The Silent Ranks

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens.
But I am in the Military in the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders. Salutes I do not give.
But the Military world is the place where I live.

I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one who does, this I cannot forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough. I'm the one that's left behind.

My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man
And the call to serve his country, not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.

I love the man I married. The Navy is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Military Wife.
~Author Unknown

I just want to dedicate this to all the wonderful women I've come to know throughout the Military, who've stood behind and beside their husbands though heartache, separation, good times and bad. It takes strength, fortitude, an amazing amount of patience and grace to do what you do. Together we help each other get through the tough times, and we rejoice together when our men come home. We know the struggles, we laugh at the mishaps (after-the-fact, of course), we give each other advice and a shoulder to lean on. We all know what it's like to have everything fall apart the day our guys leave. Heck, the first time my husband left, my toilet overflowed, a headlight on my car burnt out (and I was stopped by the cops because of it), and a huge spider made it's appearance in our apartment. It never fails - ask any wife. As soon as our guys are on their way, the house falls apart, the kids get sick (every time my husband went out on deployment, my kids came down with something horrible the day before), the car breaks down...

But we live with it, because we have to. We deal with it, because it's our job, our duty. We love our husbands, we support them, we do what we can to make them successful and able to focus on the job they have to do. It's hard and lonesome, but the reunions are more joyful than you can describe. There's nothing like the feeling of seeing your man walking towards you for the first time in so many months. That first kiss... seeing your kids jump into his arms... and knowing that once again, he's made it safely back to you.

So this is to you, the Military Wife. Cheers!

The Military Wife

The Good Lord was creating a model for Military wives and was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared. She said," Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied," Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, possess the qualities of both mother and father, be a perfect hostess for four to 40 with an hour notice, run on black coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully, even if she is pregnant and has the flu, and she must have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head. "Six pairs of hands? No way!"

The Lord continued. "Don't worry, we will make other military wives to help her. And we will give her an unusually strong heart so it can swell with pride in her husbands achievements, sustain the pain of separation, beat soundly when it is overworked and tired, and be large enough to say, "I understand" when she doesn't and "I love you" regardless.

"Lord," said the angel, touching his arm gently, "Go to bed and get some rest. You can finish this tomorrow."

"I can't stop now," Said the Lord. "I am so close to creating something unique. Already this model heals herself when she is sick, can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave good-bye to her husband from a pier, a runway or a depot, and understand why it's important that he leave."

The angel circled the model of the Military wife, looked at it closely and sighed.

"It looks fine, but it's too soft."

"She may look soft," replied the Lord, "but she has the strength of a lion. You would not believe what she can endure."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Lord's creation. "There's a leak," she announced. "Something is wrong with the construction. I'm not surprised that it has cracked. You are trying to put too much into this model."

The Lord appeared offended at the angel's lack of confidence. "What you see is not a leak," he said. "It's a tear."

"A tear? What is it there for?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "It's for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness, pride and dedication to all the values that she and her husband hold dear."

"You are a genius!" exclaimed the angel.

The Lord looked puzzled and replied, "I didn't put it there."

~Author Unknown