4 Reasons I’m Thankful for the Army

This time of year, I try to remove myself from the whirlwind that is the holiday season and think about what I am truly thankful for.

I could list a few things that I’m thankful for each and every day—a wonderful family, an amazing boyfriend, irreplaceable friends—but today, I want to talk about something that has become a larger and more prominent presence in my life since I met my soldier—the Army.

Not only am I thankful for the men and women in uniform who serve alongside my soldier, protecting our country each day, but I am thankful for the opportunities it has presented me with and the lessons it has taught me over the past three years:

1. I am thankful that the Army has given me adventure. 

The Army has helped me say farewell to the familiar while also welcoming change, traveling, and embracing the unknown with open arms. From spending my first Thanksgiving away from home in Fort Sam Houston, to braving the chilly spring on my first international trip to Camp Casey, South Korea, it has yet to provide a dull moment. Better yet, I know the adventure will continue as my soldier ends his time in Korea and heads to flight school. I can only imagine what the future has in store for us.

2. I am thankful that the Army has taught me patience. 

I have been confronted with my fare share of challenges with the Army, from learning how to cope with my boyfriend stationed on another continent to trying to understand the Army’s acronyms, rules, and traditions while living a civilian life in San Francisco. Let’s just say it has tested my patience more than a few times. But, this has actually been very good for me. While I’m no saint, the Army has definitely taught me to be a more patient person.

3. I am thankful that the Army is full of kind people. 

From all the soldiers I’ve met through my boyfriend, to the wonderful spouses of Camp Casey who helped me surprise my soldier with sweets during his year in Korea, to the brilliant women at Army Wife Network, I have been received with nothing but open arms by everyone in the Army I have encountered. I could not be more thankful to be entering into a worldwide community that looks after each other so well!

4. I am thankful that the Army is teaching me to be fearless. 

Each and every day, my soldier inspires me to be a little less afraid—less afraid of the future and the fact I can’t plan for it, and less afraid of the unknown and what Army life might have in store for us. As time goes on, I am more confident that life will happen just as it’s supposed to, and between my loving soldier and the amazingly supportive Army family, we will be just fine.

The Army has quite literally changed my life. How could it not? I’ve been dating my soldier for about three years now, and as we near the end of his time in Korea, I can’t help but look back at the past few years and feel so thankful for the journey we’ve had together thus far with the Army.

I can only imagine the changes, the moves and the experiences that you have had in this crazy Army life and would love to hear from you—why are you thankful for the Army?