7 Military Families Share Why They Appreciate Being In The Military

Thanksgiving is upon us but did you know that November is also Military Family Appreciation Month? Military families often sacrifice by supporting their service members, uprooting their lives to move around every 18 months to 3 years and more. Being a military family is difficult yet rewarding and we appreciate the experiences that we have during our service member’s years of duty. During this month of Thanksgiving and appreciation for life, 7 Military families share why they appreciate being in the Military.

–Wendy Iacobello, Strength for Spouses https://strength4spouses.blog/

We are grateful for the opportunity to be a military family for many reasons. It is truly an honor to be a part of this community. While military life is forever changing, we truly appreciate the financial stability the military life provides for our family.

-The Reyes Family, Happily Joint http://happilyjoint.com/

Five things we love about being a military family are:

1. The unmatched mental, physical and spiritual care and support system that we have in different arenas to care for our families through organizations like Army Community Services, Army Medical Services, The Chaplain Corps and the Family Readiness Group is like no other organization.
2. Having the opportunity to live in different places and decide if we want to return to that location in a future assignment or for retirement.
3. The ability to adapt and overcome adversities no matter the situation.
4. The education benefits for the whole family.
5. The pride we feel in being a military family, reinforced by community

support, corporate companies and other organizations that always make us feel welcomed no matter the state and city, there is always local support.

-Marla Bautista, The Bautista Project http://www.marlabautista.com/

The Military lifestyle is not an easy one.  It comes with its share of challenges.  What I love about being a Military family is that we are able to instill world culture into our children through unique travel opportunities and experiences. To raise good humans who are open-minded and selfless is something that I am grateful for.

-Amanda Huffman, Airman to Mom http://www.airmantomom.com/

Being a military family gives us the opportunity to see different parts of the country. We love getting to learn and explore each place the military moves us to. Moving can be hard, but each place we live is a new adventure and the friends we have made, make it all worth it. Even if saying goodbye to friends is the hardest part of military life.

-Lily Snyder, http://www.lilyotron.blog/

Thanks to my husband, I’m part of a unique, challenging, and fun military world. I forged friendships that feel like family, volunteer in our FRG, and pushed my limits in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise. I joined a local public speaking club. The members there encouraged me to sign up for speaking gigs which led me to give a talk in Amsterdam, Netherlands! The security in my husband’s job allows me to take risks in my own life that I don’t think would have happened if it weren’t for the Army. Quit my job to join a tech startup? Go for it! Leave the startup to be a full-time mom for our son? Please do. Being military has widened my world view and I’m privileged to be a part of it.

-Kara Ludlow, https://karaludlow.com

Being a military family means our lives look a little different than our neighbors. Our kids don’t know which state they will live in next or where they will attend high school. But, the military has provided an adventure for our family that we wouldn’t have had otherwise, and our kids are building lifelong resiliency. Moving to a new command pushed us outside of our comfort zones to make new friends and start over. And now those friends are a deeply treasured part of our lives and I’m grateful every day for our new community. Being separated from our service member for months on end during a deployment was achingly tough, but there is nothinglike a military homecoming. I truly appreciate being a military family and the opportunities it has provided our family as well as the pride in knowing my spouse is serving the country well.

-Stacy Bilodeau,https://www.facebook.com/USCGMSOY2018/

Why we appreciate being in the military: Our family appreciates being in the military because it gives us the chance for new adventures, discovering new places and making each day count/not taking for granted the time we get to spend with each other.