A Cup of Comfort for Military Families
Stories that celebrate heroism on the home front
Edited by Colleen Sell, Copyright @ 2008
It has been said that military life is "not for the faint of heart." But neither is it without its benefits and blessings. One thing is certain: It is an experience like no other--for both the service men and women and their famlies.
In A Cup of Comfort for Military Families, you will experience the familiar pride that wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends feel when their loved one chooses to put his or her needs aside for the benefit of our country. Featuring stories from the current Iraq war as well as stories of those who have long retired from the service, this timely collection is sure to span generations--and touch your heart.
Army Wife
A story of love and family in the heart of the Army
Author: Vicki Cody, Copyright @ 2016
From the last days of the Vietnam War to the present-day war on terrorism, this story is a moving and poignant tribute to love, marriage, family, and the men and women who serve this nation. In describing her thirty-three-year journey as an Army wife, Cody gives an in-depth look at what it takes to keep a marriage strong, raise a family—oftentimes as a single parent—create a home, and face separations and loneliness amid the uncertainty and stresses that are so much a part of Army life.
Over the years, Cody learns to embrace the uniqueness of her circumstances, and she finds joy, self-fulfillment, and pride in her role. But when both her sons follow in their dad’s footsteps, becoming Army Aviators and flying Apache helicopters in combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, Cody faces her greatest challenges as a mother and again, must balance the needs of her family with her husband’s position. Full of humor and honesty, Army Wife brings the reader into Cody’s private life in a very personal way, and in doing so opens the lens for a broader view of world events.
A Year of Absence
Six women's stories of courage, hope and love
Author: Jessica Redmond, Copyright @ 2005
A Year of Absence follows the lives of six women whose husbands, all members of the U.S. Army's First Armored Division based in Germany, deploy to Iraq in April 2003. A young lieutenant's wife comes dangerously close to alcoholism. Marriages are pushed to the breaking point by the constant strain of fifteen months apart. Each morning the women anxiously scan the headlines, wondering if they still have a husband, if their children still have a father. Some form friendships that become their lifeline. Others somehow find courage despite their isolation.
Behind the Blue-Star Banner
A memoir from the home front
Author: Michelle Cuthrell, Copyright @ 2006
Michelle Cuthrell was 23 years old, nine months out of college and 11 weeks pregnant with her first child when her husband deployed to Iraq in August 2005.
With a baby in her belly and a husband in her heart, this newlywed embarked on a crazy journey that led her through a year of tests and trials, heartbreak and hard times, as she lived alone in the freezes and frosts of Fairbanks, Alaska. There, Michelle endured the pregnancy and rearing of the couple's first and only child as her husband, Matt, served with the 172nd Stryker brigade in Mosul, Iraq.
But when the Department of Defense extended Matt's unit for four additional months in country, just 10 days shy of his much-anticipated homecoming after a year at war, Michelle temporarily fell apart. It was in those difficult days that she learned the real value of friendship, faith and unfailing love.
Behind the Blue-Star Banner documents Michelle's 16-month journey to reunion, and the lessons she learned about true service and sacrifice along the way.
Behind the Scenes
The tales of American military spouses making a difference - a military spouse legacy project
Author: Cara Loken, Copyright @ 2017
There are roughly 1.1 million military spouses of the US Armed Forces spread across communities around the globe. They are entrepreneurs and volunteers, educators and lawyers, authors and elected representatives, stay-at-home parents and advocates. These men and women embody the American dream by sacrificing on behalf of the pursuit of freedom, while chasing bold dreams of their own. Often told are the stories of the selfless service of the heroes in military uniform, but lesser known is the everyday imprint being left on the nation by those who support those service members. This book seeks to capture the inspirational tales of those military spouses who continue to make a difference daily.
Called to Serve
Encouragement, support, and inspiration for military families
Authors: Tony Monetti, Penny Monetti, Copyright @ 2011
Over 2.9 million military personnel—facing serious emotional and spiritual challenges— serve in more than 150 countries. Called to Serve professionally pinpoints the needs of the military family. Real-life stories drawn from twenty-three years of military experience offer encouragement, humor, and tools to combat relational threats from the perspective of the “Warrior” (husband) and his “Spouse.” Thirty compelling, uplifting, and encouraging chapters address the top identified military stressors affecting military personnel and their families. Each account, tied to relevant Scripture, whets the spiritual palate, encouraging the reader to seek additional encouragement from the Bible.
Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul
101 stories to touch the heart and rekindle the spirit
Authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,
Charles Preston and Cindy Pederson
Copyright @ 2005
A tribute to the women who uphold the written and unwritten oaths of service and of marriage.
