The Myth of Fort Marshall

Last month, my mom called me and asked if we could ever be stationed at Fort Marshall. I thought for a minute and told her that there wasn’t a Fort Marshall in the Army and maybe she was confused with an Air Force base.

But I was wrong. Fort Marshall does exist…on the Lifetime television network. She was referring to the fictional base on the 2007 TV show Army Wives.

Like many of my fellow milspouses, I laughed out loud that a TV show could possibly capture the essence of what we go through in this ever-changing, complicated world we call military life.

I imagine this is the way many police officers, firefighters, and doctors feel about shows such as Blue Bloods, Grey’s Anatomy, and the numerous episodes of Law and Order or Criminal Minds.

Like many of my fellow spouses, I flat out refused to watch it when it came out. I read the book it was based on (the poignant narrative originally titled Under the Sabers, written by milspouse and reporter Tanya Biank, which is extremely different than the show, so be warned). I tend to be a bit snobbish about great books that are made into movies and series (with the exception of Game of Thrones).

At the time it came out in 2007, we were knee deep in a third deployment, and quite frankly, I didn’t need any more drama. But after re-reading the book and wanting to chat with my mom about the show, I broke down and binged all seven seasons of it.

After all, it’s PCS season, and I needed a break from all the overwhelmingly real posts about the horrors (and joys) of PCS moves. Either we’re sad to leave a place or happy to leave. No matter the stance, the emotion is overwhelming and we deserve a break.

For those of you who’ve never seen the show (or will admit to seeing it), it’s a fictional drama set on a beautiful Army post called Fort Marshall. where trees and flowers abound and apparently spouses can paint their quarters colors such as brick red and teal.

As I got sucked into the Fort Marshall world, I began to wonder if everyone who watched the show really believed that this is what life on a military installation must be like.

The thought horrified me.

One of the myths the show promoted (in addition to unrestricted quarters decorating) is that orders can be cut (or changed) in the same day. There is no such thing as a branch manager on the show—they cease to exist at Fort Marshall. The deployments from this post are short (about two weeks and even less with minimal commercial breaks) and the communication downrange exceptionally well managed.

To be truthful, the storylines deal with many real issues that military spouses face, such as learning to be a new military spouse, creative ways to cope with deployments (some a little too creative), and finding ways to make this life easier on the families.

The ladies (and one male) that make up the fictional spouse cadre range from the general’s wife, who has no airs about her; a special ops wife, who deals with middle of the night departures; a Lt. Col.’s husband, who also serves as everyone’s counselor; a major’s wife, who is having a “midcareer” crisis; and finally, a wife who married a (very attractive) specialist after a whirlwind five-day courtship.

Of course they all meet at a dive bar called “The Hump Bar” while they deliver a baby of one of the spouses.

This actually isn’t one of the most unrealistic moments in the show as that could (and probably did) happen—it’s one of the deployment urban legends that abound.

The unrealistic part is that all these spouses (to include the general’s wife) are randomly drinking tequila shots at the rough “soldier” bar on the same given night.

I have to admit there are some laugh-out-loud moments, like when a soldier tries to get his three kids to stand at attention during Retreat while at an on-post swimming pool. Another is an FRG meeting depicted as one echelon below a high powered CEO boardroom.

The show also allows for some tearful moments, ranging from the death of children and soldiers and the basic struggles of living in the daily fishbowl of military life.

The one thing the show got right was that friendships on a military installation develop and flourish in quick, trusting ways that are hard to describe. I’ve also seen the deep bonds that transcend the issue of rank and station among military spouses. I think we know how hard this lifestyle is for all of us!

We’re often advised never to play the “who has it worse game” with our military peers, and it’s a good rule of thumb. With deployments here at Fort Hood (and many other places) just as frequent today as they were back in 2007, it’s almost essential for our survival.

And while I will always urge you to “read the book” first, if you need an escape, a break, or just want to mock military Utopia…

…pour a glass of wine or a steamy mug of tea and PCS to Fort Marshall for while.

The show is available at abc.com.