Why Should You Support The Military? A One Word Answer

CHOICE

Yes, that is the answer to the question.  Here is how it is the answer from three different perspectives.

The Service Member

This is perhaps the best start of the discussion on why you should support the military.  It is because of the Choice of a Service Member that you should.  One sunny day a young man, barely old enough for the moniker of man will walk in off the street to a recruiter’s office.  Why is he there?  It’s unimportant in this particular discussion.  He is there, by choice, to sign up to serve his Country.  In this time of both great need and peril he makes this choice to serve his Country.  He raises a hand and swears an Oath.  It is not to a political party, a person or even a particular Divinity.  Look at the Oath.  They volunteer to go fight, leave their families for long period of time and possibly die on soil that is not their home.  Why?  Because they made a choice to do so thereby giving you the choice and chance to enjoy many freedoms, rights and privileges.

The Spouse

The next level of exploration is that near and dear to my heart, the Spouse.  You can’t choose your Family, but you sure can choose your Spouse.  Military Spouses choose to remain with their Service Members.  They do this through thick and thin, happiness and sometimes the deepest of anguish.  It is not a globe trotting thrill fest of world cuisine and European shopping.  It is nights alone with a sick child (or two).  It is weeks without contact because of a blackout order on their base in Iraq.  It is that conflicting emotion to hug the friend who just lost her Service Member fighting with the relief that this one time it was not yours.  It is the joy of Homecomings.  It is the the lingering sadness of yet another Leave taking.  It is a choice.  They make a choice to stay with that life and support that Service Member.  They make that choice because they love their Country and their Service Member.  They do this so that others can make the choice to live in the same place for twenty years and have their children go to the same school for their entire lives.

You

You may fit into one or both of the levels above, but there are others who may not.  Yet even the Service Member and the Spouse have additional ways to support the Troops.  Its easy.  Choose.  Choose whether to read this blog or not.  Choose whether to share it or not.  Choose to stand for the National Anthem.  Choose to salute the flag.  Choose to vote.  Choose your own path of spirituality.  Choose.  Remember that your ability to choose does not come cheap nor is it bargained for lightly.  That Choice has centuries of ideology, blood, grime, grit and determination on it.  Never clean it.  Be proud of it.  Cherish it.  Make a stand and choose.  Choose to support the Troops that have made a stand to support you.  They made a choice to support you.  Doesn’t it seem logical for you to choose to do the same?

The Proverbial Horse, Water and the Salt of Life

Dear Reader,

I pondered what the next entry should be and I came upon the best solution in my opinion.  It should start at a good beginning.  I know, right?  A remarkable bit of flow management, but perhaps I should say that I should start at the best beginning.  In my opinion that is education and for the military spouse that can lay in any number of directions.  For the Army Spouse in particular, I find that AFTB is a great start.  For the next few sessions we will be talking about education and in particular the AFTB program.  I would love to hear your feedback about the program.

For those of you unfamiliar with the program, AFTB (Army Family Team Building) was a program developed after the Gulf War by the Department of the Army when it was apprached by military spouses who expressed concerns about their own preparedness during that war.  It has evolved into a three tier program.  It begins with Level I, “Learn Army”.  It then moves to Level II “Grow” and then to Level III “Lead”.  Each level builds on the other and helps grow and develop the participant, not only in the Army Life but also as a professional and a person.  Look for the next few entries to highlight the levels as well as some other valuable education programs offered to military spouses for the best cost, FREE!

Of course that leads you to wonder about my title.  Well, along with the resiliency that I see in so many spouses there is, at times, a small (alright huge!) stubborn streak in them.  It reminds me of that adage about the horse and leading it to water.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”

Well, that is true, but life, especially military life can be very salty.  I can lead you there, but military life can make you want to take a drink.  So remember, if you lead the horse to water and it still won’t drink; feed it salt.

With Regards,

Jeremy Brown

The Kiss of the Ages

Dear Reader,

Words can never describe it.  It takes your breath away and that is a fair task since you can remember holding that breath for quite some time.  What am I talking about?  The Kiss.  It can be that tender kiss of leave-taking that seals to your Soldier your hopes that they return safely and your kind wishes and regard.  It can also be that unrestrained and passionate lip-lock that lets flow the flood of many months of bottledemotion coupled with the relief that they are home safe.  I start this blog with this point because as of late it has become a focus for the life of the military spouse in the minds of many.  Either we are preparing for them to leave or we are preparing for them to return.  We hurry up….and then wait…and wait.

We wait because we love them.  We wait because we understand their sacrifice.  We understand because we commit our own sacrifices while they are away.  In my time with the military; as a brat, Soldier and Spouse, I have witnessed heroics, yet none have touched me so much as the heroics I have seen while serving as a Spouse. They stand steadfast, resolute and forever in the rear supporting their Soldiers.  For them I decided to write this blog because I want to support my fellow spouses in my own way.  I have some knowledge; I have tripped and fallen, yet I got up.  I want to share what tripped me and how to avoid it, but most of all I want to share that there is a helping hand right here in case someone needs it.

With Regards,

Jeremy Brown