All military personnel swear an oath to uphold the constitution and protect our country, while their spouses take the unwritten oath to live a life of frequent moves, lengthy separations and endless anxieties. Their commitment requires a unique blend of patriotism, dedication, hard work and, most of all, flexibility.
The stories in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul are written by military famiy members and the courageous women who themselves serve in the military. Each page celebrates the women who unite with kindred spirits to raise families, maintain homes and uphold the most positive attitudes when facing the fears of losing a loved one.
This special volume celebrates the unique bond between military wives and their spouses and thier dedication to home and country.
Confessions of a Military Wife
Author: Mollie Gross, Copyright @ 2015
Confessions of a Military Wife is an honest, witty, and often hilarious look at the life of the new generation military wife. Mollie Gross learned the hard way to laugh instead of cry at what she could not control as a military spouse―and as she quickly discovered, nearly everything was out of her control!
A standup comedienne, public speaker, and wife of a Marine Corps officer, Mollie explores everything about the “issued” spouse, from deployment and the stress of having a husband in a combat zone, to the realization that marriage changes when your husband returns home from war. Nothing is taboo or out-of-bounds in Confessions, including the “parties” military wives throw for themselves before hubby returns. (You’ll have to read the book to find out about those!)
Updated, expanded, and now in paperback, Confessions is a can’t-put-down book that will leave you laughing and crying at the same time.
Dear Soldier
Heartfelt letters from America's children
Author: Barbara W. Baldwin, Copyright @ 2009
This collection of letters from across the United States written in each child's own hand, offers active duty soldiers and veterans and their families comfort, reassurance, and a delightful dose of humor.
Dinner with the Smileys
One military family, one year of heroes, and lessons for a lifetime
Author: Sarah Smiley, Copyright @ 2014
They say you are what you eat--but apparently, with whom you eat is pretty important too. Current medical research bears this out. But wellness was not what motivated mil-blogger/Navy wife and mom Sarah Smiley to invite one guest every week for 52 weeks to have dinner with herself and her three young sons.
Sarah's motivation was to fill a void in her family life: that empty chair at the dining room table while her Navy pilot husband, Dustin, was deployed overseas for a year. But what started as a gesture meant to distract the boys from missing their Dad became a joyous journey as the unlikeliest people accepted the invitations... and brought dessert. The Smiley family discovered that a surprising number of people really are available for dinner. You just have to ask.
Each dinner guest taught them about life, and the importance of sharing something simple and intimate--like a meal--to cement these valuable lessons in place.
From a state senator (she baked brownies) to sports superstars (ice cream), from the boys' teachers (cookies) to their 94-year old neighbor--with R2-D2 making a very special visit--each Smiley dinner guest leaves an indelible impression. Throughout the book, Sarah Smiley's unvarnished detailing of the emotional ebb and flow of being a "single mom" to three irrepressible boys while trying to balance career, car pool and dinner prep is Bombeck-esque at times, deeply moving at others. Dinner with the Smileys transformed the family, so much so that even upon Dad's return home, the dinners have continued... one new guest every week.
Dinner with the Smileys shows how one family made a difference not only in their own lives, but the life of each guest as well. Full of humor and heart, this memoir will remind readers how nice it is to sit down, break bread, and connect, as well as surely inspire many invitations to the dinner table.
E-mail to the Front
One wife's correspondence with her husband overseas
Author: Alesia Holliday, Copyright @ 2003
"6/9: Evidently I wasn't supposed to put so much oil in the mower. The smoke went away fairly quickly, though. Connor even got to go for a ride in the fire truck."Alesia Holliday has survived scenes like this and more while her husband, a naval flight officer, has been away on military duty. They have forged a different kind of marriage-one that the 1.5 million current active-duty service members and their families will identify with. E-mail to the Front has a large built-in audience that boasts a camaraderie strengthened by shared difficulties and discoveries. E-mail to the Front consists of short commentaries by Alesia and an e-mail dialogue between her and her husband while he was on deployment. In text filled with empathy, gut-level honesty, humor, and unflinching support, chapters cover everything from "Departure: Only 183 Days to Go" to "Rebellion of the Appliances" to "It's Like Being a Single Mother, but I Can't Date." E-mail to the Front will appeal to everyone who appreciates the courage of those who choose to serve their country, the families who are meeting the challenge of military duty, and those who love and support them. Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry has written a cover quote for the book, and best-selling author Suzanne Brockmann said "This book should be required reading for all Americans."
Email to the Front
Authors: Alesia Holliday and Alyssa Day, Copyright @ 2012
This memoir is the painfully funny and poignant true story of one military family's experience during two war-time deployments, told through the actual email they sent back and forth, with accompanying essays.
"6/9: Evidently I wasn't supposed to put so much oil in the mower. The smoke went away fairly quickly, though. Connor even got to go for a ride in the fire truck."
