Meet Contest Finalist: Angel Garcia, Proud Soldier’s Wife
Being proud of my husband and family is something that came naturally. The idea of being proud of him as a soldier was entirely separate. But the feeling of being a proud soldier’s wife, was something that took a deep understanding and gradual development. I came to this realization and appreciation at the start of good ole 2020.
Fort Hood, Texas
We were stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and are both Texas natives. At the start of the lockdown and quarantine in 2020, I was 4 months pregnant with our youngest. Everything seemed to get gradually worse that year, but with each new challenge, my husband never panicked. He often traded food items with other soldiers to keep us fed when the shelves were empty. Then, the clinics began requiring me to attend my appointments alone.
No big deal, right?
My husband would patiently wait outside. At twenty-four weeks of pregnancy, my husband was sent to attend a special class for his job out of state. No problem. My husband said he would be back in thirty days and have plenty of time to prepare for the baby with me.
A week after he left, I was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia. My husband continued to assure me everything would be okay. At my twenty-sixth week of pregnancy my baby was diagnosed with a medical condition, and both our health began to deteriorate. The safest choice was to have an emergency c-section at twenty-six weeks. My husband sounded sad on our phone calls but assured me he will take care of everything when he got home.
I took comfort in his calm, despite my prayers and tears.
We spent the next few months traveling to the NICU over one hour away with our toddler, and by God’s grace and my husband’s support, I graduated nursing school as well. When my baby son came home, he was on full-time home oxygen. I was scared trying to carry around and set up the portable oxygen tanks, but my husband assured me he had it all figured out and he took care of everything like a pro.
Only one month after our son arrived home, a spectacular weather event overcame Texas. Storm after storm attacked our state unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
We saw a sleet storm, and a snowstorm, all sandwiched between repeated snow falls. Our power was out for five long days, and our child’s oxygen was running out. No deliveries were coming. My husband assured me he was going to find a way to help us. He foraged for whatever wood he could find to burn to keep us warm, and he drove us to other soldier’s homes who still had power.
When my son appeared to struggle, my husband called around for help and found a fire department willing to come and assess my son and refill his oxygen.
My husband continued to make miracles for keeping us fed or keeping us warm.
As if that wasn’t enough, we got PCS orders and were excited to start fresh in 2022. During our road trip, my husband and two youngest children got sick. We stayed in hotels for two weeks trying to recover, and I did my best to care for everyone. Winter was coming on quickly, and our new house still hadn’t closed. I began to get frustrated, but my husband assured me that we would get in the house soon, and everyone could recover at home.
Despite being sick, he spoke to realtors and all third parties necessary to get us in the house faster. The day came that we would move in, and my husband made makeshift beds for us to sleep on until our household items arrived. My husband assured me again that everything will be okay. But Winter had extra plans.
A month after moving in, our town was pummeled by, yet another record-setting snow storm this town had not ever seen.
You have got to be kidding me, right? No. It really happened again.
As the snow piled on, the power got knocked off, the cell phone towers went down, and we were all cut-off from the world. There was no internet, no heat, and no water, for almost a week. Again, my husband sprang into action doing everything he could to keep us warm and fed.
When the sun shone again, and the spring arrived, I remember asking my husband how he remained so calm throughout the snow. I reminded him that we are from Texas and aren’t used to the cold weather. He told me this:
“ I really thought the last few things were going to break me. But every time I am cold or uncomfortable, or in pain, I remember being in basic training or the field with my unit. It was raining and my uniform was soaked. My tent was broken, and I had to basically sleep outside. NTC was equally miserable. It was the worst feeling of cold ever. Now every time I feel something like that, cold or depressing, I tell myself remember basic training, it’s been worse, it’s been colder than this, it’s been wetter than this, you’re okay. It will stop soon.”
I know now, that had my husband not been through the experiences he has as a soldier, that my experience through all of these challenging times might have been much different. My husband built up the strength and endurance necessary to endure these hardships and remain calm. He shares his strengths with me, the strengths that were tested during lockdown, and storms, and hardships.
For that reason, I am proud to be a soldier’s wife.
Angel Garcia has been an Active Duty Army Spouse for 11 years. Her adventures of becoming an Army spouse are not traditional or fairytale by any means. Angel was raising two young children on her own and putting herself through college. Angel pursued her love of ballet and the creative arts while earning her first degree from San Jose State University.
Shortly after graduation, Angel moved to Texas where she met and married the love of her life Christopher, a soldier at Fort Hood. After getting married, Angel earned her BSN from Texas A&M University and is currently working for the DOD at her new duty station in Virginia.
Life gets busy with her blended family of five kids and two dogs. Angel continues to dabble in the fine arts through her writing and her sewing/crocheting projects, but her love of ballet and iced coffee find plenty of space in her life as well.
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