::Shaking my head::
I am, at times, so embarrassed by my association with the military community. I appreciate and support the military members and the jobs they do; however, it's the damn families I have a problem with. As time goes on, it seems that the whining, entitlement issues and the lack of perspective of so many of our military families increases.
So as I stare at the few 'support' pages I occasionally visit and receive questions from a few misinformed wives on my blog, I begin to wonder......really? This can't continue, my IQ falls a point every time you speak?!
A few of the subjects that I cannot tolerate being a subject of conversation AT ALL
1. Tricare.
It is a benefit of the military. It is not a right.
If you don't like it, please take the following suggestions to heart and make an informed decision.
A. Be grateful you have it. Our country's medical care system finds millions of people dying from lack of simple healthcare and basic nutritional guidance. YOU as a spouse are in a fortunate position that you and your family can and will receive decent medical care and guidance on health & nutrition if you CHOSE to use CORRECTLY.
B. Take a moment to actually read the various plans available to you BEFORE you complain that YOUR coverage isn't enough. There are several plans to meet the needs of your family. Don't be ignorant.
C. If you don't like it. Get OFF THE ISLAND. I have no time for your whining, self-pity. The military system goes into debt trying to support your ass......the least you could do is support the very system there to make you more comfortable and service the needs of a family that isn't really the military's job to support.
D. If you don't like it, get your own. I have Tricare and use it sparingly. I chose to use other services that I prefer. Yes, I'm out of pocket for those choices but I feel that they are better suited to care for my needs and it is one less military spouse mooching off Tricare. Hate if you will.....whatever.
2. Military housing.
Where to start?
It's a damn benefit your spouse earns through hard work and dedication. And all you can do is complain that it isn't big enough; it isn't nicely decorated; it isn't available because YOU NEED it to be. It's there because the military can provide it, but it isn't there because you are ENTITLED to it. LEARN the difference. Benefit and entitlement are two different things......look it up.
AND, if you are lucky enough to have a home - for the LOVE OF GOD clean that shit!! I cannot tell you how many homes I have been to on base where the house is a biohazard and members of a AD spouse's unit have to go over there and clean for three days to make it livable again.
3. Rank
Please stop referring to yourself by your AD spouse's rank. Dear God - it's embarrassing for you and your spouse; it's a little sad; it is not appropriate and NO ONE cares.
- Stop with the sad little brag bags.
- Stop with the 'sticker camo' on your damn car
- Stop using your spouse's rank to win a fight - because you never will.
- Stop with the copious amount of ' Military Spouse is the hardest job in the.....whatever"
Just stop.
You didn't earn it
You aren't AD
You are sad.
4. Support
It is what you make of it.
If you put your issues on the Internet, don't be surprised when you are told to deal. Facebook, MySpace, Support pages...etc., are networking sites and tools, NOT your personal diary.
If you want real help - check out the Family Readiness Centers, talk with your unit's Chaplin, go to your FAMILY, talk with your friends
Or, and here is a real novel idea.....TALK WITH YOUR SPOUSE, BEFORE you fly off the handle at their D.O. or flight chief or the Key Spouse or any other military structure. Jesus.
Deployments, TDY's and long hours can be tough......but you AREN'T the one who is away from family, away from everything that makes you comfortable, away from friends; away from the things that help relieve stress. BE GRATEFUL NOT BITTER.
The bottom line is - Suck it up, buttercup.
There are civilian jobs that are as hard and as dangerous as your spouses' job and they manage without whining and self pity. Shall I name them???
Firefighter - long hours, little pay, dangerous
Police officer - long hours, dangerous, little pay
FBI, CIA, Secret Service - better pay, LONG HOURS, extended absences.....
Corrections Officers - constant stress, long hours, little pay, constant danger.....
Oil rig workers - LONG periods off shore away from family, dangerous
Commercial divers - Dangerous, extended periods away from family.....
Nurses - Hard jobs, tons of stress, little pay, long hours
The list goes on.....
I can personally vouch for all of those jobs - I have a friend, family member or have done the job myself to know what it takes to get it done. AND NEVER ONCE, do they complain nor do their families advertise their spouses rank or position to the degree that YOU do.
Live is difficult but YOU OSMW make it unbearable at times......
