I have been married to my husband for 8 yrs (I am 34 he is 36) and we have a 14 yr old daughter. He had been listed in the Reserves & completed that obligation before we were married but now has decided to go full time duty in the Army. I must say at first I went thru all the emotions of being angry & sad at the thought of him going to Iraq and dying there. I must say, with the words of support from this site I am really trying to not let the death consume my thoughts because death is promised to everyone & no one can avoid it. (But it’s so hard– I keep thinking death could come much sooner b/c of the choice to go into the military) but anyway…. I plan on giving my husband full support with his decision but I have NO clue on what to expect as an Army wife. Past posts suggest other wives may not want to move b/c of a career decision-in my case it’s the opposite. I have been laid off now for almost a year so my job isn’t an issue. The only issue I am having is that our daughter will be in the 10th grade this September and my assumption w/ the Army is that you move from place to place & don’t know how that would affect her (she doesn’t know he is going to enlist yet) My biggest fear is that we won’t be allowed to go w/ him & that we will be apart. Can you please give me some idea of what could happen to newly enlisted private who has a wife and child? Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated & thank you for having this informative site-it means so much!

Bless you all!

Dear Friend,

First, thank you to your husband for his service in the Reserves.

My children are almost four and two, so hopefully other readers with teens will add their thoughts.

Although my children are very young, I have taught high school.  So, I understand how important “senior year” is to many students.

First, there are a lot of details I do not know and I am not a recruiter.  Your husband needs to speak with his recruiter about his enlistment.  If he has college credits or gets any credit for prior service, that may affect what happens.

I’m going to reply under the assumption that he will need to go to Basic training and then AIT.

My understanding is that enlisted men are usually given a choice to influence either their MOS (their job) or their post.  If he chooses to request certain postings, then you may have a better idea of where you would be moving if you choose to accompany him.

You will not be able to see him during Basic training and will not be able to see him very much, if at all, during AIT. 

Once he completes AIT, he will receive his first “Permanent Change of Station” (PCS).  Most PCS moves are accompanied, which means you will be on his orders.  You will have the option at most places of living on post or off-post, this will vary depending on availability of housing at the post.  If you officially choose to stay where you currently live, your husband will most likely be assigned to barracks housing.  This may also have a financial impact as you will be maintaining your civilian housing but he will not have the housing allowance he would ordinarily draw if he lives off post with you.

Some assignments are unaccompanied tours (primarily at this point these are tours in Korea).  Most likely, however, unless he requests otherwise, his first PCS will be an accompanied tour and you and your daughter are welcome to join him.

When he deploys, of course, you would not be accompanying him.  It is impossible for me to say when, if at all, he will deploy during his active duty service.  It could be as soon as he arrives at his first post or it could be years before he deploys.  Once you have more information about his assignment, you can try to find out some information but be aware this could change at any time.

If your daughter was in 9th grade, I would suggest moving.  If she was in 12th grade, I would suggest staying put.  Since she’s in between, I think a lot depends on your wishes, her input, and the options available to your family.  Some teens who are very happy where they are choose to live with relatives or friends during their final years of high school.  Since your daughter will have two and a half years left of high school, you might not feel comfortable with this.

Although “your mileage may vary”, there is a good chance that your husband will be at the same post for at least the next three years, possibly more.  Therefore, it is likely that your daughter will be able to attend most of her time in high school at the same place.  If, for whatever reason, you do need to move to another post before she graduates, you can feel somewhat comforted by the fact that many other teenagers at her school will be in the same situation.  Near a large military base it is likely they have also moved at some point in their lives and will be sympathetic.

One of the hardest things about the military for the family is the uncertainty.  I can’t tell you whether your husband will stay at his first PCS for three years without deploying or if he will deploy immediately following AIT.  So, I cannot really advise you to move or stay put.

Right now, just focus on supporting him through his training.  Wait until you know his first post and his unit.  And then  you will need to weigh the pros and cons.  There are just too many variables undecided right now.

My gut feeling  is that it is easier to support your soldier if you will be near him. 

“Ask Molly” represents only my opinion and the comments of readers represent their opinions. I draw upon my training as a Family Readiness Group leader, my own experience and that of those I know, and any research I found on the Internet. I am not a trained counselor.

