To prepare for this deployment, for the last month or so I've been trying to find online support sites with information on how to make it through in one piece, stories and advice from others who have been through it, forums to "meet" others going through it now, ideas on how to stay connected... and I've found several wonderful sites with tons of information. I've also been searching for new blogs to read and rediscovered some that I used to follow a few years ago (which, btw, is great to see where they are now). One thing is continually disappointing... everything is about spouses. EVERYTHING refers to spouses. All of the blogs I've found so far are written by spouses, many also have children. I just do not relate to this. I'm not in the same "league" even though, really, I kind of am. It's almost hurtful that girlfriends are not as important as spouses. I will be enduring the same thing. Granted we've only been together for a little over a year, I love my boyfriend as much as anyone loves their husband, I'm sure of that. We share a home just like a married couple (except we are living in sin, shhhh!) We are not new to this... in fact he's very near retirement year, although he won't be anytime soon... so I can't even relate to the other much younger girlfriends out there. We don't live on or even anywhere near a post, but it's not like that matters anyway. Some people not affiliated with the military have found out he's deployed and ask me how long he'll be gone... "a year? that's not so bad, time will fly". Excuse me? Since when does a year just fly by?! I get zero benefits, only exclusions. It would be really nice to know that since I'm standing by my soldier that I'm important too, even if we aren't (yet) married. I hate for this to sound selfish but I have to say it... It's not fair!
Update: As soon as I finished writing this I realized, I haven't googled "army girlfriend" to see what comes up... too bad I did because what came up first in the list was a very inappropriate photo :( I do not suggest googling those words.
2 comments:
New follower and I can understand where you are coming from!
BUT I have been fortunate enough to have met some kick ass wives that are very supportive and don't care about the labels. I am part of a site called "Yellow Ribbon Sisters" and its for military families, spouses and gfs, no matter what branch. I have a link to it somewhere on my page....hang in there!!
Thanks for being my first follower :) I'll check out the link!
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