Florida to the mountains of Colorado. From the coastal villages of New England to the beach cities in Southern California. From those deep in the heart of Texas to those in the deep wilderness of Alaska.

I think of the people who came here from all over the world. From those who came to be able to worship who they want, to those who wanted to protect their children from a more dangerous world.

There are so many different ways to be an American, so many different paths we can take.

As we focus on America’s Independence Day this year, we can remember the good and the bad. We can look ahead to how we can improve, and look back at the ways we have made life better for others. We can think about our little corner of the country, and extend grace to others who may be living life differently than we are.

My Country 'Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Sing

As a military spouse, I have such a special place in my heart for all things America. The 4th of July is a time to celebrate what is good about our country, and what those in the past have done over the years, to ensure our freedom. It can also be a time to reflect on what we can do better and to learn from mistakes we have made in the past.

We can remember those we have personally lost and those who died for America, years before we were born. We can look to the people making a difference today, and think back to those who made a difference in the past.

How do you like to celebrate the 4th of July? 

My country, ’tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing

 

Can Raising Your Kids Away From Family Be A Good Thing?

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Can Raising Your Kids Away From Family Be A Good Thing?

This past weekend, the article, Why Raising Kids Without Family Nearby Sucks by Scary Mommy was being shared on Facebook.

I could really relate to most of that post, as many other military spouses can too.

Can Raising Your Kids Away From Family Be A Good Thing?

We have not lived near family since my oldest son, who is almost 14, was six months old. We have never really had local family to help us along the way. My kids don’t know our families as well as they could. There are a lot of things they are missing out on because of living far from home.

Some of my friends do live near their family. I see their parents stepping in for different situations. They seem to always have a backup. If dad has to work, and mom has to take one kid to an appointment right when school gets out, a family member can pick up the other kids.

I see how friends can attend family birthday parties, and go out with their parents on Mother’s day, and Father’s day. I see how grandparents go to all the sporting games, school plays, and other events that kids take part in.

While some of our family has been able to come and visit and experience some of that, it hasn’t been the norm.

When I think about all of this, when I think about how our lives would be different if we lived closer to family, I couldn’t help but wonder if I am looking at that through rose colored glasses? Maybe it wouldn’t be as wonderful as I think it would be? Maybe, for my personality, it would drive me nuts? Maybe I am thinking all of this to cope with the fact that it might not ever work out to live near family?

When I was growing up, I wanted to get out and explore other places. I wanted to know what living somewhere else was like. I wanted to experience something completely different. Because of this, I moved about nine hours away from home for college. Then, my husband and I moved to Kentucky in 2005. The Army took us to Germany, and then Tennessee. None of these places are like where I grew up in Southern California.

These days, we have a home here in Tennesse, in a military friendly city, that we usually enjoy living in.

Can Raising Your Kids Away From Family Be A Good Thing?

We are over 2,000 miles from most of our family. And sometimes I like that. 

Don’t get me wrong. I miss my family like crazy. I wish I could be there too most days. To go to my dad’s concerts, to meet up during the week for lunch with my mom, to be there as my brother starts a family. I hate missing so much.

But the reality is, I am not sure what it would be like to live near my family. I have never really done it except for extended trips. I don’t know what it is like to be able to see them all the time or to have such easy access.

Do I get along so well with my family because I don’t live close? Would there be drama if I was? I just don’t know.

So on those days when I am feeling bad because I am not raising my kids near family, I try to think of the positives of this way of life. The quiet Christmas mornings, just our family of five. Being able to parent the way I want without a lot of well-meaning opinions thrown into the mix. Being able to vacation in Southern California vs trying to raise a family. Because I am not even sure how people do that these days and a lot of my friends have moved out of state for cheaper places to live anyway.

Military families can have amazing experiences during their time in the service.

They can live down the road from a castle in Germany. They can be stationed near the beaches of Hawaii. They can live off the California coast, or have the mountains of Colorado as a backdrop. And a lot of these experiences come at the cost of not being able to live near family. Of missing out on too much. Of being the out-of-town people who visit once in a while.

And maybe, in the end, there is no perfect way to do this. Perhaps each type of life comes with its own set of pros and cons. And perhaps those are different based on who you are and what you want in life.

Can Raising Your Kids Away From Family Be A Good Thing?

And when you are raising your kids away from family, you find a way to make things work.

You have to rely on other people, which can be hard, but which can also help you grow relationships you wouldn’t otherwise have. You learn different skills and work to make a good life for your kids, even if extended family isn’t the biggest part. You learn to adjust and figure out a way to make it through.

As for us, I really don’t know what the future holds. Somedays I want to move back to the west coast, and others I am perfectly fine here in Tennessee.

What about you? Have you ever lived near family? Did you like it? Do you dream of a life where you can?

Sometimes They Miss So Much

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Sometimes They Miss So Much

This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Holt’s Cigar Company via SoFluential Media. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sometimes They Miss So Much

When my husband joined the military, we already had children. A little boy. One of the reasons I went back and forth on it for so long was that I knew that when my husband joined the military, it would mean he would miss some of my son’s life. And that we would not be able to pick and choose what we would miss and what he would be home for.

In the last 12.5 years, he has missed his fair share of moments with our boys. He missed my 2nd little boy’s birth, and almost his entire first year due to a deployment extension. He has missed the first day of school, the last day of school, first words, and other milestones along the way.

As a military family, we know this is a part of the deal, but sometimes it makes me sad for him. I have been here for everything, and for him, some of our children’s growing up was done over emails, texts, and video chats. This can be frustrating for both of us, and I can only imagine what it must be like to not be able to see your children for months at a time while you are serving your country.

Military fathers sacrifice so much during their time in the military. Having to say goodbye to not only their spouse but also their children. We as a country can never really thank them enough for that sacrifice.

Sometimes They Miss So Much

As spouses, we can send them all the videos and photos in the world, but once they come home and you see your children run into their arms, you know that the missing is over and the bonding can resume. That your husband can be an in-person father once again.

This father’s day, there are many ways to show you care to the military fathers in your life. From cooking them a special dinner to buying them the right father’s day gift. One company that has some fantastic things for Dads is Holt’s Cigar Company. They have gifts that would be perfect for Father’s Day, a graduation, and even the birth of a child.

And…best of all, they have a 10% military discount, to help you save money as you are picking out a present for your favorite dad.

Military life isn’t easy, especially when you are far away from your family. A nice gift can be the perfect way to show them your love and Holt’s Cigar Company can help you find something they will love.