Photo Credit: Laura K. Gibbs

A reader who has received two civilian honors for her service to her husband’s units asked this question about wearing her awards:

Dear Molly,

My husband and I have an Army ball to attend on Friday and I have a question about wearing two awards that I received at my last post. I received both the Molly Pitcher and Commander’s Award for Civil Service awards at our final ball on our last post. That night I wore both around my neck but remember seeing prior recipients wearing their Molly awards pinned to their dress with a red ribbon behind. First do I have to wear my awards? I would like to wear them but don’t know protocol on wearing awards. Is it proper or acceptable to wear my specific awards on my wrist? I am wearing a strapless dress on Friday and it’s beaded at the top. I am not sure how to affix them to this particular dress. If not on my wrist, can I wear them pinned at the waste? Lastly, the Molly Pitcher came on a thin red ribbon and Commanders award is on a thick blue ribbon. When affixing them to a dress, is the size of the ribbon important?

Huh.  I was stumped!

I knew that civilians never have to wear anything but as to how to wear two awards, I hadn’t a clue.  I know that one usually only wears one honor around one’s neck, that being the higher award.  I also knew that I had both a chain and a brass ribbon-style pin for my Molly Pitcher award, which could be pinned to the bodice of a dress.  As to the rest though, I needed to call in a higher authority.

So, I wrote to the Field Artillery Association and received this response:

Unlike military members, there is not a requirement for civilians to wear awards.

The Commander’s Award for Civilian Service is only affixed to a ribbon to avoid the awkwardness of the presenter attempting to pin it on a lady. If she opts to wear it; the smaller lapel pin (which should have come with the larger medal) may work best.

If it were me, I would forego wearing both awards to the Army Ball (most of us do) with the exception of wearing the Molly Pitcher award to balls/ceremonies wherein the award will be presented to others (e.g., St. Barbara’s Balls.) If she desires to wear both awards, it is certainly appropriate, but not the norm.

I hope this helps. The medal/lapel can be worn anywhere on your dress.

So there you have it!

Hi Molly,

My husband hasn’t signed any papers yet but will be enlisting in the Army very soon. I am trying to be the supportive wife because I know this is something he’s always wanted to do, but I am scared for him and myself. Here is the problem: I am not going to be following him to wherever he gets stationed. I would love to be able to lean on the sisterhood of army wives for support and follow him because that would make it soooo much easier, but my career is in a great place and I don’t want to leave my other family members. He is okay with this and says we can make it work. I know we can make it work but I am worried about being alone all the time, especially because we just moved to a new area 2 hours away from our hometowns where our families are and we don’t have too many friends in our new city. So when he goes away, my family will be a 2 hr drive away plus I don’t have many friends nearby to lean on either. Is it common for the wives not to follow their husbands? What advice do you have for us? Thanks so much!! I really need it because neither of us comes from anything close to military families so they don’t know what to tell us.

Thanks!

Dear Reader,

This is a very tough response to write, because I really want to tell you and your husband that you can have everything.

And maybe, possibly, you can and this could work.

You sound from your letter as if you are a very grounded and rational person and from what little I have heard from you, it seems as if you and your husband have very open and honest communication and a solid foundation in your marriage.

But I also have to be honest and tell you that you are in for an uphill battle if he plans a full military career and you plan to stay put at your address indefinitely.

Now, if he only wants to “do his duty” and serve for two years, then it may make sense for you to stay where you are if you are happy in your career.  He will be training for several months and then may be deployed for a year.  In which case, there is no sense in uprooting your household and disrupting your life for the sake of a little more than half a year of cohabitation.

However, if he plans to stay in the military, I urge you to move at some point to join him.

I know some married couples (outside of the military) who lived in separate cities for a year or two–but this was a temporary solution and both couples made well over six figures, giving them the ability to fly back and forth several times a month.  This sort of weekend commuting does not seem like a possibility for you and your husband.

In my personal, anecdotal experience, the vast majority of spouses move with the servicemember eventually.  They may temporarily stay where they are to finish up classes as a teacher or student but they have plans to move in the near future.

There are also dual military families that find themselves stationed apart or with deployments that do not overlap.  Maybe some of these families could chime in and let us know about how they make it work.

During World War II, servicemembers sometimes deployed for several years.  However, there was a larger base of patriotic community support for the spouses who kept those homefires burning and the partners persevered because there was no other choice but to stay the course during the deployment.

