Not too long ago I was sitting at the colonel's wife's house for a monthly coffee. It was around dinner time and there was a handful of other army wives there. People had gone through the buffet line and were seated around the dining room table chatting with one another. During a lull in the various conversations, the colonel's wife welcomed everybody and began talking about upcoming important dates and events.
It's funny for me to think back 5 years to when I first began going to these FRG meetings. I was a total newbie and relatively low on the military wife spectrum in terms of my husband's rank and responsibilities. Now, 5 deployments and several years later, it's weird to know that I am the position that I once thought was so "formal." The funny part is: it's really not at all formal and somehow, while a lot has happened in 5 years, I still feel like that newbie 29 year-old. Too bad I don't look like her anymore...
I digress. Back to the coffee night.
The colonel's wife kept referring to "the greens," saying things like, "We'll talk to the greens about it and see if they agree." I sat there trying to figure out who these mysterious "greens" were and if I had met them before. Finally, when she paused for questions, I raised my hand, simultaneously asking aloud who the greens were to which she kept referring.
"The greens are our husbands; you know...uniforms...green."
We all started laughing. And there I sat: 5 years as an army wife, just as clueless as when it all began.
A blog for military life stories
PROVOKED BY WAR: NOTES FROM AN ARMY WIFE Overview
Provoked by War: Reflections of an Army Wife is a book of essays that expose my thoughts and experiences as the wife of an active duty infantry officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom during our five years of marriage.
From a Special Operations Unit (1st Ranger Battalion) to an Infantry Company Commander (1-17 Infantry), my husband’s job has challenged, frustrated, confused and saddened me while also given me happy, prideful and fond memories.
The essays in Provoked by War candidly detail my most profound experiences, lessons, triumphs and hardships as an Army wife during this time of war.
My husband returned from his company command and sixth combat deployment in July of 2010 with 1-17 Infantry. Their battalion suffered more combat casualties than any unit since September 11, 2001 primarily because of their stryker vehicles’ susceptibility to IEDs (articles on their combat endeavors have been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post and on NPR).
Most informed people know a little something about the soldiers in Iraq and now, especially, Afghanistan from media outlets. But, when it involves your soldier, the war becomes far more than just another news segment or newspaper article; you understand life’s fragility in a way that challenges the very way you live and look at the society of which you are a part.
My vignettes show the very honest evolution of a carefree newlywed whose tone of lightheartedness grows more complex with each passing deployment. I have always maintained that nothing can really prepare you for what it means to be married into the military in a time of war. My essays are the result of my experiences learning the ropes, facing the challenges and living as a modern day Army wife in the midst of war.
From a Special Operations Unit (1st Ranger Battalion) to an Infantry Company Commander (1-17 Infantry), my husband’s job has challenged, frustrated, confused and saddened me while also given me happy, prideful and fond memories.
The essays in Provoked by War candidly detail my most profound experiences, lessons, triumphs and hardships as an Army wife during this time of war.
My husband returned from his company command and sixth combat deployment in July of 2010 with 1-17 Infantry. Their battalion suffered more combat casualties than any unit since September 11, 2001 primarily because of their stryker vehicles’ susceptibility to IEDs (articles on their combat endeavors have been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post and on NPR).
Most informed people know a little something about the soldiers in Iraq and now, especially, Afghanistan from media outlets. But, when it involves your soldier, the war becomes far more than just another news segment or newspaper article; you understand life’s fragility in a way that challenges the very way you live and look at the society of which you are a part.
My vignettes show the very honest evolution of a carefree newlywed whose tone of lightheartedness grows more complex with each passing deployment. I have always maintained that nothing can really prepare you for what it means to be married into the military in a time of war. My essays are the result of my experiences learning the ropes, facing the challenges and living as a modern day Army wife in the midst of war.
It is a constant learning process as a military spouse, and your personal account colorfully describes the experience! Kudos to you on consistently maintaining a blog that connects with readers to give an intimate view of life as an Army wife, and a slice of what soldiers/servicemembers and their families must navigate in today's society. Keep it up, and thank you!
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