Alesia Holliday has survived scenes like this and more while her husband, a naval flight officer, has been away on military duty. They have forged a different kind of marriage-one that the 1.5 million current active-duty service members and their families will identify with through the camaraderie strengthened by shared difficulties and discoveries.
E-mail to the Front consists of short commentaries by Alesia and an e-mail dialogue between she and her husband while he was on deployment. In text filled with empathy, gut-level honesty, humor, and unflinching support, chapters cover everything from "Departure: Only 183 Days to Go" to "Rebellion of the Appliances" to "It's Like Being a Single Mother, but I Can't Date."
E-mail to the Front will appeal to everyone who appreciates the courage of those who choose to serve their country, the families who are meeting the challenge of military duty, and those who love and support them.
15 Years of War
How the longest war in U.S. history affected a military family in love, loss, and the cost of service
Author: Kristine Schellhaas, Copyright @ 2016
Less than 1% of our nation will ever serve in our armed forces, leaving many to wonder what life is really like for military families.
He answers the call of duty in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Pacific; she keeps the home fires burning. Worlds apart, and in the face of indescribable grief, their relationship is pushed to the limits.
15 Years of War: How the Longest War in U.S. History Affected a Military Family in Love, Loss, and the Cost Of Service provides a unique he said/she said perspective on coping with war in modern-day America. It reveals a true account of how a dedicated Marine and his equally committed spouse faced unfathomable challenges and achieved triumph, from the days just before 9/11 through 15 years of training workups, deployments, and other separations.
This story of faith, love, and resilience offers insight into how a decade and a half of war has redefined what it means to be a military family.
Fly Safe
Letters from the Gulf War and reflections from back home
Author: Vicki Cody, Copyright @ 2021
It is August 1990, and Iraq has just invaded Kuwait, setting off a chain reaction of events leading up to the first Gulf War. Vicki Cody’s husband, the commander of an elite Apache helicopter battalion, is deployed to Saudi Arabia—and for the next nine months they have to rely on written letters in order to stay connected.
From Vicki’s narrative and journal entries, the reader gets a very realistic glimpse of what it is like for the spouses and families back home during a war, in particular what it was like at a time when most people did not own a personal computer and there was no Internet—no iPhones, no texting, no tweeting, no Facetime. Her writing also illuminates the roller coaster of stress, loneliness, sleepless nights, humor, joys, and, eventually, resilience, that make up her life while her husband is away. Meanwhile, Dick’s letters to her give the reader a front row seat to the unfolding of history, the adrenaline rush of flying helicopters in combat, his commitment to his country, and his devotion to his family back home. Together, these three components weave a clear, insightful, and intimate story of love and its power to sustain us.
Found Art
Discovering beauty in foreign places
Author: Leeana Tankersley, Copyright @ 2009
Found Art is a memoir of the year author Leeana Tankersley lived in the Middle East with her Navy SEAL husband during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As her story unfolds, Leeana finds her life and her soul have been changed forever.
With an artist's eye, Tankersley uses each chapter to piece together moments and memories from her journey to create a work of unexpected beauty: a handwritten note from Kuwait, a braid of fringe from a Persian rug, an original poem, a bit of basting thread, a swatch of black silk from a borrowed abaya, a mesquite leaf, a Navy SEAL trident, a receipt from a Russian-Georgian restaurant on Louisana Street.
Found art emerges, a literary collage created from salvaged stories of loss, hope, and belief.
From a Pebble to a Rock
Life stories from the homefront to encourage the hearts of every woman
Author: Patti A. Correa, Copyright @ 2004
How do they do it? is the question often asked as we see wives, mothers, and daughters of military men go day by day faced with loneliness, more responsibility, and uncertainty that come with separation. Follow me as women on the home front tell their true-life, heartwarming stories of love, weakness, and strength during times of separation. These stories of survivial will show you the love they have for their husbands, dads, sons, and uncles and their perseverance to keep the families together.
Got Here as Soon as I Could
Author: Sarah Smiley, Copyright @ 2016
I'm not from Maine... but I got here as soon as I could.
Six years ago, a family from Florida fell in love with "the way life should be," and although they've never seen a moose, the Smileys intend to stay. Because say what you will about the cold winters and the messy mud season, there is no better place to raise a kid than in the great state of Maine.
Got Here As Soon As I Could is a collection of syndicated columnist Sarah Smiley's most-loved columns about raising a family in Maine. In these 100 essays, readers will laugh, cry and nod their head "yes" as they remember a time when all of America was as simple and beautiful as it still is today in Vacationland.
