When military life is new, everything thing seems so strange.
You learn quickly that nothing really makes sense the way you think it should make sense. You learn quickly that patience is going to be needed. You learn quickly that some days are going to get you pretty frustrated and there will be nothing you can do about the situation but wait.
And there will be a lot of waiting…
Waiting on orders. Waiting on people. Waiting for something good to actually happen.
There will be a lot of wondering…
Wondering where you will live. Wondering what a deployment will be like. Wondering if this new life will be as difficult as you think it might be.
As you join this new community, you can’t help but meet new people, from all over the country, even from different parts of the world.
You will make friends with some of them, and some of those friends will turn into family, as you get through deployments and separations together, making memories along the way.
You will learn new skills, and apply them to new situations. You will figure out how to get a house ready for the movers with only two-weeks notice. You will figure out how to pull everything together when at first you didn’t think you could.
When military life is new, you can get pretty worried about deployments.
Before your first one, you might assume that being away from your significant other is too difficult. You might assume that you are not strong enough to get through the time away. But you will find that you are strong enough and that you can do hard things, even things you didn’t think were possible.
There will be homecomings and celebrations. You will sometimes think about how different your life is now, and all the amazing experiences you have gained from it. There will be good days and bad ones.
And as one deployment comes to an end, you will feel the confidence that you can do anything that comes your way. There might be bumps in the road, but you will get creative and figure out how to best go forward.
When military life is new, unknown words can confuse you.
You might not know the MWR from the DFAC, but you will soon figure these military acronyms out. At the same time, after 15 years you might hear phrases and still don’t know what they mean. This is all a part of this life.
You will figure out the right times to go to the Commissary, and how to tip the baggers. You will figure out if the PX is worth shopping at, and what events are worth going to. You will learn about your FRG and decide how much you want to be a part of that.
You will learn about OPSEC and PERSEC and TRICARE. You will figure out what to say and what not to say. What you put out there on social media, especially about a deployment matters.
When military life is new, you will daydream about going off to Europe, Hawaii, and Japan.
You will soon learn that you might end up in Texas, Alabama, and the desert of California. There really are so many different options for a military career. And you don’t always get a say in the matter.
And wherever you PCS to, you will figure out how to bloom where you are stationed, and find the good in a place you might not want to be. You will get to explore places you never thought you would ever go. You will have to leave your comfort zone, but find amazing things when you do.
And when it comes time to leave, to PCS somewhere new, you might not want to go. You might want to stay forever. But you know this isn’t possible and you know it will be time to move on.
When military life is new, you will soon learn how much this military life will surprise you.
From the amazing friends that you will meet!
To the places you will get to go!
To the love you will feel at every homecoming, and all the little moments this life brings.
If you are new to this life, welcome. Being a military spouse can be such a wonderful thing. While some days will be harder than others, know that you have joined an amazing community. Know that you have people to walk this life with, no matter what this life brings.
How long have you been a military spouse?
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