By: Chloe Fox
Whether it’s been twenty years or only six months, every military spouse has those moments when you realize that the military has kind-of-sort-of taken over your life. No matter how hard you fight it, no matter how much you resist it, the military sneaks into your relationship, your worldview, and even your text messages.
Below, 25 telltale signs you’re a military spouse.
1. You don’t think long distance relationships are a deal breaker – and you have the love letters to prove it.
2. You are incredibly close friends with someone you never would have crossed paths with without the military.
3. You have spent at least two of the following without your significant other: a) birthday b) Christmas/New Year’s c) anniversary d) birth of your child.
4. Which means you have probably snuggled way too intensely with an arm pillow (or at least understand the desire).
5. But you don’t really care because you know that homecomings are so much better than every holiday rolled into one.
6. You keep a stash of various home items that don’t go in the current house, because you know they might go in the next one. After all, when you move every 2-3 years, this is your motto:
“Make it work.” -Tim Gunn
7. You know what a “daddy doll” is and you choke up when you see a child hugging one.
8. You are guilty of using one of the following in conversation or a text message: a) tracking b) roger c) wilco.
9. You have shamelessly used the military card to get out of a tough spot at least once (e.g., speeding ticket, airline issues, even dinner reservations).
10. You understand the kind of self-sacrificing, we-can-overcome-anything romance that most people think only exists in movies or nineteenth-century novels.
11. You still find random moving stickers on things from three or four houses ago. Don’t worry; no one else saw…
12. You may be the first to offer criticisms of the military, but you have a reeeeeally hard time biting your tongue when civilians do it.
13. You’re either underemployed or overqualified for your job.
14. You keep the original boxes for appliances and fragile items in the hopes that it makes your next move easier. (It never really does.)
15. Your young children think anyone in uniform is daddy or mommy.
16. You know which airport USOs are the best and worth stopping in, e.g., the one at the Charlotte airport, which has free Cinnabons.
17. You have, at one point or another, thrown a tablecloth or blanket over a tough box and used it as a piece of furniture.
18. Your friends and family have been annoyed when you can’t commit to something because PCS, training, or deployment schedules are still up in the air. Needs of the military come first, right?
19. You never see your spouse in the morning because he/she leaves for PT.
20. You have your spouse’s social security number memorized, but when asked about your own…
21. Customer service representatives have thanked you for knowing the phonetic alphabet – it makes their job so much easier. “November. Bravo. Delta,” you say.
22. You would never call a Marine a soldier, a ship a boat, a uniform an outfit, a beret a hat, etc.
23. While they’re very supportive, your non-military friends and family never quite understand what’s going on in your life.
24. Actually, you’re not really sure you understand it either since your spouse comes home every day with new plans, schedules, or orders.
25. And while some days, it makes you want to scream, resiliency has become your middle name. After all, even with all the challenges, sacrifices and setbacks, deep down, you’re proud to serve too and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
What are some other unique qualities of #MilSpouseLife?
