I'm really, really tired of people voicing the opinion that the military "owes" them or constantly griping about how they hate x branch because of x reason.
I'll be the first to say that the Army and some of the things that go on really make no sense and I have issues sometimes with it. I'm not a fan of my husband having staff duty for 8 weekends in a row and sometimes 3 days a week. I'm not a fan of the fact I don't get to home for Christmas or get leave until February, however that's kind of a trade-off right now for him being home early from a deployment, so I deal with it.
I have a "friend" that's in pretty much the same situation as me. Her husband got sent home early for a back issue that has since healed, he had 30 days of leave after he got home (which we didn't get) and then they both pitched a fit when he was told he wouldn't get block leave until February. So what do they do? They lie and say they already had plane tickets and she e-mails higher-up people in our Rear D command to say, "How dare you not give my husband leave when he was deployed to Afghanistan!" (Those were her exact words to me) So what happened? They got the leave that they wanted.
It's things like this that grind my gears. The Army doesn't owe you leave whenever you want to take it just because you were deployed! Other people in your situation didn't throw a fit, so why should you? It's not just her though, I hear this all the time from military people.
I'm not one of those people that think the Army owes me anything. I get money for housing, my husband gets college courses paid for, we have good health care and he has a steady job. Sure, I don't like the hours or the deployments or some of the ridiculous games that the Army plays, but we chose this life. If we don't like it, then I think we'd get out. I wonder sometimes why people who complain all the time just don't get out themselves.
A-freakin-men!!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I have experienced this in a different way.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%.
ReplyDeleteAmen! These have been my exact words for years. Be lucky you have a steady income, free health care, free college, money for housing etc. I always get irritated when people start complaining about deployments: your spouse signed up for this! You knew it was going to happen eventually.
ReplyDeleteTwo thumbs up from me - U'm with you on that one.
ReplyDeleteTotally with you, nothing is ideal but we are healthy and have a roof over our head
ReplyDeleteNot long after we got here, I went to a get-together at our CC's wife's. While we were there, someone mentioned that they lived in LTC-level housing, "How did that happen?" And she said, "When we got here, we wanted to live in these houses, so we lived in temporary housing and I went into the housing office every day for 6 months and bugged them until they let us move in here." And our Colonel's wife was like, encouraging her. I couldn't believe it. Sorry that CAPTAIN's housing isn't good enough for you! Really????
ReplyDeleteI agree! I can't stand those people.
ReplyDeleteOk I went off on some stories I heard ..Then I thought that some of those people might read this blog too. Not trying to start anything..
ReplyDeleteBut basically I totally agree with you. Everything you said I have heard about or seen with my own eyes in one way or another.
definitley not a fan of the entitled spouse syndrome.
AMEN!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh man! I really didn't spend that much time around other spouses when Scott was in because we didn't live together long during his career. So thankfully I never heard any crap like this. I would have such a hard time not saying, grow up and stop throwing temper tantrums. You would think these army wives would be more mature than a lot of other wives simply because of the situations they are put in. I think some of them need a reality check though!
ReplyDeleteIt's people like that that feed the stereotype of military wives being selfish, stubborn and immature. I don't understand how they can be so selfish.
ReplyDeleteThank you. As a tax payer and non-military related civilian (except the lovely USAA from my husband's Air Force Academy/2.5 years in the USAF of which we were only dating then)... so I have no attachment. But, I appreciate someone who is thankful for what they have and acknowledges that they chose the life they have. Yeah, it's a bureaucracy, but no one forced you into that life.
ReplyDeleteOn the outside, I experience bureaucracy too, but can't complain or get any extra perks. It's life.
I'm pretty grateful for the life we have, and for my husband's job.
ReplyDeleteI agree! People in the military who feel so entitled really suck. I'm only a girlfriend but I'm thinking about all these things very carefully in case we get married someday. But even being a girlfriend, I've gone through an entire deployment, dealt with TDY's, dealt with denied leave requests...the whole nine. I know what I'm in for, maybe! :)
ReplyDeleteBrava!!
ReplyDeleteSo true... and sad for that wife. She is making her husband look bad. I agree with you completely. That's why we bought refundable tickets home. We have an upcoming deployment and may not get leave for Christmas. That's just how it goes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. While my hubby is National Guard and we haven't had to deal with a deployment yet (his last one was before we met) we still have the weekend drills, yearly AT, last minute training schools, etc. In the 5 years that we've been together, there have been so many family events and holidays that he's had to miss. While I miss him during these times, and now with a baby on the way I think it will be harder, I wouldn't change a thing. There is a certain pride that I feel when I tell others that my husband is in the Army. The only thing I feel the Army owes me is to do what they can to continue to bring my husband home safe and sound. Anything else is just icing on the cake. However, I do take full advantage of any military discount we can get from civilian companies :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE. THANK YOU! :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you!! Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteAGREED!
ReplyDeleteYeah that's super true. I think most of the wives I'm friends with seem to be pretty resigned to their situations, but I can see that it would be SO EASY to feel like the sacrifices we make as spouses entitle us to something more.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be nice? "You made it through an entire deployment without murdering anyone? Good job, wifey! Here's a pay raise and three months of vacation time with your hubby. Child care on us!! Love always, the US Military."
I don't know much about the politics of being in the military, but I do know that I (a) don't care much for this type of sense of entitlement and (b) absolutely abhor dishonesty. Shame on her.
ReplyDeleteI don't suppose you saw the news story on abc about military wifes being serrotates? (Not saying anything bad about the topic in general, its one woman's position on it that does relate to the entitlement issue) This one woman in particular would have really irked you... it was in regards to her using tri care to pay for her serrogate pregnancy. Yes, a benefit earned by her husband but her take on it was that it was her benefit to use for her serrogates baby too. Hmmmmm... think on that one for a minute.
ReplyDeleteto clarify.. it was on the internet... abcnews.com and on msn.
ReplyDeletei totally agree with you! these people make life harder for the rest of us who are rule following, non complaining, deal with the situations we're given with as much grace as possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%!!
ReplyDeleteI have only been a military wife for a month-er-two and MAN O MAN... I am SO FREAKING TIRED of hearing all the Joes bitch and complain about their job. They signed up for this, its not like they didn't know what they were in for! Jebus!
Right now I am over in S.Korea and A TON of the Joes complain about being here. Granted, I have only been here less than a week, but I LOVE IT. I am not stoked for winter, but I AM THANKFUL to have a roof over my head and be with my husband.
There is always a bright side to everything. I think Joes forget that, or are too stubborn to look.