What You Can Learn From Other Military Spouses
It was 2006, and I was new to Germany and the Military life. My FRG leader was giving me a ride across the post, and she was talking about the upcoming ball that we were going to have. I was excited. I knew the military had balls but to be able to go to one seemed like a dream.
She told me about the food and what to expect. She went through the ceremony part of the ball. I learned a lot that day. Other spouses told me what a deployment was like. They had been there before, and since I was new, I had no idea what to expect.
The amazing thing about the Military community is that spouses help one another out along the way.
As a new military spouse, I was able to learn about everything military. I learned about the Army lingo, what preparing for a deployment would be like, how to pack things up before a PCS, how to send mail to my husband overseas, how to dress for a ball, and what to do to get through the last few weeks of a deployment.
I listened to other spouses who had been doing this military thing longer than I had. I knew not everything they told me would be my experience as an Army wife, but I knew that I could gain a lot from listening to them and hearing what they had to say.
As a seasoned military spouse, I am still learning about military life.
The National Guard life is still so new to me. I was used to active duty life, but now things are different. Over the years I will learn more and more and will figure out this part of military life too.
We, military spouses, can all help each other out. No matter what hardship you might be going through, someone else has probably gone through something similar before. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and try to help others out that might need it.
There is something comforting about knowing you are not the first person to go through a particular situation.
And as clueless as you might feel at the beginning of military life, know you will learn more and more as the years go by. And as you do, you will be able to help others too.
Once you have been through a deployment, you will know what helped you and can share what did. Once you have been through a PCS move, you can offer your tips and let others know what you wish you had known before you moved.
Over time you too will become the seasoned spouse, able to offer your experiences to help other, newer spouses out.
Life is about learning and military life is no different. There is so much to be gained from hearing from others and what they have been through. There is so much to be gained from opening up to others about your story and experiences.
Military life is filled with twists and turns. The military will surprise you, even if you are prepared. But even in those circumstances, even if you feel like you are the only one going through that particular issue, sharing what you have gone through can still be helpful so don’t be afraid to do so.
What is one bit of advice you could offer to other milspouses?
Here are more blog posts on military life:
When You Can’t Find Your Milspouse Tribe