Home and Away
A story of family in a time of war
Authors: Nancy French, David French, Copyright @ 2011
David French picked up the newspaper in the comfort of his penthouse in Philadelphia, and read about a soldier - father of two - who was wounded in Iraq. Immediately, he was stricken with a question: Why him and not me?
This is the story of what happens when a person - rather a family - answers the call to serve their nation. David was a 37-year-old father of two, a Harvard Law graduate and president of a free speech organization. In other words, he was used to pushing pencils, not toting M16s.
His wife Nancy was raising two children and writing from home. She was worrying about field trips and playdates, not about her husband going to war.
Home and Away chronicles not just a soldier at war, but a family at war - a husband in Iraq, a wife and children at home, greeting each day with hope and fear, facing the challenge with determination, tears, and more than a little joy.
Homefires
War through the eyes of a military wife
Author: Sherry Hines, Copyright @ 2004
Homefires is the untold story of those left behind. The public sees small stories of families, but it doesn't begin to reflect what we go through everyday. The love, fear, pride, worry and ever present loneliness. My goal in writing this book is to let other wives know they are not alone. To not think you are the only one having these thoughts, feelings or problems. From the general's wife to the private's wife we all worry about our husbands. We have kids who are adjusting to their parent being gone and we all get lonely. Cars break down and toilets overflow, whatever the problem we deal with it. This is not a book complaining about our lot in life. This is a book that shows what our life is like during a deployment, and how extraordinary these women are. I hope I reach one person that feels better for having read my book. This is our story.
Honored to Serve
Guidance and encouragement for military families in transition
Author: Lt. Colonel Tony and Penny Monetti, Copyright @ 2013
Deployment into active duty and re-entrance into civilian life can be challenging transitions for military families. Retired B-2 stealth bomber pilot Lt. Colonel Tony Monetti and Penny Monetti offer words of encouragement through personal stories, a sense of humor, and biblical truths. In Honored to Serve, readers can find tools to help them deal with transition issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), financial hardships, wounded relationships, and more. Written from the perspectives of both a military service person and a spouse, this insightful book not only offers encouragement to military families, but also includes suggestions on how others can provide support through church and community programs.
Household Baggage (2nd Edition)
The moving life of a military wife
Author: Marna Krajeski, Copyright @ 2008
Household Baggage is an entertaining collection of funny, poignant, and disarmingly candid essays about today's military family, where marriage and motherhood endure frequent moves, long separations, uncomfortable living quarters, and wartime deployments. Brides new to the service and seasoned military wives will find the light-hearted insights helpful, the more serious issues invaluable. It's the perfect read for any military spouse who welcomes an extended hand, a sympathetic ear, and comic relief.
Household Baggage Handlers
56 stories from the hearts and lives of military wives
Author: Marna Krajeski, Copyright @ 2008
In this deeply personal collection of stories, 48 wives share their total embarrassments, tragic experiences, and tender emotions as they tackle the daily dramas of military life. By turns touching and hilarious, Household Baggage Handlers opens the door on an often overlooked world, one which requires the independence and survival skills to: Move overseas while six months pregnant; Manage labor, delivery, and a newborn.without a spouse; Nurse a critically injured husband back to health; Confront the sight of someone in uniform at the front door; Shelter five children alone during a tornado; Cope with bats, blizzards, and broken cars during deployments. Read all about it in their own words. With anecdotes from WWII to the present, these compelling stories capture a sisterhood forged by extraordinary circumstances.
I'm Just Saying...
A collection of essays
Author: Sarah Smiley, Copyright @ 2008
Learn the military's phonetic alphabet if you wish, but I prefer to irritate my husband by making up my own instead...this is only slightly less efficient but much more Fabio-Underpants-Naked. - Sarah Smiley in I'm Just Saying...
For nearly five years, Sarah Smiley has been entertaining readers of her syndicated newspaper column "Shore Duty" with tales of being a military wife and mother of three young boys. Now Smiley's best work is gathered in one collection.
The 288-page paperback book includes forewords by Carol Leifer (former writer for "Saturday Night Live" and "Seinfeld," the basis for the character Elaine on "Seinfeld," and screenwriter for Paramount Television's proposed adaptation of Smiley's columns for a half-hour sitcom) and Ward Carroll (author, former Navy pilot, and current managing editor of Military.com).
With commentary on everything from husbands who leave their lunch on top of their car to Amish Friendship Bread and why children are always bumping heads, Smiley's writing will "put a grin on your face," says Time Bete, Director of the Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop. "Even those with no connection to the military will relate," writes Bernie Grimm, Fox News Analyst.
Life Hacks for Military Wives
Advice, wit, and humor from those who served behind the scenes
Authors: Allison Wood, Tracey Enerson Wood, Kristen Riffle
Copyright @ 2021
A colorful collection of tips and tricks for getting the most out of the nomadic military lifestyle. Told through humorous anecdotes by those with years of unique experiences, these life hacks reveal a special culture with expectations and numerous obstacles to be faced along the way.
