![]() Nate Howland, director of a suicide watch agency stated, “We lose over 6,000 US military veterans to suicide each year. Serving our nation with honor, commitment, and bravery, both service members and their families face higher than normal rates of divorce and suicide. Toxic drinking water and side-effects of vaccinations are additional threats to the health and well-being of some military members. This is a more difficult statistic to track, but it is another challenge many veterans face.Īccording to DAV, a nonprofit organization supporting veterans, military members are at risk for injury or illness from exposure to toxins including, Agent Orange, Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit, Depleted Uranium Follow-up, Gulf War, Ionizing Radiation and Toxic Embedded Fragments. We have several friends who did not lose their service member to combat, but lost them to cancer or neurological issues due to exposure to toxins. Long-term impact on health is another sacrifice of many military members. We try our best not to worry about it, but the risk is a sacrifice for those who serve in our nation’s military. Every military family knows this is a possibility when warriors serve in harms way. Lives are forever changed when warriors come home wounded. Physical wounds from combat and training exercises are a very real danger for every service member. Though many strides have been made to diagnose and treat PTSD, there is still some level of stigma that prevents too many service members from reaching out for help. To brush off the hardships service members and families face because they “knew what they were signing up for,” is thoughtless and ungrateful.Īn unseen hardship that many military members face includes PTSD from combat casualties and extended exposure to traumatic events. Few couples know what the reality of military life will entail and every couple’s experience is different. This kind of off-hand comment is unfair to both service members and their spouses. I’ve heard this callous comment many times. “She knew what she was getting into when she married a military man.” ![]() When service members serve in dangerous locations, daily serving our nation in harm’s way, the level of anxiety rises. Many military spouses struggle with feelings of anxiety and depression, as fear, isolation, and loneliness become all too familiar. Cycles of in an out over long periods of time are difficult for marriages and families. The sacrifice of separations and deployments.Īnother challenge military families face is the operational tempo of repeated deployments and training exercises. I tell that story in the first chapter of my book you can read here. I struggled with severe anxiety in many of our moves. That’s a lot of transition for a teenaged girl. One of our girls was in 5 different schools in 5 years. Changing schools and neighborhoods can be hard on children. The stress of frequent moves and loss of support systems is hard for most military spouses, particularly ones who have never lived far from home. Commitment, courage, and patriotism, and honor run deep in the veins of our military. As we remember the sacrifice of those who have given their lives to defend our nation, we are also grateful for the willingness of every service member to offer the ultimate sacrifice if necessary. Some are temporary, while others entail permanent losses. There are many kinds of challenges and levels of sacrifice for warriors and their families. Military life holds many kinds of sacrifice for military families. ![]() The knowledge that he could lose his life in this dangerous profession buzzed a low-level static in my heart. our wedding day until he retired after twenty-four years of service I tucked away a fear for my husband’s safety. ![]() Time passed and like scores of women before me, I said, “I do,” committing my life to a handsome, brave young man in a military uniform. You can read the whole story in this post. Good thing there was a door on the car because I could have fallen out of my seat. “No, you’ve never mentioned it,” I said once words would come out of my mouth. I remember the day Mark nonchalantly asked, “Did I ever tell you I want to fly jets for the Marine Corps?”Īs if you ask a question like that any old day. When we were dating, I had no idea the direction God would take us in the future. My husband served twenty-four years in the Marine Corps. Consider the many stresses and sacrifices of our nation’s military and the families who love them as I share a few of my favorite quotes to honor Memorial Day. As a military spouse, Memorial Day is a deeply personal and meaningful day of great importance for me. As we remember ultimate sacrifice of our nation’s fallen, may we also remember the many levels of sacrifice of our nation’s military and their families. We owe a debt we can never repay to the brave men and women who have paved the way to the freedom with their lives.
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