To any story, there are always be two sides. While one side may be something that everyone knows, the other may not be as highlighted or frequently explored. When it comes to the Armed Forces and the soldiers, the glory, the glamour, the valour and the heroic lifestyle is something that pretty much everyone knows about. There is however, another side of the story, the story of the incredible women who are the better halves of the soldiers. As clichéd as it may sound, I fall short of words to describe the amount of respect I have for the ladies who are the pillars of strength to our soldiers.
Someone once told me that a woman, by default has a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders, which is quite true. But once you are wedded to the Olive Green, well, those responsibilities seem to double, triple rather. I have met several Military wives till date, some coming from a military background themselves; some who have absolutely no idea what the Armed Forces is all about, some working, and some home makers. These ladies, who seem to be so different from one another, are all bound together by their experience of being a military wife.
So what is it that makes these women sound no less than a superwoman? Let’s find out, shall we?!
- They have immense patience.
For starters, military wives are highly patient. When you don’t get to meet and even talk to your husband for days, weeks and/or months and you can’t really complain because well field postings are part of the job right? They’ll take their spouses’ call even if it’s at 2am or 3am. They don’t take time for granted. Being patient is then pretty much the only option. Being patient to wait, being patient to be able to get together and be like any other ‘normal’ family, military wives define another parameter of patience. - They are super strong.
Is it easy to be listening to the news updates and reading disturbing news in the papers and still trying to remain calm and hoping that everything would be fine? Probably not. This is something that most of the military wives go through day in and day out. They manage everything at home, manage their work, take care of the kids and do everything possible to make sure that the kids are happy while their father is away. Military wives really hold down the fort at home. - They hold their family together.
Be it the payment of the bills, the grocery shopping, cooking meals, kids’ homework, they keep everything at home running super smooth while the husbands are away and in the absence of the husband, the military wives take the role of dual parents and hold their family together. - They are used to relocating.
Postings and relocations are a part of the military life. The military wives can pack the entire house and then unpack too at the drop of a hat! They are pros at moving from place to place and then adapting to the new situations. They make friends with people fast and turn their new houses into homes for their families. - They are considerate and generous.
The military wives always think of others before themselves. I’ll share a personal incident here. One of my mother’s friend used to pay her maid’s daughter’s school fees and she would say that it’s important for girls to study and educate themselves to become something in life. There are numerous such examples where the military wives have been altruistic and helped those who were in need. - They understand sacrifice.
Military wives recognize and understand the risks faced by their husbands in their jobs, and the idea of loss. They understand the moves, the relocations and living far away from friends and family. They adapt quickly and gracefully to the ups and down associated with the military life and support their husbands through thick and thin.
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