Spouse Confessions: I Am the Hooah Army Wife

Editor’s Note: All of the pieces in our Confessions Series are anonymous.

I am THAT wife: The Hooah Wife

I am that wife. The one involved in the FRG at every installation. The one who knows 95 percent of the population on the installation. The one who proudly identifies herself as an Army wife. When I first got married, I made flash cards so I could correctly identify Army ranks. I learned the keywords from my husband. I know what unit patches mean, what most MOS numbers signify and where most installations are located. And I love it. I am affectionately (I hope) referred to by my friends as the HOOAH wife.

I love the Army. I love that my husband is a soldier. I love moving, I love attending military ceremonies and I love that my children are growing up in this lifestyle. I don’t love deployments, but they aren’t Earth-shattering to me. I’ve learned through the years that deployments are good for soldiers. It keeps them sharp, it lets them focus on their job and it is a challenge.

I’m the wife you’ll see at the changes of command. The one who knows all the words and sings the Army song. I’ve even attended a few non-Army ones. I’ve attended every ceremony except a deployment/redeployment and an enlistment. I love them! I even asked my husband if he could be a drill sergeant at basic training so I could see that graduation ceremony several times a year.

I do not love all the things the Army throws our way. I do not love the unexpected late nights, the last minute staff duty or the mistakes finance occasionally makes. But I’m the one talking to the lady at finance with my POA, and the one hauling my children and some dinner to the staff duty desk to enjoy some time with my husband.