A Day in the Life of an Air Force Wife and Mommy of 2: Thankful Thursday

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Thankful Thursday

Verse of the Day:
"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalm 107:1

Well DH is still gone :( and we are missing him like crazy. He is home in just 9 days though so I am excited. The girls do get to talk to him over the computer every other day so him being gone is a touch easier on him although I do not ever think it gets easy. I know it is harder on the kids when military parents are gone.

I know military are not the only ones that travel, but when military travel, some of the time you have no idea when they are going to be home and they are usually overseas in a not so safe place. You don't get to pick up the phone and txt them or call them when you want. You have to wait until they have the opportunity to call you or email you. And you pray every day that God keeps them safe and that they come home to you and the kids. Now, my husband right now, is just teaching a class thankfully and is not in a dangerous place, BUT he has been in tough places A LOT!

The military is not an easy life,but I suspected as much when I married him. The military to an outsiders eyes is romantic and fun. And another common misconception is that we make tons of money and that housing is free! Boy, don't I wish. The pay is not great for what they are required to do and housing is NOT free!!! We pay rent even if we live on base and with someone who lives on base they just take BAH which is funds active duty are given for housing so that they can pay rent. You can find BAH rates online and they vary by state, but lets take someone with my husband's rank living where we are. They make $2100 a month, give or take a few dollars, in BAH which is taken if they live on base. Base housing is small and in some cases falling apart or very poorly built, if it is privatized anyway. We live off base and own a home so we pay a mortgage and utilities and trash pickup and sewer, well you get the point.

And the military making tons of money? Not true. It varies by rank and time in service and you can also find those rates online. Let me tell you a little about what is required of the military for what they get paid. They can deploy at a moments notice and I do mean a moment, it has happened to us, to places that none of us would ever dream of going. In some of those places, they get shot at, have to deal with mortar attacks, work 12 hour shifts 7 days a week, have to load their fallen friends and fellow military onto planes to be taken back home to their families. And if you are sick? Well you go to work FIRST and then you ask to go to the Dr. There is no calling in! In some situations they go days and in rare cases, weeks before being able to call home and talk to their kids and wife when they are deployed. And you can't just quit either. Now I KNOW we need all the other jobs and there is no such thing as a meaningless job. ALL jobs are important and I feel for anyone that is away from their families no matter if they are in Iraq or Florida, but I am hear to tell you, the military is a hard job! Very hard! YOU CANNOT compare it to any other job.

Now all that being said, the military has it ups too just like any job. We have good health and dental, granted all the Doctors aren't the greatest on some bases but here we have the luxury of going out in town. Oh and we do pay for dental by the way, its not free. My DH has an excellent life insurance policy, FOR A FEE.He has a steady paycheck and on most bases there are excellent resources that we can take advantage of. You get to meet new people all the time and travel to new exciting places, unless you are here at McGuire then you NEVER PCS LOL! It is the black hole.

I am by no means trying to get sympathy for military families but rather tell people how it really is. It is not a fairy tale life and not just hot uniforms, which they are hot by the way :) It is much more than what you see on TV or in the movies. It is not a glamorous life, but honestly, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I love being a military wife and I am here to tell you it is not for everyone. I get through it thanks, first of all, to God Himself, my awesome friends, and my family being a phone call away.

Today, I wanted to thank God for my husband and what he does for his country and for our family. He is a great father, husband, and provider. I want to thank all of our military and most of all, their families, the silent warriors who hold the fort at home!

As always I hope everyone has a blessed Thursday.