If he is garrisoned stateside and you are hundreds or thousands of miles away, that will have a very different feeling because you are separated by choice, rather than by deployment.

You also bring up the issue of the “sisterhood” of military spouses and your lack of a support system at your current location.

During the year my husband was training, I remained at my job as a classroom teacher.  I was living about a half an hour from my parents and about the same distance from New York City, where many of my friends lived.  For support from other military spouses, I turned to a military spouse discussion board.

There are definitely ways to find support, especially with today’s technology, away from post. You may want to check out this post (and the comments) about staying near post or moving back home during a deployment, which touches on some of these issues.

Sit down with your husband, draw up a list of pros and cons and consider your personal and career goals and ask him about his own. Consider your own personal relationship styles.  Do you need to be geographically and physically close to the person you love?  Or does conducting a relationship mostly via e-mail and telephone sound romantic to you?  Do the two of you do most things together or do you already keep your lives fairly separate?

If you do decide to stay where you live, the military spouse community will be able to provide lots of advice and support on keeping long distance relationships going.

Personally, it would be very hard for me to be voluntarily separated from my husband for any substantial length of time but perhaps you and your husband would be able to happily make this work.

And I may be totally off-base here.  If so, I’m sure my other readers will be the voice of reason in the comments section!

Please keep us updated on what you decide and best of luck to you both!

“Ask Molly” represents only my opinion and the comments of readers represent their opinions. I draw upon my training as a Family Readiness Group leader, my own experience and that of those I know, and any research I found on the Internet. I am not a trained counselor.

Photo Credit: Take Off by realSMILEY

I need some help from all you other army wives out there… When I got told that being an army wife was one of the hardest jobs in the military, I didn’t really believe it. That is until I married my husband! I now have a new respect for all the women that have been doing this for years. I myself am a newly wed. Yep, as of October 2nd this year! But being away from him for these long periods of time is KILLING me. So can anyone make a few suggestions as to how I can start to deal with this a little bit better? I’m pretty lost. I think I’d really love an answer from anybody willing to give me ANY kind of suggestion! THANX!!!

Whether you are moving to a new country, an isolated posting, or your service member is deploying, I advise you to “grow where you are planted“.

Get involved, get busy.  Or, as Tim Gunn says, “make it work“.

Reach out to other military spouses. Find deployment support groups, try the FRG, volunteer on post.  Most posts have a community center where you will find postings for groups, classes, seminars and events.

You can also find other spouses online on military spouse community sites and bulletin boards.  And head online to meet people locally, too.  I’ve used meet-up to find kindred spirits.

Get involved in the community off post, too. Find things that interest you. Join clubs, take classes, get a job (if you don’t already have one), volunteer, go to concerts, etc.  Whatever your hobby or passion, you can find kindred spirits. Even in the smallest, most isolated post, you will find people making art, playing music, enjoying conversation, learning and living.

Consider your spiritual life.  If you are religious, this may be a good time to deepen your connection with your faith-based community.  If you are not religious, seek out other sources of positive energy for you.  This can be as simple as keeping a 10 minute “tea time” for yourself every day.

Stay away from negative people and drama that saps your energy. Focus on activities that give you strength and enjoyment.

This helps the days pass quicker and also gives you things to talk about with your spouse.  When you reunite, you will be glad that you also had new experiences that challenged you and helped you grow as a person.

At home, alone, at night, though, I find can be particularly lonely. I would use this time to write letters to my husband and put together care packages. This way I was doing something positive for him and our relationship.

I’d never say it is easy, but if you approach deployment with a positive attitude, you’ll find it goes quicker and easier!

What are your tips for making the time apart pass more quickly?

Photo credit: Seedling

Hey Molly my husband is looking into a career In the army, I don’t like the idea because he will never be home and could always be deployed and could die. I am 19 he is 26 years old and we have a 5 month old daughter I didn’t not sign up to be a military wife I don’t like the idea of moving every other year and not being able to see him everyday and then spending long time periods away from him I guess my question is what is being a military spouse really like. He will be entering as a E3 but I don’t want to hear the lie from the recruiter I want to ask some one who is there.

Dear reader,

Thank you for writing. Although you are already married, you may want to check out my post, “Should I Marry a Soldier?” I cover some of the questions you ask here but the long and the short of it is that no one can really give you the answers you are seeking.

Your family’s experience in the military will vary depending on your husband’s MOS (his specialty), the post, the unit, and even down to his Commanding Officer and NCOs. And it will also depend on both of you.