Military life boasts of travel to exotic places, immersion in the worldly cultures, and cuisine that most Americans can only dream about . . . and on the government’s dime, to boot!
At least, that’s what the common perception is. But those who have served know that while the above may be true, military life comes with its own set of challenges and can be a hardship as much as it is rewarding.
Here to help is the advice, guidance, and personal stories of spouses from all walks of life, in stages from the newlywed to the retired and properly salty. They share tips on overcoming the numerous obstacles, and navigating the special culture, traditions, and the one-of-a-kind lingo of military service.
Gathered mostly from those who are affiliated with the military, but also from those with similar diplomatic lifestyles, the anecdotes reveal the special bond they share with their fellow spouses, and the wisdom gained to pass to the next generation.
The very special illustrations were created by a talented Air Force wife, and reflect both the strong beauty and earnestness of those who are engaged in our nation’s most serious business, and yet, have learned not take themselves too seriously.
Memoirs of Military Wives
Hidden heroes
Author: Robin Major-Oliphant, Copyright @ 2020
In Memoirs of Military Wives, civilian and active duty spouses from all over the world, and various branches of the United States Armed Forces, come together to share their stories from trials to triumph. Sharing how they overcome life’s hard, and thrive as military wives.
Memoirs of a Soldiers Wife
Author: Wendy Peterson, Copyright @ 2010
Everyone has a different story; everyone has a different issue in their life that makes him or her stronger. Across America, many women share the experience and circumstances of being a "soldier's wife". They share the experience of being lonely, frustrated upset and depressed. What is the general perception of a "soldiers wife"? Overall the depth and understanding of what it takes to fulfill the role of a soldier's wife or military spouse is often discredited or overlooked. Society has made the assumption that military families are well supported and that their households are equally sustained. Many people may simply believe that being married to a US soldier is no different than being married to a US Citizen. If that is your belief, prepare to be enlightened.
My Blissful Life as a Submariner's Wife
Author: MJ Allaire, Copyright @ 2009
Imagine yourself as a young mother, half the world away from loved ones as a military dependent, then compound this with the much larger challenge of raising a family by yourself because your military spouse is always gone. No amount of money can replace when an active duty military member misses some of life's major milestones, such as the birth of a child, a baby's first steps, or a high school graduation. Follow one woman as she struggles to provide balance and stability to her dependent children while her husband serves his country. Her trials and tribulations will provide insight to just a few of the challenges faced by today's military family. Think you understand the life of a military dependent? Think again...
My Hero
Military kids write about their moms and dads
Authors: Allen Appel, Mike Rothmiller, Copyright @ 2008
Working through the Armed Services YMCA, the authors have collected more than one hundred essays from children whose parents are serving or have served in the military. The children's heartfelt, moving, sometimes funny and completely honest observations about their moms and dads truly capture the emotional connection between parent and child. It is a connection that cannot be severed even when a parent is thousands of miles away, gone for long stretches of time, and in danger.
Inspiring, heartbreaking, and genuine, this book provides a fascinating look inside the hearts and minds of kids who love and honor their moms and dads as heroes - at home or on the battlefield.
My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife
A one-year experiment...and its surprising results
Author: Sara Horn, Copyright @ 2011
Author Sara Horn always admired the Proverbs 31 wife, but when she became a busy writer and mother, she deemed this model to be dated and impossible. Or is it? Join Sara as she heads into a one-year domestic experiment and offers full access to see if this biblical model can be embraced by a modern woman—even one who can’t sew.
With humility and humor, Sara sets out to pursue the Proverbs 31 characteristics through immersing herself in all things domestic, but when her family's situation changes and she must return to a full-time job, she's forced to look at the Proverbs 31 woman with a whole new viewpoint. Through it all, she and readers discover:
- what it means to be a godly woman and a wife
- how investing in family and faith refines priorities as a spouse and a parent
- how mistakes are opportunities for growth
This thought-provoking, surprising, and entertaining personal account will inspire women to try their own experiments in living out God’s purpose for their lives.
Navigating Military Life with Intention and Grace
Author: Adrianne Amundson, Copyright @ 2020
Have you ever wondered what life is like for the military spouse? Or maybe you're doing life in the military and the journey feels lonely. The news gives us glimpses of what military life is like, but as with anything else, it doesn't ever portray the whole picture. It's confusing, it's complicated, and it can feel like there are so many moving parts. It's not a life meant to be navigated alone.
