Who wears the rank?

As we are getting ready to mark my husbands "2 years in service", I find myself remembering those first few "scary" months, moving to a new place, meeting new people, and the tons of advice and gossip.  Man I look back at those days and I can not believe it has been 2 years since we embarked on this journey.

I know this post might sound a little hypocritical because at one time I really did agree with the statement when someone made it but after the past few months I don't completely agree with it anymore.

When we first got here I had numerous spouses vent their frustration about spouses that acted like they wore the ranks their husbands did, those comments usually sounded something like this "I hate spouses who think that just because their husband is (insert rank) they too are (insert rank)"  To begin with I agreed because I could totally see how that would be annoying but man after the last 6 or so months I can completely understand why spouses would think that way.  Don't get me wrong I will be the first to admit it WAS NOT me who went through BMT, nor is it me who deploys and goes away from my spouse and children, but let me tell you I work very hard for my husband to earn his rank, at the end of the day he will be the one sewing on that rank but lets be honest who is going to be the one taking those uniforms to the alteration shop? As well as making sure dinner is fixed the house is cleaned, I have a sitter and I look nice for the promotion ceremony, oh and don't forget to pick up the uniform that way he doesn't get in trouble by showing up wearing the wrong rank.   And that's just one day...when he is home, how about the days he is deployed.  He goes to work for 12 hours where he is roomed with anywhere for 3 to 7 other guys so far but he still get a twin size bed to himself and will eventually get at least one day off... hopefully and call us a when he gets a chance, let me tell you about a day in my life when he is deployed.  I sleep in my queen size bed with at least one of our kids who no matter what age they are they take up well over half they bed usually with one of their extremities very heavily laying on me, wake up at 0630 to get the oldest out of bed which is usually a battle (in my opinion somewhat similar to the war zone my husband is in) get him out the door just in time for the baby to wake up yet again, listen to him tell me he wants to watch Elmo for what seems like to 1,500th time that morning alone (I firmly believe they should make terrorists watch Elmo during their interrogations), lay the baby down for his nap in time for the oldest one to come crashing in the door after school in turn waking the baby up, listen to them argue over whether we are going to play video games or watch Elmo yet again eat dinner do homework take baths and go to bed where I then have to read two separate books to them because "Thomas the trains is for babies" and the bible stories are to long for the baby's attention span.  Then sit up until at least 2am talking to Josh, just in time to start the whole process all over again.  The closet thing to a day off I get is the "Give parents a break" nights that the base provides which is 4 hours one Friday a month.  There are some days I think I would gladly trade places with him just for the time he has that he could sleep but then I realize that after doing this routine for as many months as I have been my body clock tells me to wake up after 4 hours of sleep.  Did I go to BMT?  No nor did I get a briefing or did anyone tell me what to expect coming into this no they sure did not.  I wasn't ignorant coming into this I knew it wouldn't be easy but boy was I surprised at how much of an adjustment it was.

So no I don't wear my husbands rank, but I work really hard to make sure that sewing on that rank is a possibility.  I find it rather ironic that many of the same spouses that were venting the complaint about other spouses letting their husbands rank going to their heads were the same ones that like to call themselves the "silent hero's".  Don't get me wrong most military wives are the silent hero's, we hold down the home front while they are on the war front.  But really what is the difference in being the silent hero's and taking pride in the hard work that our we and our husbands put in. I caught myself telling someone the other day that Josh and I had worked hard for his promotion and in almost 4 years of being married I don't think I have ever said anything more true then that (besides how much I love him).  I don't regret any of it nor would I take any of it back Iam so proud of the people we have become in the past 2 years.  Iam very proud to say that my husband is an A1C and TOGETHER we have gotten to this point in our lives and if that makes it sound like I too wear my husbands ranks then I am proud to say it.