The Military Wife

A military wife is mostly a girl. But there are times, 
such as when her husband is away and 
she is mowing the lawn or fixing a youngster's bike that 
she begins to suspect she is also a boy.

She usually comes in three sizes: 
petite, plump and pregnant. 
During the early years of her marriage it is often hard to 
determine which size is her normal one.

She has babies all over the world and 
measures time in terms of places as other women do in years.
"It was in England that the children had the chicken pox...
It was in Texas, he was promoted..."

At least one of her babies was born or 
a transfer was accomplished while she was alone. 
This causes her to suspect a secret pact between her husband and the military 
providing for a man to be overseas or 
on temporary duty at times such as these.

A military wife is international. 
She may be a Kansas farm girl, a French mademoiselle,
a Japanese doll, or a German fraulein.
When discussing service problems,they all speak the same language.

She can be a great actress. 
To heartbroken children at transfer time, 
she gives an Academy Award performance: 
"New Mexico is going to be such fun! I hear they have Indian reservations...
and tarantulas...and rattlesnakes..."
But her heart is breaking with theirs. 
She wonders if this is worth the sacrifice.

An ideal military wife has the patience of an angel, 
the flexibility of putty, the wisdom of a scholar 
and the stamina of a horse. 
If she dislikes money, it helps.

She is sentimental, 
carrying her memories with her in an old footlocker. 

One might say she is a bigamist, 
sharing her husband with a demanding entity called "duty." 
When duty calls, she becomes No. 2 wife. 
Until she accepts this fact, her life can be miserable.

She is above all a woman who married a man who offered her 
the permanency of a gypsy, the miseries of loneliness, 
the frustration of conformity and 
the security of love.

Sitting among her packing boxes with squabbling children nearby, 

she is sometimes willing to chuck it all in until 

she hears the firm step and cheerful voice of the lug who gave her all this. 

Then she is happy to be...his military wife.