Where is My Hat??

My grand-father served in World War 2. He has shirts, patches, things that mark him as a veteran. My father has several hats with the words Korea War Veteran on them. Two of my uncles served in Vietnam, they have memorabilia as well.

And this got me to thinking… all of the men in my life that have served, and done so admirably, have things that give them distinction. Marks of valor. But every single one of those men were backed by a woman, a wife, a girlfriend, who stood behind them, who remained loyal, who worked just as hard, struggled just as much, as they did.

So where is my hat? Where is my pin, my patch, my mark of honor? I may not wear the boots or be Army Strong, but I have to be just as tough, just as willing to stand and fight, as he does. The battleground is different, it is the home front and not the front lines, but I fight just as hard, albeit it differently. Where are my stripes?

I have struggled, I will continue to struggle. I have dug in, reached for that last bit of reserve, fought with everything in me, endured sleepless nights. I get no recognition. There is no patch that says Army Wife, there is little recognition for me, and the recognition I get from husband, reminding me to make sure his ACUs are clean does not count.

We have National Military Spouse Recognition Day. It's a single day, for everyone to remember the sacrifices we make, the struggles we have, the battles we fight. And it's a holiday that I knew absolutely nothing about until this year, when I was handed a box of chocolate iced doughnuts, and told it was my appreciation gift for the day. On an aside: I think I ate the whole box by myself.

This is not to say that my own personal support system is lacking, if anything the opposite is true. But the amount of women I have run across, who are struggling with little to no support or help, who are enduring the struggles, pain, and sometimes suffering that is being married into the military, on their own, is staggering. Where is the help for all of us, as we get through the day, and conquer our world; or are conquered by it?

In short… where is my hat???

~Jennifer