The Army Girlfriend

Being an Army girlfriend is something I'm extremely proud of. Seeing my man looking all handsome in his uniform gives me butterflies! He's strong, respectful and responsible. I could go on and on about all the things I love about my soldier. And that's what it takes to be an Army girlfriend - an enormous amount of love and devotion. Army girlfriends (and wives) have to be emotionally strong, understanding and able to be independent. But, there is a huge difference between an Army girlfriend and an Army wife.

When you're an Army girlfriend, you have two choices when your boyfriend moves to a base. You can have a long distance relationship, or you can opt to move near him. If you choose to relocate, you have to find a new job, new place to live, or maybe a new college. You have to pay the expenses it takes to relocate yourself. Since you're not a wife, you don't get housing. So, you either have to tough through the rent yourself, or find a roommate. Chances are, you'll be living with someone you don't know, or someone you hardly know. Let alone, you may not have a job right away. A year later, your boyfriend gets deployed and you may want to go back to your hometown while he's overseas. There are no laws allowing you to break a lease as girlfriends are not protected under the "Soldiers and Sailors Act". So, you are now faced with another decision on whether to move or not. Following a soldier around is a challenge many girlfriends face.

Most single soldiers will live in the barracks unless they are pretty high in rank. Visits can be an issue. Girlfriends need to get a pass to be on base and then be signed in and out of the barracks. They also typically can't stay past 10:00pm. So, if you are an Army girlfriend that's in a long distance relationship, you'd have to get a hotel to visit. And forget about time alone while you're visiting the barracks. The barracks soldiers will most likely have a roommate. Even if they don't, there's always someone knocking at the door. If you're an Army girlfriend that lives near the base, spending time together can still be an issue. These guys get up very early in the morning and often stay late into the evening. You're lucky to spend a few hours with him in a given day, if at all.

Soldiers will spend time out in the field for periods of time unable to call. They will go away for special training for weeks at a time. And we all know how difficult the deployments can be. And when he is deployed, the girlfriends don't get any information. You won't know exactly when they're coming home as this information is only released to immediate family members, although sometimes they don't even know. There are a lot of times when the Army girlfriend (even the Army wife) will question whether or not this is the life for them. It takes a strong woman.

And even though I do live close to my Army boyfriend, I still go lengths of time without seeing him. There are days I don't talk to him at all, and days I only get to speak to him for a minute. Fortunately, there is support out there. I've found a wonderful group of girls on Army Girlfriends and there a several other Army girlfriend support groups as well.

I could go ahead and marry my soldier to receive the benefits and avoid these complications like a lot of couples do. It's a personal choice each couple must make. I choose to stick by my soldier, be faithful and offer as much love and support as I can possibly give. I'm very proud to say I am an Army girlfriend.