Just like any other life, military life comes with its ups and downs, challenges, and victories. Military life, while it can be tough, gives those who navigate it character and opportunities to adventure and see the good with the hard. Having a better understanding of what military life is like and knowing you're not alone in the process gives you glimpses of hope and strength to keep walking forward with intention and even flourishing in this life. Just like any other life, military life comes with its ups and downs, challenges, and victories. Military life, while it can be tough, gives those who navigate it character and opportunities to adventure and see the good with the hard. Having a better understanding of what military life is like and knowing you're not alone in the process gives you glimpses of hope and strength to keep walking forward with intention and even flourishing in this life.
Open When
Letters of encouragement for military spouses
Author: Lizann Lightfoot, Copyright @ 2021
Dear Military Spouse,
I wrote these letters to encourage you throughout your military life journey. Whether you are celebrating a milestone, surviving an unfamiliar challenge, or feeling unheard, you are not alone.
I am here with you, from the first moments of falling in love with your service member, to attending your first military ball, giving birth while your spouse is deployed, and moving across country (or an ocean) on short notice. I know what it's like to be making new friends—again and again, finding strength to support other spouses in the community, preparing to leave active duty, and many other military life moments in between.
This collection of Open When letters is meant to deliver that special message from a friend who understands, whenever you need reassurance, helpful ideas, or a simple reminder of your own strength. We've got this!
With love from a fellow military spouse,
Lizann Lightfoot
The Seasoned Spouse
PCSing...It's a Spouse Thing!
Author: Julie Negron, Copyright @ 2010
Jenny follows the adventures of a young Air Force spouse determined to overcome the challenges of a military lifestyle.
Drawn from the real lives of both contributors and the cartoonist, Jenny’s experiences reflect the humor, ingenuity, and sheer determination necessary to be successful as the spouse of an active duty military member.
Portraits of the Toughest Job in the Army
Voices and faces of modern Army wives
Author: Janelle Mock, Copyright @ 2007
My husband’s aspirations in the Army are as high as the moon some days and deep into the sea the next. He loves it, I know it, but he doesn’t like having to be away from us. It’s hard to explain to people that your husband wants to go to war, but he does. He wants the experience. That is what he is trained to do. He feels as though he can’t really know how long he wants to be in the Army until he has that experience behind him. I want what is best for him. I fear the danger of war, but I know he will not feel complete doing time in the Army until he sets foot on foreign soil. I am afraid, but I have to have a peace about it, because if I don’t, I won’t survive if he doesn’t return. We have a peace that, whether together or apart, we are a family, always. I don’t know exactly how or why I feel this way. Maybe, it’s because my husband has been a Christian all his life. I can’t put into words what type of peace that brings. Death, injury, or deployment, we are a family. I will always stand by my soldier and I will always stand by my husband.
Sacred Spaces
My journey to the heart of military marriage
Author: Corie Weathers, Copyright @2016
Like many military couples, Corie and her husband, Matt, an Army chaplain, accumulated significant unshared moments during Matt's deployments. Matt lost friends and fellow soldiers to combat in Afghanistan. On the home front, Corie sat with bereaved military families and walked through dark days with new widows as a friend and professional counselor. When Matt returned, he and Corie began using the term "sacred spaces" for these and other significant moments they had experienced independently. After multiple deployments, sacred spaces were taking up a lot of emotional room in their relationship.
When US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter invited Corie, as the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year, to join his team on a one-week overseas holiday trip, she eagerly accepted, hoping to gain a better understanding of her husband's deployment experience and lessen the impact sacred spaces had on her marriage.
Corie didn't choose the timing or circumstances of her trip with Secretary Carter--Christmastime, in the midst of her family's second cross-state move in six months--but it seemed the perfect opportunity for Corie and Matt to gain a better understanding of each other's perspectives.
Matt experienced life on the home front with new eyes as he moved their household belongings, prepared for the holidays, and settled their two young sons into their new school.
At US military installations and aboard aircraft and aircraft carriers in Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf, Corie spoke with military families stationed overseas and deployed troops on the ground, in the air, and at sea. She paid close attention to her own sensory and emotional reactions to these new environments and recorded her thoughts each day via video log, blog, and social media. She also wrote about the trip for Military Spouse magazine.
While she wanted to inform other military families about her discoveries, Corie deeply hoped the trip would impact her own marriage as well. She didn't choose the locations the entourage would visit, yet fate landed her in the very place that had changed the trajectory of her life.
As Corie sat in the belly of a C-17, where her husband had said goodbye to the remains of friends and fellow soldiers, as she touched with her own hands the memorial at FOB Fenty and reflected on her grief as a care team member following the battle of COP Keating, Corie realized this journey was about much more than the push-pull of duty away from loved ones.