As someone who has been there I will not downplay the challenges of military life. At the same time, it can be a wonderful lifestyle for those who are able to “bloom where they are planted.” One of the lessons I have learned in life is that happy people are generally happy wherever they are and miserable people are miserable wherever they go. That said, military life can be intense and can bring out the strengths and weaknesses in people and in relationships.

What I will say is that no one is never home or deployed all of the time. And it seems as if the “operational tempo” may slow in the near future. God willing.

And very few people’s lives happen exactly as they plan. A lot of families find themselves moving frequently.

While the risk of being killed in combat is very real, it is statistically not great. It is the possibility, and the constant threat of this danger, that can be very difficult for both the soldier and his family.

Your question is really a marital issue than a military one. You had a picture of your future for you and your family and you married a man who you believed shared that plan. Now, he has brought something new and you do not like the idea. How you deal with this challenge will shape your future regardless of the decision made.

I am not a marriage counselor but here are my suggestions:

1. Do some research into his proposed MOS. Are there limited posts where he might be stationed?

2. Read up. Go to your library and take out some non-fiction books for new military spouses. You’ll find an honest but upbeat take on what to expect in general. Keep in mind that your mileage will vary.

3. Have him do the same. He needs to come to you with an honest assessment of why he would like to enlist, what he hopes to accomplish in the military, and how this will shape the family’s future. Has he always dreamed of being a soldier? Does he believe it is his duty to serve? Perhaps he sees the military as his best hope for career advancement? Or maybe he wants to provide for his family with the job security and benefits of the military?

4. Make a decision together. This is very difficult because you do not want him to resent you for telling him not to enlist. At the same time, it will be a very unpleasant career and possibly unsuccessful marriage if you are not at least a willing partner in this decision. Just like any other major decision in a marriage, you both need to reach some sort of agreement, even if one person will have to make more sacrifices than the other.

If you cannot do this on your own, you may wish to speak with a clergyman if you are at all religious or perhaps go to a couples’ counselor who can help you talk through these issues in a non-confrontational way.

Whether or not he joins the military, this will hopefully help you understand each other and your marriage better and you’ll come through it stronger.

Best of luck and please update us!

Happy Veterans’ Day! I just found your blog and I was wondering if there are directions to making a military family binder, something that would include military records, important numbers, deployments, LES, or anything you can think of. My husband is an Army Reservist and I think this could be very helpful.

First of all, Happy Veterans’ Day to you, too! Thank you and your husband for serving!

You did not mention if your husband has been activated in anticipation of a deployment. Regardless, there are some things that every military family should have in a binder. And, really, with a few modifications, this is something that would be useful to any family, military or not.

When my husband deployed, we distributed a deployment checklist of documents and other information that the spouses should have at hand. I googled “deployment checklist” and found a few that may prove helpful. You should of course modify to suit your own situation:

• Deployment Checklist #1
• Deployment Checklist #2 (and the same Checklist as an html webpage instead of .pdf)
• USAA Family Readiness Deployment Guide
• Military One Source – Reservist Deployment Page

In general, USAA and MilitaryOneSource are great sources for all sorts of military-friendly planning.

You should always know your husband’s unit and have the Red Cross contact information available should you need to contact him in an emergency. I would also like to highlight the Power of Attorney. A general POA (one that enumerates several areas in which your spouse may act for you, such as finances, health decisions, etc.) can be useful, but you need to remember that there is no obligation to accept a power of attorney–if you anticipate needing one, you should contact the relevant bank or other company or military office to make sure you have the correct form.

Couples with children should also be aware of laws that apply to getting passports, enrolling in schools, etc. In some cases, you may need permission from both parents to travel out of country with children.

Hope this helps!

Photo Credit My to do list

Dear Reader,

You and your boyfriend still have a lot of life ahead of you. I’m going to tell you what I tell every young person in love who is contemplating major life changes or is uncertain about decisions: find your own fulfillment and do not rush into anything. If you are truly meant to be together, you will still want to get married in a year or two.

I do not agree that loving someone means giving up everything that is important to you. And it is certainly not forcing a person you love to make that sort of decision.

You don’t say a lot about your relationship, but if you have a very solid relationship and believe you can handle the military lifestyle, it is worth it. If your relationship is not solid, then the military lifestyle may make those problems worse. I think you need some time–to find out who you are, to decide if this relationship is really right for you, and to consider the military lifestyle.

