A while ago a friend of mine from overseas asked me what the life is like as a military family. I told about the military bases, promotions, career opportunities, travels, and moving. But really, what is it like?
Serving in the Military is, obviously, a calling. It’s a patriotic desire to serve this wonderful nation. Every morning thousands of service members lace up their boots, and step up for all of us. Serving is more than just a job to these brave men and women. But how about the families and spouses?
When one person in the family serves, the military lifestyle becomes new “normal”. Beyond washing camouflage uniforms and having military issued gear all over the house. The new normal is frequent moves, deployments to the war zones, and extended trainings in addition to lifelong friendships, battle buddies and 3- or 4-letter acronyms. The Army lets us to see the world and travel: we usually move every few years to a new duty station. For some it is a burden, for others a blessing. I belong into the latter group. In a weird, wicked way I love moving and seeing new places. I am addicted to traveling. Obviously, frequent moving often causes career challenges for spouses – searching for new jobs every so often in this economy can be tough, and frustrating. Military can force the spouses to push back their dreams and wishes.
With my life experience – well before marrying my Army guy - I have learned to plan for a billion different scenarios. Always. As a hardcore business woman and professional in the hi-tech industry, I haven’t had a luxury to fail nor have a way so solve any problem. So no matter what the life in the military brings, more than likely I have my ducks in a row, and back-ups for my back-up plans, without a need to put my life on hold while the husband serves the country. When there is a will, there is always a way.
As a community, military is a tight-knit group of people with some very special characteristics. I have never seen the similar sense of togetherness than among the service members and their spouses. We are always ready and willing to help each other, even with a moment’s notice. We build friendships that last through years, regardless the physical locations. Frequent moving forces us to build friendships over and over again, so the support network of friends even thousands of miles away is something we highly appreciate and preserve. These folks stick together through thick and thin.
Simply, military life is new homes, new places, hellos and goodbyes, leavings, and homecomings. It is about having battle buddies who stand by each other. The life, in military or not, is as great as you make it.
First to fight for the right,
And to build the Nation’s might,
And The Army Goes Rolling Along.
Proud of all we have done,
Fighting till the battle’s won,
And the Army Goes Rolling Along.
Then it’s hi! hi! hey!
The Army’s on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong;
For where’er we go,
You will always know
That The Army Goes Rolling Along.
(Army Song)
We don’t have any children, so not a surprise that our 6-year-old beagle, Tassu (means a “paw” in Finnish) is our way too spoiled baby. He was 