This was a journey to the heart of her marriage, a place where she would have to leave behind her resentment in exchange for ground she and her husband had surrendered to hurt, misunderstanding, loss--and to Afghanistan.
Corie set out on this trip hoping to gain a better understanding of her husband and his deployment experience, but along the way, she discovered a whole new perspective of herself and her military marriage. By sharing her story, Corie hopes to help other military couples strengthen their marriages.
Soldier and Spouse and Their Traveling House
Author: Matthew House, Copyright @ 2017
Soldier and Spouse and Their Traveling House puts a witty spin on the dynamic of newlywed husband and wife trekking across two continents during their first three years of marriage. Who heads this household? The thrill-seeking soldier? Or the sensible spouse? Come along with this twenty-something military couple on their off-duty weekends as they dash in and out of trouble from the Emerald Isle to cruising down the Nile and many places in between—Western Europe, the Baltic, North Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean.
Spouses Also Serve
Author: Tiffany A. Booher, Copyright @ 2007
Through her unmatched ability to introduce readers to a military spouse's thoughts and feelings with diary entries and poetry, author Tiffany Booher exposes you to the heart and soul of the military spouse. The National Anthem plays and tears stream down your cheeks. Night after night you sleep in a lonely bed, fearing the unknown, and fighting tears and longing. The telephone rings and it is the call you never imagined you d hear. Through her unmatched ability to introduce readers to a military spouse's thoughts and feelings with diary entries and poetry, author Tiffany Booher exposes you to the heart and soul of the military spouse. Then, by carefully selecting Bible verses to provide both biblical strength and guidance for the spouse, Tiffany helps build faith and comfort in some of the best and worst times a military spouse may encounter. This book is a must-read for both military and non-military women and men across America. For it is not just the military members that serve our nation: their spouses also serve.
Standing By
The making of an American military family in a time of war
Author: Alison Buckholtz , Copyright @ 2013
More than two million U.S. service members have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in the last decade. More and more of these veterans are writing about their wartime experience, but few military spouses have shared the truth about what it’s like when a loved one leaves for battle. Standing By is Alison Buckholtz’s candid account of her family’s struggles during her husband’s eight-month deployment on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom and a subsequent year-long deployment to Iraq. With insight and humor she describes trying to keep life as normal as possible for the couple’s two young children while transitioning into the unfamiliar – and at times unwelcome –role of military wife. Throughout both deployments, a remarkable and surprising series of events challenges her long-held assumptions about the military, motherhood, and even the nature of American citizenship.
A rare and intimate portrait of a family that represents America’s fast-growing population of service members and veterans, Standing By is a window into what matters for families everywhere.
The Day After He Left for Iraq
A story of love, family, and reunion
Author: Melissa Seligman, Copyright @ 2008
Melissa Seligman is something rare in the world of military families—a military wife who is also a beautiful writer. Here she describes her feelings as she watches her husband walk away from her and her newborn, knowing full well that he might not return from the war in Iraq. She experiences saying goodbye twice—both times he left when their children were still infants. While he’s away from home again, Melissa struggles to remember the goodness of her husband and the joy of their life together. Working hard to raise a baby and a four-year old, Melissa tells of the heartbreak and desperation she experiences at home. She watches her daughter clutch a G.I. Joe doll she’s named “Little Daddy,” and wonders if the family will make it through.
Hers is a story of sadness and strength, desperation and hope, displacement and unity. It’s a story that anyone left behind (and we have all been left behind) will respond to, one that, unfortunately, is becoming more and more common as the war in Iraq continues. This is a work of timely and powerful non-fiction by a significant new author.
The Fighter Pilot's Wife
A military family's story
Author: Gilbertha Guth, Copyright @ 2005
Offering an inside look at military family life spanning WWII through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, this memoir not only chronicles the heroism of those in combat but that of the wives and families at home as they live under the constant shadow of potential loss. Married at the age of 22 to a dashing young jet pilot, young bride Gilberta Guth embarked on what was for many years a global journey, following her husband all over the world as he pursued his career. From their honeymoon in Las Vegas to an Ichibon sayonara and a St. Gobain au revoir to his final assignment in civilian life, she stood by his side and raised their four children. In the process she learned to cope with the tragic death of young pilots and how the other wives and family members comforted the widows and helped them pack up their children and leave the familial embrace of the military. Reproductions of letters, photos, and newspaper clippings further enrich this moving account of the challenges faced by a military family in both wartime and peacetime.
The Five Star Life of a Military Wife
Author: Karin Jarrett, Copyright @ 2009
Older military spouses can recall similar experiences. Newer military spouses can look forward to them. Non-military readers can enjoy a twenty-eight year tour of active duty through The Five Star Life of a Military Wife without the actual need for moving vans, passports and change-of-address forms. Enjoy an amusing travelogue from post to post in the United States, plus travels twice around the world including tours of duty in Germany, Israel, Iran and Egypt's Sinai Desert.
