Military Spouse 101: When Your Spouse Joins the Military

Being a military spouse can be difficult but also is rewarding. When you and your spouse have decided that he/she will join one of the military services, it is important that you stay engaged in what is going on and informed on the events to come. As a military spouse, you will learn a lot about military life and you will need to learn the ins and outs of the military. A well adapted military spouse knows that there will be alone times (deployments, training, long work hours), knows that she/he can handle things on their own when needed but also knows that many before her have supported their spouses military life and help/support systems are in place based on many years of lessons learned by others.

As a soon-to-be Military Spouse the most important thing you can do is educate yourself. The Internet provides a wealth of information on military life. It provides the opportunity for finding an on line support group with forums, message boards, and chats. Unfortunately it also provides the chance to find incorrect information, people who do not like the military, and sometimes more material than you need to read to understand a subject. You may find yourself overwhelmed with data, and not know how to figure out what is true and what is not. You may find conflicting information. Educating yourself will allow you to find the regulatory guidance which governs whatever area you are researching.

One of the first ways to educate yourself is through your spouse's recruiter. Ask the recruiter for any information he may be able to provide about which would be useful to a military spouse. Published data by the services is an excellent starting point for learning about the service. Your spouse will be researching information on his career field, what he will be doing for training, and things like wear of the uniform and what to take to boot camp. You should spend the days before he leaves educating yourself on things that will impact you as the military spouse, like housing issues, pay information, medical care, and household good shipments. These are things that will impact your entire family. The more information you learn, the easier your transition into the life of a military spouse will be.

Web searches on particular subjects can help you find the answers to your questions. Several sites maintain an abundance of information on subjects about the military life and can be useful to both the military member and military spouse. About.com hosts a military section located at http://usmilitary.about.com/. This site maintains current information about military life for all services. Hundreds of articles provide easy to read information about military topics. An About.com message forum is also located on this site and provides an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from forum members.

Military.com (www.military.com) also provides many pages of information related to military life, to include a Benefits section. The benefits section includes a portion specifically targeted to Military Spouses and family members. This site also has a discussion area where you can post a question for others to answer.

Life as a Military spouse will give you the chance to do many things and visit places you might never go otherwise. It also gives you the chance to learn about the service your spouse has joined, become a valuable part of it, and share your experiences with other new Military Spouses across the years to come. Take advantage of resources which are available to you and learn as much as you can as early as you can.