No Result
View All Result
Military Spouse
  • Life
    • Moving
    • News
    • Discounts
  • 2021 MSFE
  • Milspouse-owned
  • Employment
    • Military Spouse Careers
  • Education
  • Magazine
    • Digimag
    • Subscribe
  • Money & More
    • Navy Mutual
  • Resources
Military Spouse
No Result
View All Result

Why We Should Love Our Servicemembers This Valentine’s Day

Guest Author by Guest Author
in Deployment, Life
0
Why We Should Love Our Servicemembers This Valentine’s Day

By: Michelle Brito, Military Spouse and JPMorgan Chase Military and Veterans Affairs Executive Advisory Council Member stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana

I grew up in the military. My father made a career of the Air Force and when I met my then future husband in college, he was in ROTC and proceeded to join the Army after graduation.

We’ll be married 30 years this spring and coincidentally, honoring 30 years in the military as well.

While it hasn’t always been an easy life in any traditional sense, being a military family is a unique and rewarding experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Like many military families, moving around is a constant. We’ve lived in 15 different places in 30 years, which is not without its challenges. My husband and I are currently stationed in Louisiana and are hoping to settle in for at least a little while and get to experience the Cajun and Creole cultures of the Mardi Gras state.

As a military family, it’s hard to keep up with extended family; to find and maintain jobs for military spouses like me, and difficult for children like our two sons to make long-lasting friendships. For others still, financial hardship and educational advancement become critical issues. Many who have served have missed some of life’s most special moments – the births of their children, holidays, birthdays and graduation celebrations, to name a few.

And while our loved ones are sometimes off in a foreign land, we military spouses and our children spend those holidays and at times every day waiting for the next phone call.

In the absence of relatives, the military families support one another: bringing cookies to welcome a new neighbor, filling in for a deployed husband when his wife goes into labor, comforting a family when they learn that their loved one won’t be making it home. It’s an incredible support network that we’ve informally built to fill in the gaps; support that others who live near family may take for granted.

Despite the challenges of spending my whole life in a military family, I have benefitted from the unique experience of having lived on three different continents. I watched the Berlin Wall come down and witnessed history in the making. My sons have had the privilege to travel and to learn at an early age one of life’s most important lessons – that there are many different cultures in the world and that we are stronger as a people because of our diversity.

Our military service members are the personification of patriotism. They care about their country and they want to protect the freedoms and liberties we have in these great United States. Not many soldiers want to go to war, but they care deeply about our democracy.  They have chosen to serve their country, knowing that it could one day mean putting their own lives on the line.

As military families, we sacrifice personal moments in order to defend something much larger than ourselves. Our loved ones are often away and we support them as they protect our nation and the freedoms that we all enjoy.

That’s why I work with organizations and companies that are extending a helping hand to service members and veterans and their families. From helping to hire veterans and military spouses, to providing capital for veterans starting small businesses, subsidized or free educational opportunities and even mortgage-free housing for severely wounded veterans and their families, there are many out there who are generously extending their resources to assist the military community.

I love my soldier with all of my heart. On this Valentine’s Day and throughout the year, I call on you to embrace the servicemember or veteran in your life. Whether it’s a loved one, a friend, a neighbor or a colleague at work, behind that seemingly average person is an extraordinary human being who has seen places and people and circumstances that we can only imagine, and who is committed to something much larger than themselves. We owe it to them to show some love and support the resources that aid their success in civilian life.

Connect with us on Facebook!
Previous Post

★2017 AFI MSOY Base Spouses of the Year★

Next Post

A Pattern of Malfeasance: The Department of Defense’s Treatment of Special Needs Military Kids

Next Post
A Pattern of Malfeasance: The Department of Defense’s Treatment of Special Needs Military Kids

A Pattern of Malfeasance: The Department of Defense's Treatment of Special Needs Military Kids

Recommended

Tara Bosier standing proud with her company shirt on.

The Coronavirus Didn’t End My Career

2 hours ago
Meet the 2021 Military Spouse Friendly Employers®

Meet the 2021 Military Spouse Friendly Employers®

2 days ago
Two women sitting and smiling with each other.

Let’s Not “Crush It” This Year: Celebrate the Small Wins

5 days ago
9 Realistic Resolutions Military Spouses Can Make (And Keep!) in 2021

9 Realistic Resolutions Military Spouses Can Make (And Keep!) in 2021

6 days ago

Terms of Use
Our Team
Media Kit
Advertise
Newsletter
Submit an Article
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Compliance

December 2020

Life

Employment

Education

News

Discounts

Moving

Sitemap

  • Life
  • 2021 MSFE
  • Milspouse-owned
  • Employment
  • Education
  • Magazine
  • Money & More
  • Resources

Copyright 2020 Military Spouse

Terms of Use | Advertise | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Compliance

No Result
View All Result
  • Life
    • Moving
    • News
    • Discounts
  • 2021 MSFE
  • Milspouse-owned
  • Employment
    • Military Spouse Careers
  • Education
  • Magazine
    • Digimag
    • Subscribe
  • Money & More
    • Navy Mutual
  • Resources

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.