Spouse brief - Honor veterans, their families

On November 11th we set aside a day to honor all those who are serving or have served in the military. It is a chance to recognize them for making the sacrifices that enable Freedom to continue for the rest of us. Those sacrifices can range from giving up a comfortable bed and hot shower to the loss of life or limb. When it comes to honoring those who serve, taking a moment to reflect on the many unmentioned sacrifices is warranted. Those who serve are often at the mercy of the military when it comes to the city they live in, the job assignment they get and how often they have to work. About the only thing that isn't chosen for them is who they marry and how many children they have.

Because of the strictness of the lifestyle there are many who would not choose to serve. Some of those who don't serve still choose to love those who serve and share their life with them. It is not love of country that makes a wife and kids pray for their father and husband while he is far away for training. It is not deep patriotism that makes a husband who is stateside constantly check Skype to see if his deployed wife is logged on so they can talk. It is not a desire to stop terrorism that motivates a mother to ship a package of cookies to her son stationed at a distant base. What motivates these family members to accept the military life and the difficulties it brings is a true and deep love of the individual. It is the family that stands behind that military member that makes the craziness of serving worth it. It is those who truly care for the individual soldier, sailor, and airman that enable them to defend our Freedom and go after those who would harm us.

When I see a veteran I don't see someone standing alone. I see by their side a multitude of people. I see a wife or a husband who weathered the separation of deployments. I see children who learned to accept a parent popping in and out of daily life throughout the years. I see entire families that willingly uprooted their lives to follow their military member. I also see the heartbreak of loved ones who will never get to hug their service member ever again.

On this day of honoring those who have served and continue to serve, may we save just a small part of our gratitude for those who have stood by them, loved them, moved with them, missed them and most especially supported them.

Rebecca Adling started life as an Air Force brat and is now enjoying life as a mother raising her own life as a mother raising her own pile of adorable Air Force brats.