Life as a Military Spouse: Challenges and Rewards

Introduction to the Military Spouse Experience

The life of the soldier is often examined throughout society today in many different formats, but what is frequently left out of the story is the perspective of the soldier's partner. Military spouses have their own unique story that helpfully contextualizes the role and dedication to duty these entire families must endure. The purpose of this essay is to bring understanding to the subject of military spouses by contrasting the beneficial and non-beneficial aspects of this role. This subject is explored through the additional physical, emotional, and spiritual requirements needed to attain a sense of normalcy and purpose within their lives and relationships.

Military life can be divided into two distinct periods, defined by whether the soldier is home or deployed away on a mission. The roles of the family often require flexibility and cross-training in order to keep the family moving along its intended path. When the soldier is home, different requirements and adjustments are needed than those required when the soldier is absent. The military spouse is often required to show courage whether or not the husband or wife is deployed on a dangerous mission. Sitting around waiting is often harder than staying busy, even if that busyness takes place in a dangerous war zone. From personal experience, this lack of control requires a certain level of patience not commonly seen in those outside the military world.

Physical Demands During Deployment

When the soldier is deployed, the spouse must assume and perform the duties that the soldier usually completed at home. From personal experience, fixing things that a spouse would ordinarily handle created a whole new way of understanding everyday tasks, which allowed for meaningful personal growth. If children are involved, the physical tasks required to keep the household running effectively double. Household errands — including cleaning and laundry — now fall on the responsibilities of one person instead of two. As a result of these increased physical demands, energy that might otherwise be reserved for other purposes is siphoned away. For example, simply moving a piece of furniture requires many extra steps and resources that a spouse at home could handle immediately.

Unexpected Physical Benefits of Solo Living

There are some genuine advantages, however, when the spouse is physically absent. Laundry loads are smaller, meals do not need to be as elaborate, and living expenses tend to decrease. Taking on extra physical duties does tend to increase personal strength and stamina and introduces new forms of exercise that are not as readily available when a spouse is present. Military support resources often acknowledge this kind of unintended personal development as a meaningful side effect of deployment periods. As much as one loves a spouse, the extra physical space in the home provides a sense of freedom that is ordinarily consumed when more people are living within the same quarters.

Conclusion: Balancing the Pros and Cons

Overall, the life of the military spouse seems to be more challenging than is widely understood. Choosing this path has been a wonderful yet trying example of how to lead one's life. While the military spouse's experience has very distinct characteristics, it is worth acknowledging that in other particular circumstances, other spouses face their own types of challenges that may not be readily visible from within the military world. Contrasting the pros and cons of this lifestyle helps bring understanding to those who can hopefully relate their own personal experiences to those of military spouses everywhere.