"I Live The Glamorous Life of an Army girlfriend."
I'm not sorry that I could resist commenting on this. I saw a pic that read this on someone's blog and I was just sitting there like, "(Excuse my French, but) what fucking glamorous life?!"
I'm in no way attacking the creator of the picture or the person(s) who have reblogged it. I just don't agree with the statement...at all.
There's nothing glamorous about being a military SO. Sure, you have different circumstances than most traditional relationships at times, but I wouldn't even go so far as to say being in a relationship with a service member is special. Unique, yes. But it doesn't make your relationship better than anyone else's.
And I'd like to point out that if you're a girlfriend or fiancee' (I fall into this category so I'm not being judgmental), you are definitely not living a "glamorous" life. Without a marriage certificate, you are nothing to the Army.
Now, I'm not saying that your relationship isn't some lovey-dovey fairy tale, (NOT because he/she is in the military, but because you have a great relationship!) but to me this statement is just ridiculous.
There's just nothing glamorous to me about knowing that my guy goes out and risks his life, is underpaid at times, knowing the stresses and burdens that he carries around regarding what he's been through and the things he's seen, and knowing the BS he puts up with from the sheer hierachy/organization of the system.
Then too, maybe I'm just so annoyed by the post I saw because I'm so over the idea of being identified solely as a military SO. Yes, I'm proud to be a military SO but there's so much more to me. For anyone who takes pride in that, kudos to you, this is in no way an attack on anyone.
But I'll definitely say that being on Tumblr, being surrounded by fellow SOs who are not only proud of their SO but also knowledgeable about the lifestyle has changed me a lot. I used to be the girl who was like, "My soldier this..., my soldier that..." I used to be the girl who tagged her tweets with #ArmyGF..that definitely used to be me. But along the way, I've just learned that being in a relationship with a service member is so much more! This is real life, not a "Dear John" movie. You want to base your military relationship off a movie? Go watch "Black Hawk Down," imagine that being your guy then tell me how you feel like Cinderella or so glamorous knowing that's what your guy is out there doing. Imagine yourself at home stressing about his safety and you tell me how glamorous it is then. Missing him whether he's deployed, doing out of state training, or just in the field and tell me how glamorous that is.
If you want to be solely identified as a military SO, do that. If you want to wear his dog tags or uniform, do that. If you want to refer to him as, My Marine/Soldier/Sailor, etc., do that. But I believe it's just as important to be educated about the lifestyle. Do research, ask questions, learn something. Don't just sit around, be proactive. Don't just watch Army Wives and Coming Home, get on military websites and look at a few of the informational videos on the official sites. Don't just ask other SOs a question here or there, ask questions, and also do research for yourself.
If you are truly see yourself with your significant other for the long haul, you don't have to be consumed with his(or her) career, but be knowledgeable about it. Know things. Be aware. And if you're really in it for the long haul, you know there's a good chance that life may be many things for the two of you, but I doubt glamorous is one of the words you'll choose.