What about the military worries you? Take the time together to learn about this option he is considering and then think about whether or not this is a lifestyle you want to lead. Be honest with him, but no ultimatums or drama. Just tell him that you aren’t sure you want to be a military wife.

And he needs to take time, without pressure, and make up his mind. Maybe he only wants to do it for a couple of years, or maybe he wants it to be a career, or maybe he just hasn’t really thought it through, yet.

Assuming he enlists, while he is completing his basic and advanced training, continue to think about what is the right decision for you.

There are several different types of duties. First, he will train for a few months and you will not be able to see him during this initial training. Then, he will be assigned to a duty station. Most duty stations are in the United States or Europe, and you would be able to join him there. If you get married, you will be placed on his orders and you will be able to get on post housing or qualify for certain allowances, based on his pay grade. There are certain “unaccompanied” tours of duty, such as a one-year tour in Korea, but most stations will allow him to bring his spouse.

Times when you will not be able to see him: deployment (at this point in the Army, this is usually 12-15 months every couple of years, but this varies), field training (depends on the mission, but is usually a week or two every few months), some temporary assignments (such as for additional training).

Everyone’s experience varies, depending on the individual MOS (job in the Army) and career path.

If you decide you want to be with him, even if he is a career soldier, then you will be able to change your certification as you move from state to state.

The truth is, life is unpredictable, even if you are not in the military. If you are compatible in your love and your values, then don’t let this break you up.

Hope this helps–you may also want to read advice from me and my readers for a woman who also was not sure if she wanted to be a military spouse: Should I marry a soldier?

Dear Molly,

My husband is deployed and due to his infidelity, we are divorcing. I cannot save or keep up bills right now. He is helping with rent but not much beyond that.

I have severe medical problems that cause anxiety and panic attacks.

Is there anything I can do to have the Army help get me back home? I plan to meet with the commander.

Dear Fellow MilSpouse

First, as a fellow wife, woman, and person, I am sorry to hear about your troubles.

As a lawyer’s wife, I must preface all of this with the statement that this does not constitute actionable legal advice and that your best bet is to seek out a family law practitioner in your state who is familiar with military divorce. Laws vary from state to state and the military adds another layer of complexity.

As a former FRG leader, though, there is some information I can pass along that may prove helpful.

• You do not mention whether or not he has agreed to the divorce. As you are probably aware, he can legally delay divorce proceedings while he is deployed. Even if he is willing to proceed and you agree on everything, his deployment will most likely slow things down quite a bit. Once you have a divorce, any court orders (such as alimony or any benefits to which you are entitled) can be enforced by the military. Here is some information about those benefits for divorced military spouses. As you can see, there are various factors such as the length of his service and of your marriage.
• The short answer to your question about the military paying for your move is no. However, indirectly, there may be a solution to your financial problems.
• Before meeting with the commander, you may want to talk to your FRG leader if you have a competent one. The FRG leader may be able to advocate for you in the most appropriate way, especially if she is the commander’s wife.
• If you do meet with the commander I would recommend NOT approaching the commander to tell him there is a divorce in progress and you want money for moving home. Instead, I would recommend saying that despite the problems you are currently experiencing, you are still at this time his wife and you are still maintaining his household. He is receiving allowances specifically alloted for his household expenses, including BAH (which is higher because he has dependents) and a Family Separation Allowance (which he would not receive if he did not have dependents). You mention he is helping with the rent–I don’t know how your rent compares to BAH, but since you are maintaining his household while he is gone, you should be getting the full BAH and the Family Separation Allowance. Ask to have these moneys directly deposited into an account in your name.

Servicemembers are expected to provide for their families while deployed. However, there is a good bit of latitude given the individual command as to how this is accomplished. So, be sure to approach the command calmly and logically–and hopefully they will make this step easier for you.

Another avenue that may be worth researching is the Exceptional Family Members Program (EFMP) on your post. I do not know if your medical conditions qualify and if they can provide any assistance, but perhaps they can help in some way. Your FRG leader or Chaplain may also be aware of other post or local programs that may able to to help you out.

Hope this information is helpful to you!

