Meet Essay Contest WINNER: Meagan Childers, Air Force Spouse

November 24, 2022November 21, 2022 AWN Command Team 0 Comments

I am a military spouse. Five words, five powerful words.

My military spouse journey didn’t start out the way you may think it did. When I claimed my title as a military spouse, I was young, broken hearted and full of anger, confusion and regret.

I didn’t enter the military life full of hope and excitement and I think it’s important to talk about it.

I met my husband at kindergarten orientation in 1999. There we attended the same small town private school sharing kindergarten graduation to high school graduation. For as long as I could remember, my husband has always been in my life.

First, we grew as friends through the years and then after high school we fell in love. I watched him grow into this amazing man. Full of love, grace, and the power to do anything he wanted. He shined brightly through college and ROTC and still does in his military career today.

Since the day we started dating and my dad found out he was going to be in the Air Force, he instilled in me the need to be strong and supportive. My parents, coming from a military background, had years of experience and knowledge that they planted in me.

So, when we got engaged, I felt like I knew all I needed to know about being the “perfect” military spouse.

But just like military life, I had no idea what inner battle I was about to fight.

Two days before our wedding, a few of my bridemaids, my family members, were driving up from southern California when they got into a horrific car accident. We spent the next two days in the hospital saying goodbye to two of the girls.

As I sat in the waiting area of the ICU, I was hit with a wave of wretchedness and felt so alone. It was morning, but the world felt so dark, and it was hard to believe our wedding was the next day.

But our family and friends were encouraged us to go through with it. They assured us it was the right thing to do, and the girls would have wanted us to. It was such a painful decision at the time.

A couple of weeks later we were on the road to our first assignment in Mississippi. We had a long 30 plus hour drive ahead of us, which gave me plenty of time to sit with my thoughts. I was filled with anger that stemmed from grief.

How could the military still expect us to drop everything and move?

Don’t they understand that they are pulling me away from my family when we are in a time of inconsolable grief? Even though I had just married the man of my dreams, I felt so alone and suddenly, what was once considered a lifetime of adventures, struck fear deep into my heart.

It hit me that I was moving to another state, where I didn’t know anyone, with a new job with people I’ve never met. No family, no friends, no support system. That was terrifying.

And then came the military community…

Three days after we moved in on base, someone rang our doorbell.

It was our neighbor, another military spouse from across the street. She had the best smile and held up a little goodie bag and welcomed us to the neighborhood.

They heard our story of what happened just weeks prior and gave us unconditional love, and opened their homes and hearts to let grief and healing grow.

From that day on, we have met some of the best people that turned into our best friends and our support system. My pride stems from those friendships.

Now, that time has passed and I’ve grown into who I am today, I see myself in a unique position. Being a military spouse is hard mentally and emotionally. We are the biggest support systems of our spouses and children throughout their ever-changing life while also trying to be true to who we are as well.

I am “Proud To” accept that support and “Be” that support for other spouses.

Maybe being a proud military spouse has nothing to do with the military at all, but rather the “Be” is being that avenue for other spouses when they feel alone, scared or lost.

There is no “perfect” service member or military spouse; we are all in this together.

And if can just be an ounce of friendship and support, or the one who’s door is always open for grief, fear, laughs and love, ……..then THAT is what makes me most PROUD of being a military spouse.

Meagan is a born and raised California girl. She is an avid traveler that works for a travel company called Mode Travel. She writes blogs and helps manage their social media. She met her husband in kindergarten and has been married for five years. She loves being a military spouse and getting to explore with her husband. She is currently stationed in Virginia and feels so honored to be apart of the military spouse community!