Veterans Day was Thursday, November 11th this year. I spent that day traveling to Orange Grove, TX. You see, my grandfather passed away last Tuesday. It has been a sad week for all of his family and friends.
My grandfather was a member of the Army for 30 years. He was in Korea, Vietnam, and several other wars. He was stationed in Germany, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Florida, just to name a few. After he retired from the military, he became Post Commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kissimmee, FL. My grandfather was (in my opinion) the epitome of a man of service.
I arrived in Orange Grove, TX on Thursday to attend his Memorial service on Saturday. During our downtime my family and I began to reminisce about my grandfather. We also began going through old photo albums. In one of the photo albums I found the below letter about "The Service Wife". My grandmother passed away 18 months ago, but I think it is important to remember that my grandfather was not the only one to make sacrifices for this country. His wife and children also made sacrifices.
The letter was written by Woody Gasnell in the early 1960's.
The Service Wife:
What is a service wife? You might say the service wife is a bigamist, sharing her husband with another demanding entity called "DUTY". When duty calls, she becomes wife number two. Until she accepts her competition, her life can be miserable.
Above all, she is womanly, although there are times she begins to wonder......Like the time when HER serviceman answers the call to dute, and she finds herself mowing the lawn. Then she suspects she is part male.
She usually comes in three sizes: Petite, plump, and more pleasingly plump. Amidst constantly changing settings, she finds it difficult to determine what her true size is.
A service wife is international. She may be an Iowa farm girl, a French mademoiselle, a Japanese doll, or an Ex-Army nurse, but when discussing her problems with newly found friends, she speaks the same language and from the same general experience.
At least one of her children is born or one move is accomplished while she is alone. She begins to uspect her husband has a secret pact with the service that sends him on TDY or overseas at these times.
She can be a good actress watching her children's hearts break at transfer time. She can give an academy aware performance: "Arizone is going to be such fun. I hear they have Indian reservations, tarantulas, and RATTLESNAKES." But insdie, ehr heart is breaking with theirs, and she wonders if this service life is worth the sacrifices.
One day later, enroute to the new assignment and filled with the high spirit of adventure, she knows it's worth it. that is, if the baby hasn't come down with a virus, or the twins with the measles.
An ideal service wife has the patiend of an angel, the flexibility of putty, the wisdom of a scholar, and hte stamina of a horse. if she dislikes money it helps. She is a dreamer, "We'll never move again". An optimist, "The next place will be better". A realist, "Oh well, as long as we're together", and a sentimentalist, carrying her memories with her in the old foot locker.
The service wife fills many rolls; the tired travel coming down the ramp with a smile on her lips and the sparkle of love in her eyes. the wife whose husband has offered he the permanency of a gypsy's life, the miseries of lineliness, the frustrations of conformity, and the security of love.
Squeezed in among her packing boxes with squabbling children nearby, she is sometimes prone to forget it all. then she hears the reassuring step and the cheerful voice of the guy who gave her all this.....and something close to her heart tells her she will always be happy being HIS service wife.
Dedicated to my Granny and Grumps! RIP!
