On Being A Military Family... Again!

When my husband and I first met, he had already finished his first four years in the Marine Corps, and had enlisted again. I knew from Day One that the military was THE plan. I knew that he planned to stay in the Marine Corps until he was able to retire. That was the only plan, and it was a pretty good one. Though the military life was not always easy, I adapted and became quite comfortable with it. Having married my husband less than a year after graduating high school, the military life was the only life I'd truly known as a grown up.

So, last year when my husband received the news that after 11 years, he was going to be unable to reenlist thanks to military downsizing...well, needless to say this was quite a blow! Still, we made the most of the situation we were given. We were in a place that we had come to love, where our oldest child was thriving in school and where we were a short drive away from both families. I have always been a firm believer that everything always works out according to God's plans, and though it was a stressful time, I looked forward to finding out just what exactly He had planned for our family.

The transition out of the military was not an easy one. My husband, not one to sit and feel sorry for himself, quickly found a job working part time busing tires and changing oil at a local garage. It wasn't much, but kept money coming in at least. He put forth that same effort and hard work he'd always shown in his military career, and after just a few months, he was promoted from part time entry level job to assistant manager. Things certainly seemed to be looking up. But for all the work and dedication he was putting in, he wasn't get much back in return. He worked 6 days a week, and while our family is just that short drive away, we weren't able to visit because of his busy schedule. We saw less of him as a mechanic than we did as a recruiter. Crazy! And he was making much, much less...adding more stress to an already stressful transition.

This is the part where we learned that God truly does have a sense of humor.

Just days after a serious discussion weighing our options and knowing that this job- while something he did enjoy with a company he liked- was just not going to cut it, something interesting happened. My husband got a phone call from a friend of his who had worked as a Marine Corps recruiter with him, and had gotten out under the same circumstances right around the same time. He was calling to talk to my husband about following the same path he had made- joining the Indiana National Guard as a recruiter.

If you know anything about the military, you'll probably understand why I say again that God certainly has a funny sense of humor. You see, there is a bit of- let's say friendly competition- between branches of the military. Each thinks theirs is the greatest and makes sure to let the others know. It's all in good fun, of course, but still- the idea of becoming a soldier? Oh yes, there were many a joke!

But it was also an amazing opportunity. He could go back in as a SSgt, receive the same pay and benefits he'd been receiving and still be just nine years away from retirement. NINE YEARS! It would be silly to pass up, right? As a recruiter, we would have more stability as far as moves and deployments were concerned (though not guaranteed by any means). It was as though we could get back those many things we missed about being a military family, but with less of the things that we didn't. Could we turn that down?

Simply put, absolutely not. I am proud to say that last week- on August 20th (exactly 12 years to the day he graduated boot camp and became a Marine), my husband swore in to the Indiana National Guard! We are officially a military family, once again! God truly is amazing, and I truly believe this is just what He had in mind for us.

Right now, we wait for him to officially begin as a recruiter, but already I feel as though a weight has been lifted. I see the light at the end of this stressful year... it's unexpected. It's not something I would have believed had I been told just a year ago. But it seems right. I cannot wait to see where this new adventure takes us! I am proud of my husband no matter what he does, and I am proud to yet again be a military family!

Oh, what a ride it has been..