Post the Good Things!

j_twitchell · January 2012

Hey girls, DH is taking his physical in the morning to join the Army. We've been thinking about this since November, and we think it's the right choice for us. But reading some of the posts on here today has kind of gotten me down, I know all of this is reality, but I know there's a lot of good too! Anyone want to participate in just a fun post of listing your favorite good things about the military life!

BeckyTheEngineer · January 2012

I had a lot of great experiences, both as a service member and as a spouse. I've gotten to travel abroad and live all over the US (which I loved getting to do), made great friends, and had big opportunities. I am proud of the things I have done, and of my husband. The pay and benefits have been good as well. Military service IS NOT for everyone, but for many, it can be a great opportunity and career. I hope that it is a good fit for your family.

FormerlyKrista555 · January 2012

My husband is medically retired now, but I am SO THANKFUL for the time he spent in the Army. Because of him serving:

1) When he was diagnosed with a very severe and chronic form of arthritis, he saw every specialist in the world it seemed-- all for free.

2) When he was finally medically retired, that made him eligible for VA benefits, including the vocational rehabilitation program. The Voc Rehab program is 100%, (including books, a new computer with all the bells and whistles, and supplies), paying for him to get a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from a very good school in our area. They are even paying us BAH (basic housing allowance) while he goes to school . This is NOT his GI Bill. He will be using his GI BIll for his Master's degree later on. No student loans after 8 years of school? Pretty amazing .

3) We have friends from his active duty time that we cherish.

4) We got to live in some interesting places!

5) My daughter was born for free, and this baby is going to be born for free.

6) We (as he is retired) pay each YEAR for our entire family to have health insurance, more than what many of my friends pay every MONTH.

7) You can't beat Commissary deals in combination with coupons.

8) Anytime we travel and are staying overnight near a military base/post, we stay in the lodging on post. It's very inexpensive and very clean, and there are locations all around the world.

9) Military discounts at stores, restaurants, etc.

10) My husband is still so proud of the time he served. He had the butterflies when he first joined too, and he wondered if he had made a huge mistake, but now that we look back, it was the BEST thing he could've done.

Joie80 · January 2012

When DH and I first got together he was stationed in a place that wasn't very military. The nearest base was a couple of hours away. I had been living independently for a long time and I enjoyed my structured life. So although we were together, my experience was hardly representative of what things would be like once we PCSed to a true military town. We just got married a little over a year, so my experience is pretty limited. But, what I've enjoyed so far is the constant sense of adventure. I'm usually a very structured person. We moved to our current duty station about a year and half ago and since then, DH was away for about a month and a half in school, we've gotten orders for deployment, DH is away now, and for PCSing again once he returns. It's like there's always something to look forward to and there's always the possibility that things will change and soon. It took me a while, and I'm still working on it, to get to the point where I could appreciate this, but it's helped a lot with me altering my perspective on what it means to live comfortably and enjoy life. In other words, I've had to really explore what it means to make the best out of every situation. There is really always a bright side. I hope you enjoy it. There are challenges, but it's worth it.

blue_angeleyes06 · January 2012

The one thing that I love above all is meeting new friends. Even though it can be hard for some people to make friends there are many opportunities through FRG and other military organizations. We have friends all over the U.S. from just the 3 duty stations we have been to so far. I hope everything goes wells for you and good luck with this new journey together.

ufsandra85 · January 2012

#1 favorite is the healthcare. NO OTHER health insurance in this country will you pay so little for your care. I am seen by the top physicians in the country, had 5 surgeries this year, over 10000 in medications, over 40 blood draws and 40 doctors visits and i have paid ZERO!!

2) retirement. 3 years, 8 months and 4 days (not that i am counting)

F15Wife · January 2012

The expierences and memories you will make are priceless.

We got to live overseas and travel all over Europe for 3 years.

All of our medical is taken care of.

I love moving to new places and seeing new things.

We have made life friends.

The sense of pride I have in what my husband and my family does is pretty cool.

The military paid for all of my husbands education which was a BA and 2 Masters.

The military is now paying for my nursing school and we have the rest of the GI Bill transferred to our kids.

Post the Good Things!

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