I Am An Army Girlfriend
Something nice happened last night. Let's start from the beginning...
My boyfriend has been in the Army since July and, I'm sure you all understand, it is really tough. I have felt incredibly alone since he left. Not because he has not been here with me, but because I have no one who understands what it's like being in a military relationship and, frankly, no one who seems interested in even TRYING to understand. Ever since I told my friends that my boyfriend and I would not be breaking up when he left for BCT, I have felt no support from them or understanding. In all honesty, I have felt like they almost look at us like we're a joke and that their relationships are more "real" than mine and my soldier's relationship. Probably because we were only together for less than 5 months when he left. However, I have never talked to them about it.
I think Army girlfriends all tend to have one common trait; we can deal with an extreme amount of pain, stress, anxiety, and sadness without missing a beat and without anyone noticing something is wrong. We don't tell everyone how we feel because this was a decision we made and most people simply don't understand. My friends hardly ever ask about me and my soldier and never about how I'm doing with him being gone. And it was alright, but not preferred.
So, last night, my friend and I were driving to Starbucks and I was talking about how I am so excited about flying out to see my soldier in a few weeks at his base. I've been having a really rough time lately, I think because our 1st anniversary is coming up and we won't be together for it. I said "I can't believe I haven't seen him in almost 3 months". And she shook her head. I looked at her, thinking she was shaking it in a way that was saying "you guys are rediculous". But instead she looked at me and said "you are a VERY strong person for being able to do this. I would never be able to do it myself. You are very strong". And I surprised myself. I started crying. And I said "thank you".
I didn't realize until that moment how much I needed to hear that. Not just from my soldier, who tells me that all the time, but from someone on the outside looking in. Finally, someone TRIED to understand and had atleast a second of clarity of what someone in a military relationship goes through. Who would've thought that 6 little words, "you are a very strong person", could mean so much? I instantly felt rejuvenated and ready to keep going.
My boyfriend has been in the Army since July and, I'm sure you all understand, it is really tough. I have felt incredibly alone since he left. Not because he has not been here with me, but because I have no one who understands what it's like being in a military relationship and, frankly, no one who seems interested in even TRYING to understand. Ever since I told my friends that my boyfriend and I would not be breaking up when he left for BCT, I have felt no support from them or understanding. In all honesty, I have felt like they almost look at us like we're a joke and that their relationships are more "real" than mine and my soldier's relationship. Probably because we were only together for less than 5 months when he left. However, I have never talked to them about it.
I think Army girlfriends all tend to have one common trait; we can deal with an extreme amount of pain, stress, anxiety, and sadness without missing a beat and without anyone noticing something is wrong. We don't tell everyone how we feel because this was a decision we made and most people simply don't understand. My friends hardly ever ask about me and my soldier and never about how I'm doing with him being gone. And it was alright, but not preferred.
So, last night, my friend and I were driving to Starbucks and I was talking about how I am so excited about flying out to see my soldier in a few weeks at his ba
I didn't realize until that moment how much I needed to hear that. Not just from my soldier, who tells me that all the time, but from someone on the outside looking in. Finally, someone TRIED to understand and had atleast a second of clarity of what someone in a military relationship goes through. Who would've thought that 6 little words, "you are a very strong person", could mean so much? I instantly felt rejuvenated and ready to keep going.
By:
July2015
Age:
18-21
,
Female
3
responses
