What is it like being an Army wife?

Answer 1

i have been a navy wife and i have been an army wife. it depends on where you end up being stationed for either on what it's like. when you are in your home city (or close enough where you don't live on post or deal with the FRG) you're only real source of what's going on is your husband - which is actually helpful as you don't hear 40 different things - none of which are right, and you don't get 4 billion emails about crap you don't care about, and you don't get stuck in the damn rumormill.
it was fine in the navy - when he left, i stayed with my parents in san diego because that was where he was stationed. we are abroad now and we did the blue to green so we are now army. it's a wonderful experience, but at the same time totally frustrating! my FRG (i'm sorry, FRG is Family Readiness Group and you refer to the leader as the FRG) never sends me any relevant information about my husband's unit and yet i get all this useless information that i don't care about. there is supposed to be a POC (point of contact person) who calls at least once a month - i've been here 6 months, 2 months with my husband gone and she has never called - i don't even know who my POC is! granted, i don't go to the FRG meetings - but why would i go when they don't do anything that is relevant to me and they make it difficult for me to go with a 14 month old?
also living on post leaves you very vulnerable to the rumor mill, it seems especially the higher ranked enlisted wives do it. they also tend to wear their husband's rank - abosolutely unacceptable! myself and the 3 ladies i have made friends with are the wives of an E3, an E5, and 2 E6's (one E6 is only friends with me) so we don't care, and that's the way it is supposed to be in housing. your rank does not go with you when you are out of uniform. everyone gets the same respect out of uniform and since wives are never in uniform... yeah. but it tends to not work that way. there is this whole web of crap to deal with. i tend to not. i have also already made it clear that if i am included in this rumormill i will take them to court on charges of slander and defemation of character - i won't put up with it, but most wives will and that's why it's so widespread.

if you are going to be stationed abroad, don't expect any help from the army to get you to your husband quickly - it was 6 months for all the paperwork to go through because no one could tell us everything we needed to do it so as we got one thing done we were then told another thing we needed to do and since he was already in europe and i was in arizona it was very difficult.

other than that, it's fine. you get to meet new people, have new experiences - if you live on post it's like it's own little world... kinda wierd to me, but you may like it. and depending on your personality and what your husband does in the army you may not ever notice the rumors spreading like wildfire.

my tips, make friends with your housing person before you get a residence on base, find out where everything you NEED is at on base (they give you lots of useless info you have to sift through) and try to make friends with your neighbors, they are going to be the people you see most.

Answer 2

Assume the position soldier.

Military people are unlike any you will ever encounter. My experience being a husband and the one in the military is that the wife many times feels like a fifth wheel. Military people live two or maybe three different lives, the third being during combat. While on the base they act a certain way with a certain vocabulary and way of life. When they leave the base for home they revert to their civilian ways to a certain extent. When military people are together they revert to military vocabulary and ways of behaving. When you are in mixed company there is a strain on both sets of people. The spouses of the military people are kind of watching to learn the ins and outs and jargon. The military people will sometimes be caught in the middle trying to cater to their spouses and also their military friends. It is strange to say the least. You can enjoy it if you try. It can be a whole lotta' fun.

Answer 3

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 pair of hands."

The angel shook her head. "Six pair 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 had 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."

Answer 4

I presume your a wife or soon to become a wife ofa service man.
It is very difficult, Im talking form an british ex soldier. it is a 2 edged sword. 1st there is the new wife on the block, everyone make you welcome then sometimes this wanes and your left on your own two fet. however all is not bleak there are famiy support /welfare oficers who will assist and help you.
The situation changes when your hubby goes away on exercise or on active service and you sem isolated. dont isolate yourself, go out but PLEASE BE CAREFUL THE LOCALS AND OTHER SERVICE PERSONEL MAY TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU AS YOUR SEEN AS VULNURABLE. army life is fun exciting make the most of of it . I hope you get the answers you seek if you need any more help just post a question for me ref this good luck

Answer 5

It's like being a wife of any man. My ex was in the Air Force. I found no difference between 'military life' and 'civilian life' except the advantages of shopping on base and the occasional tour of duty.

Answer 6

My daughter is an Army wife, has been going on 17 years now. She loves Army life, and loves living on Base. So far she has lived in Germany, Texas,
Missouri, and now in California. When her husband is deployed, she manages to get through it with her chin up. Hope this helps you......

Answer 7

It must be very hard having to worry about your husband fighting AND having Democrats either call him stupid, make excuses for the politician who called him stupid, or have Democrats actually AGREE with the politician who called him stupid. Meanwhile, you could get a telegram any minute and a visit from two officers.

Answer 8

Could not even tell you.
I am a man and I am not even in the Army.

Answer 9

Good thing is if he ever cheats, You can have him arrested! Military men are prohibited from cheating, and if they are caught they should expect jail time.