Hi, I saw your blog you posted a while ago about being an army wife. I was looking on google to find information on family day and graduation. My fiance is in Ft Benning right now at basic. When do you first get to see them? While you are sitting in the stands or before that? And then after they are dismissed on family day, how long do we get to spend with them. Also, do they get to spend the night with us, or do they have to go back that night? Then after graduation the next day, do we get to spend the day with them? Or even a couple days? I hope you can answer my questions. I would really appreciate it. Feel free to say anything else also. Thank you

Like everything else with the military, your mileage may vary (YMMV). A lot depends on the AIT your husband is attending, when it starts, and the specific command.

I would not expect any overnight passes. However, I have heard tell of some soldiers receiving 36 hour passes following graduation when their AIT was not set to begin right away. Do not count on it though, most likely he will be in transit to AIT the day after graduation.

Soldiers with visiting adult family members will get day passes (meaning they have to be back that night) following both family day and graduation–please note, however, that to the Army you do not yet qualify as a “family member.” So, a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian would have to sign your soldier out.

You may want to read my experience of family day and graduation. I describe when I first saw him and how much time we had together and where we spent our family time. Keep in mind this was about five years ago and my husband was going on to an OCS class that did not start for a while. My guess, though, is that your family day and graduation ceremony experience will be very similar.

Visit military family forums, like the forums hosted by Military.com, and you may find someone with a more recent experience to relate.

In terms of advice, I would recommend getting a hotel room for at least both nights because you’ll probably want a private place to sit and relax and your soldier may even want a short nap. Ft. Benning has good, inexpensive lodging, (Ft. Benning Lodging) but sometimes it is difficult to reserve a room. They were in the process of renovating and the rooms they had already fixed up were quite nice–one time I got a room with a sitting room and efficiency kitchen. They do keep some rooms available for “day of” walk-ins, but you’ll want to make sure you have a back-up plan.

The key is to avoid staying on Victory Drive. Victory Drive is that unsavory main road that seems to be located near almost every military post. Don’t choose a hotel on Victory Drive and you should be fine.

I found the La Quinta in Columbus, GA, to be very adequate and one of the closer, decent but inexpensive choices. There are plenty of decent options off the highway a few exits north of the central Columbus area.

There is also a very nice Marriot, that does sometimes offer military rates, right in the small, historic center of Columbus, GA, and some bed and breakfast places if you are looking for something more luxe. However, keep in mind that there is a good chance your soldier will not be able to stay overnight with you.

Your soldier will probably be most interested in you, a nap, caffeine, and a good meal. Let him take the lead about how he’d like to spend his little bit of free time.

I’ll leave you with the official word from one of the Basic Training commands at Ft. Benning (I bolded some of the text):

Family Day
The day before graduation, normally Wednesday, the battalion commander meets with friends and family members at their unit to discuss your soldier’s recent experiences and answer your questions. You will also meet the drill sergeants that trained your soldier and observe some demonstrations of soldier skills. Most importantly, you will meet with your soldier.

That afternoon graduating soldiers with visiting adult family members (spouse, parents, grandparents or legal guardians) may receive an on-post pass on Family Day and following graduation until a time determined by the chain of command. While on pass soldiers must remain in uniform and are not allowed to drive vehicles, drink any form of alcoholic beverages or use any tobacco products.

Graduation Day
Graduation is the following day, usually on Thursday at Pomeroy Field. The ceremony is at 10:00 a.m. from October through March and 09:00 a.m. from April through September. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at the Regimental Chapel and the time schedule may change to accommodate more than one ceremony.

Day After Graduation
The day after graduation soldiers will usually not be allowed to go on pass. This day is designated as a travel day for their follow on Advance Individual Training (AIT).

Class Schedule
Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS) manages class schedules.

* FY 2008
* FY 2009

Note: Graduation dates shown here are subject to change. Soldiers are afforded the opportunity to contact families with actual graduation dates/times for travel planning purposes.

Here are the results of the reader poll (with 22 votes):

• The Army Wife Handbook: A Complete Social Guide (13%)
• Today’s Military Wife: Meeting the Challenges of Service Life (18%)
• Married to the Military: A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends, and Women in Uniform (27%)
• The Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman’s Guide to Raising a Military Family (9%)
• Help! I’m a Military Spouse–I Get a Life Too!: How to Craft a Life for You As You Move With the Military, Second Edition (4%)
• Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit (13%)
• Other (9%)
• I haven’t read any Military Spouse advice books (40%)