The Life of a Navy Wife
Author: Jasa L. Bowser-Shaw, Copyright @ 2004
Jasa Shaw was a young married Navy wife at the tender age of 18, learning about the Navy via day-to-day experiences. Some of the experiences were positive, some weren't. But these experiences helped her to realize that Navy wives are a special breed. The old saying about Navy wives, It is the toughest job in the Navy, seemed so cliché before, but it now rings so true. Navy wives do have a tough job and give up so much for their husbands careers. This book tells some of the good, the bad, and the ugly, though not necessarily in that order. It also contains some good information and ideas for living the Navy lifestyle. Read and laugh along with Jasa as she tells her experiences, which are relatable to every military wife's life, and know that you aren't alone!
The Meat and Potatoes of Life
My true lit com
Author: Lisa Smith Molinar, Copyright @ 2020
Applying her wit and humor to marriage and family life, award-winning columnist Lisa Smith Molinari shares her real-life family's humorous coming of age story, from marriage through raising kids to empty nest. Written in episodes, contained in seasons, her memoir is a sitcom for book lovers!
Lisa leaves her law career to become a navy wife and Supermom, but somewhere between "I do" and "deploying again," waves of chaos threaten to overtake her. She has a husband who knows his chardonnay but can't identify a Phillips-head screwdriver, three quirky kids with their own agendas, a perpetually shedding dog, and a minivan full of cold french fries. Will she survive the endless minutiae of modern family life, or will she end up on the laundry room floor eating chocolate frosting out of a can?
365 Days of Deployment
A wife's survival story
Author: Sara Dawalt, Copyright @ 2007
Follows a military wife's experiences during her husband's deployment to Iraq. Filled with laughter, tears, and everything in between, this book explores the wide-ranging emotions brought about by a loved one's deployment. Through self-exploration Sara Dawalt explores the skills necessary to cope and make sense of her life during a point of turmoil. She reaches a turning point and gains a new understanding of herself, life, and how to survive deployment. Her quest for happiness during what could have been her darkest year will touch your life. Dawalt shows you how each day apart from a loved one at war can be a meaningful experience.
Under the Sabers
The unwritten code of Army wives
Author: Tanya Biank, Copyright @ 2006
Under the Sabers is a groundbreaking narrative detailing the complex personal challenges Army wives face and presenting a provocative new look at Army life. Tanya Biank goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life and shows what it is really like to be an Army wife. From hauling furniture off the rental truck by yourself at a new duty station when your husband is in the field to comforting your son who wants his dad home from Afghanistan for his fifth birthday, she takes readers into the hearts and homes of today's military wives.
We Band of Sisters
Author: Gwen C. Rollings, Copyright @ 2007
She fell in love with her brother's drill instructor and stuck by his side through their rollercoaster military life and his retirement as a major general. Gwen Rollings tells with humor and honesty the heartfelt story of her life as a Marine wife, one that will resonate with any military wife today.
When Will My Ship Come In?
The misadventures of a Navy wife
Author: L.A. Krueger, Copyright @ 2006
What’s a girl to do? Her husband ships out on an aircraft carrier for months on end leaving this naïve newlywed to deal not only with boredom and loneliness, but with psychotic house cats and uppity appliances as well! When Will My Ship Come In? The Misadventures of a Navy Wife is a hilarious romp through one woman’s encounter with the United States Navy and how she lived to tell about it.
While They're at War
The true story of American families on the homefront
Author: Kristin Henderson, Copyright @ 2006
"Most of us are aware of the horrors of war and of the sacrifice made by our fighting men and women. Less well understood is the burden borne by the families our service members leave behind. While They're at War reveals their solidarity and hope; their loneliness and anguish in the face of uncertainty. Authentic and from-the-heart, this is a piece of often untold American history, and a must-read for those both in and out of uniform." Review from Senator John McCain
Wife of a Soldier, Journey of Faith
Author: Diana Juergens, Copyright @ 2009
Wife of a Soldier, a Journey of Faith is about one woman’s journey over the last twenty-two years as an army spouse. Each chapter is filled with the realities of the challenges and blessing she has faced, along with her family, as she has lived out the military lifestyle, in support of her soldier. Her goal is to encourage other military spouses by using her lessons learned to give them a new perspective as they face the difficult journey required of today’s military family. Her hope is that God’s faithfulness will shine through her simple message and that each woman would realize they too have a story to tell that will encourage others because of the strength and courage God places in the heart of the military spouse.
Copyright 2008 - 2021 Benita Koeman, Operation We Are Here. All rights reserved.
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