May 11th!

In 1984 President Reagan proclaimed the Friday before Mother's Day of each year to be Military Spouse Appreciation Day. We should recognize the often underestimated, unseen, and unheard heroes.We can never understand what a military spouse goes through or what she feels. We should take May 11th to appreciate them for what they do. We have never had to let go of our spouse and watch them walk away to war wondering if we would ever see them again so that they could go fight for people that they did not know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are fighting for. We have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a report that another bomb has exploded and we still haven’t heard from our husband. We have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that we loved so. We have never had to tell our children that daddy wasn’t coming home tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren’t yet old enough to understand. We have never had to hold our head up high and suppress the tears as we hear that it will be at least another six months of separation before our loved one gets to come home. We have never had to deal with a holiday, anniversary or birthday away from the one that we thought we would share every day of our life with. And we have never had to feel the panic, rising in our heart at the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news that everyone is terrified of getting. For the reasons listed above, we can not tell military spouses that we understand how they feel. We can not tell them that they must be strong. We can not say that they shouldn’t be angry, because they " knew what they were getting into when they married a military man." We can not say these things because we have never had to walk in their shoes. What can we say for certain is that because of the unselfish acts of bravery by these young women and their husbands willingness to stand up for those who see him as " just another soldier"---- we will never have to walk in their shoes. Military wives are not like other woman. They are of a special breed. They have a strength within them, that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which we will never possess. The faith they have is what makes them stand out in a crowd; it makes them glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United States of America. Military wives are special women and glorious Americans. No one really thinks much about those that the soldier leaves at home during deployment or what they go through. The soldier and his military family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us…. they keep the wheels in motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down. Military families make this nation what is today. Because of military spouses and their family we are able to be free. We are able to have a family. We are able to walk free in this great land. Because of military spouses and their family, we can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of military spouses, we can awake to a new day, everyday. Military spouses are stronger than any of us will ever be. We should take the time on May 11th to say thank you to them and their family for allowing us that freedom. Our marines, soldiers, airmen, sailors, coast men are brave, they are heroes, but so are the military spouses left at home!Military spouses … stand tall, stand proud … we salute you, you are truly our unsung heroes.