Reasons We Love Being Married to Veterans
Growing up in a home without a current connection to military life, it seemed like Veterans Day was a time to honor fallen service members from long ago wars. When I became a military spouse it seemed strange that my husband was considered a veteran. We even got to spend one spectacular 4th of July aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, sponsored by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
To get more comfortable with the idea of including my husband in the group honored on Veterans Day, I did a little reading and found The History of Veterans Day by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This is a paraphrase of what I found, explaining the shift between remembering those who died in service during World War I and the current celebrations of all veterans.
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, hostilities temporarily ceased between the Allied nations and Germany. One year later, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day saying:
"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"
Armistice Day was set aside to remember veterans of World War I, which was supposed to be the war to end all wars. But then we had World War II, which required an even greater mobilization of forces, and we fought aggression in Korea. So, in 1954, Congress decided to substitute the word Veterans for Armistice to make the day more inclusive. Later that year, President Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation saying:
"In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.”
To honor our spouses, several members of the InDependent community posted what they love about being married to a veteran on Facebook:
I love my husband’s dedication to his country and passion for his career! I also love the sense of family military wives have for one another. –Beth- Having been separated during deployments, the enduring love you form regardless of physical proximity is lasting. The deep regard and appreciation that you have for every moment together is irreplaceable. –Lindsey
- Being able to share my birthday with the most amazing and dedicated veteran, my husband! – Amanda
- I love that no matter how long or short my husband and I may be away from each other, it only makes our love for one another grow stronger. -Meg
- 1. Being reminded how much we love and appreciate our best friend, when every deployment we wait for him, and every PCS, we’ll go wherever he goes. 2. Knowing that my children and I are doing our part for our country, simply by loving our guy. 3. Making a new family/community with whom we’ll keep the home fires burning. –Erin
- I love all of the opportunities that we’ve had to travel together as a family. Our 9-year-old has been to 27 countries. –Kimberly
- After four deployments, I love that his experiences have colored the way he views the world. He never takes anything for granted: Hot water (running water, even), leftovers in the fridge, and the ability to take a long stroll on a Sunday afternoon are all things that he genuinely cherishes. - Katie
Header photo by Mary Anne Miner. Clasped hands images by Pam Emmons.
