3. They step up when your spouse isn’t there

Physical separation is a reality in all military marriages, and military friends truly step-up during those times. I know we’ve all witnessed or experienced military friends that help a new mother whose husband is away, rush to the hospital to support a sick friend when all their family is hundreds of miles away, cover childcare duty when plans go awry – and the list goes on and on.

When Emily was pregnant with Emma, my goddaughter, our husbands were deployed. When Emily asked me to step in for her husband for the childbirth classes at the hospital, I didn’t bat an eye. While the other “couples” in the class were surprised by the arrangement, I know stepping in for something like that is totally normal in military friendships. We had so much fun and the experience only made our friendship stronger – and for the record, I learned way more about childbirth than I ever wanted to know.

We are so lucky

While my experiences in military friendship are so special to me, I know that they are not that unique. I know I am not alone in my experiences because there are countless articles on Militaryspouse.com highlighting wonderful military friendships.

I am confident that you, too, have observed these same qualities in your military friendships, and that they hold a special place in your heart. As we move around the world we get to build lasting friendships along the way. While it is so hard to say “goodbye” to these amazing friends when the military inevitably moves us apart, we can take pride in knowing we are members of a unique sisterhood that continues to grow and spread and will be a positive force in this crazy journey. And in knowing we are only one phone call or FaceTime apart!

How lucky are we?