Thursday, September 29, 2011

"Fake" Military Wife??

One of my secrets: I don't feel like a real Marine wife.
Why, you ask?

Well ...
I met Drew after he had come home from a deployment to Iraq, and a mere 30 days before he started school for Recruiting Duty.  (and by "after" ... I think it was 6+ months after)
So ... I've never done a MEU or a deployment, and I'm probably going to feel pretty stupid if I'm pushing 30 and have never gone through a deployment with him. Not that there's anything wrong with being unsure of the process ... but I really don't want to be in the same category as a "young wife". And you seasoned wives know exactly what I'm talking about ...
And then ... we moved here ... and it's not really a military town.
No base housing.
Not that much fraternization with other wives etc.
I don't think I deal with that much "bull shit" related to the USMC (a blessing, methinks). Even the runaround with the next PCS isn't even driving me nuts ... just frustratingly antsy.

I may have the dependent ID, but I don't feel like I'm having the same military wifey experience.
Besides: how often is it that your in-laws are your neighbors? At one point, we could throw a rock from our back window and hit their back porch. Yeah. THAT close. In what world is THAT supposed to be part of the "MilSpouse Life" ??

 

5 comments:

  1. This made me laugh. :) I felt the same way a lot- I met my husband while he was on leave, waited four months for him to get back from Afghanistan, and then settled into a normal life with him. He was in the National Guard, so it wasn't a huge military experience most days. You're still legit! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can completely agree, I met my husband when he was a Drill Sgt (he's Army), so for the first 2 years he was non deployable. I was a drill sgt wife and that's it. I felt so disconnected to the military and most of the wives I knew were other drill sgt wives.

    We are now at another duty station, preparing for deployment. My first his fourth.. I'm not a newly wed anymore, but having this deployment coming up is making me nuts...

    It's part of the military life, going through all the stages. Each experience as a military wife is what gives you the definition...

    Your still a military wife theres no doubt about it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. when DH and i were gearing up for his deployment i felt like "young wife", even though Im month shy of being 30. everybody would ask, "is this your first deployment?" and I would say and then they would look at me with this pitiful-sad face and say "oh". i hated that. i don't wish that on anybody and i wouldn't do that to anybody. i know how i felt, why would i want to make somebody else feel that way.

    dont feel as you have to go through deployments, base housing and all that to be a "legit" marine wife. you are one no matter what. remember, there are not rules to being a real military wife.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm with ya, never been through a deployment AND hubby is in a non-deployable squadron. But I like it...we get all the benefits of the USMC and I still get him home for dinner every night :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Consider yourself lucky. :) I wish I had never done any deployments. My life would have been so much easier.

    ReplyDelete