• Service wife, toughest job in the military Service wife, toughest job in the military By Esther Estes Reading the stories about National Guard members being called to active duty brings back a lot of memories for me. I was
• Service wife, toughest job in the military
Service wife, toughest job in the military
By Esther Estes
Reading the stories about National Guard members being called to active duty brings back a lot of memories for me. I was a Navy wife for 20 years and during that time my husband made several deployments and one unaccompanied tour to Diego Garcia. One never realizes the impact that it makes on a family until the time comes. In a split second, the wife must make life changing adjustments.
She becomes mother and father, nurturer and disciplinarian, must make all major decisions alone. She must run the household, maintain the family vehicles, mow the lawn. On top of all of these new duties, she must still pay the bills, do all the grocery shopping, take the kids to practices, games, and checkups, help with homework, cook dinner, do the laundry, and work full time! What reasonable husband could do all of this for extended periods of time? The deploying military member has one job to do and that is to defend our country and to ensure our freedom. And the only way that he will be able to focus on this job is to know that back home, he has a wife that can carry on with the day to day events so that when he comes home, life can continue like he never left.
For the military wife, there will be times when you think you just can’t do any more, can’t take any more. Sometimes things will be overwhelming. There will be times when you just want to give up, throw in the towel. But, those moments will be fleeting moments. Because, deep down inside, you know that you’re contributing to the big picture, our freedom to be Americans, to do what we want and say what we feel. You know that you, too, have a job to do. Know that your support and contribution back home is one of the most vital and important roles in the military. So, stand strong, with your shoulders back and your head high. The time has come for you, too, to report to duty. Do it to the best of your ability, and with pride and commitment! We’re proud of you and your role to ensure that we remain free.
Esther Estes, Navy Wife (Ret.), is a resident of Waimea
