Goodness gracious I just found this community after being a part of the
DCL Forum for over 2 years and just typed my first post here that I was glad to have found you all but then I just sat here and read 3 pages of junk.
My husband has been a Marine for 18 years; I have been his wife for almost 10. I am not a Marine and do not like women who wear their husbands rank or check the color of my sticker before speaking to me.
Let's let go of the red vs. blue sticker attitude here. Or my husband or boyfriend has gone...here...here... and here. All around it SUCKS.
I have been on both sides of it, my husband is a Marine Officer now BUT he was a Sgt. when we met and got married and then after making Gunny he switched over now is a Officer. I have seen all sides of it and lived a lot of places. He has been to a lot more.
We are here to support each other. Remember just because you think or would do something another way you are not in that person's shoes and we are not here to judge each other but to support each other.
How many of you have a civilian friend who has complained about her civilian executive husband taking a week business trip.... Don't you just laugh and say, "get it together it is better than a war"?
Thankfully I have a BA and had a career before I met my husband and I worked outside the home until recently. I have always made more money than my DH. Does that bother him, heck no because we are a team and it is for OUR family. But I have worked 60 plus hours with my husband deployed and I was taking care of 2.5 year old with a second on the way. Do I feel sorry for myself no but do I feel as if we military families have a different perspective and experience, yes.
My husband is at 18 years of service and we just found out my DH is going back to Iraq again. As a Marine wife my job is to love my husband, take care of our children and reassure him we will be fine while inside I am throbbing with worry and pain and scared out of my mind.
Those of you who have been through deployments and especially hostile deployments know that the first couple of weeks are like a fog
.......you hear a car pull up or someone's keys and just for a second you forget and go to the door.
We are better than this bickering, we are all in this together. We are the loved ones of some of the best people in the United States. We have the honor of knowing them and supporting them.
No matter what we think of the President or the way another military familiy spends money or how another person expresses themselves we have a common thread. We are sitting at home and our loved ones are serving this great country.
I also agree that I have seen and heard of many young Marines that make immature and poor choices when it comes to having babies, marriages, divorces, DUI's you name it. But there are many young Marine families out there that qualify for WIC because they are paid such low wages. They are living in substandard housing and do not even make minimum wage.
That makes their lives harder and they may not be able to get one foot in the door and get a military in home provider or base daycare so the rate is based on the rank. They may not know how to go about taking college classes or how to get a a job that pays enough to be rewarding and allow them to break even.
I can also name many Officers and E9's who have made some really, really stupid decisions too. It is the person not the rank.
When it comes to Disney giving the military community discounts I think they should continue to show their support for our men and women and families. We live a different life than a civilian we are no better but we are different. We are faced with a whole set of problems others would have no clue about. They are worried because their spouse is on a business trip or gone to the golf course and they can't get their hair done and we are trying line up someone to be with us during Labor because our husbands are gone. I have held many friends hand during their labors and they mine because our husbands could not be here.
I too was waiting for DCL or WDW to extend some pricing so we could cruise DCL this year and it did not happen. I assume that because the prices and demand for Disney cruises have gone through the roof and they made the decision for profit over patriotism for
Disney Cruise Lines.
Yes, Disney did their share in the 9/11 aftermath but hello there is still a war raging and not all of us are lucky enough to be in a non-deployable status.
We do not deserve anything free but behind every good Marine (Service Member) is a great and supporting family. Call me old fashion but last night for the first time when my DH said he is going back again and I know he can refuse the orders and put his retirement papers but he won't and for once I got it. I saw the look in his eyes. He needs me to say I can take care of a just turned 3 year old and a 6 year old and the house and bills and life. His biggest worry is us. He is worried about my health (I have major health problems and cancer), he is worried his boys will start to resent his being gone so much.
But he needs to do what he thinks is right. I have never respected him more in my life.
The war is not real for many people; it is only a sad thing you see in the paper or on TV.
For example Carnival Cruise Lines continues to offer very low fares for military families. You can also cruise without your spouse so you can take your children and get away and have some fun and get everyone's minds off of the WAR and our loved ones being gone. They get it and are helping us.
When it comes to Shades of Green we all know that the rate you pay is based on your rank and with some of us it is less to use a code or special other than the over flow rates. For others it gives them the opportunity to get away, share in the magic.
I hate to ruin it for some of you but Disney does not do things because they are nice. They do it for publicity. Yes, active duty have always been able to get lower priced tickets even before 9/11 but come on my DH has 18 years in, has a BA and MBA and would be making a heck of a lot more money in the civilian world but he and the others here have that special spark that makes them special. It makes them serve when others run. It makes us proud of them.
Discounts are needed and appreciated by the military and their families of every rank and branch of service. You can go to any major hotel website and for many years we have been able to get a government rate not just at WDW but in SC or Iowa.
Vacations are needed to give our children something to look forward to and give everyone left at home a break and something to make the time pass.
Flame me if you want but I do believe major corporations should continue to show support of our troops and families.
I do think there are many people believe they are "owed" something and that is wrong. I also know the jobs our loved ones do are unlike any and we are not "owed" but we are sure grateful.
If our loved one (God forbid) dies on active duty, we get benefits and we get life insurance. Our loved ones signed up for the job so we do not expect nor will we receive money from a fund set up for victims even though my heart goes out to all lost in 9/11 and since.
It could come down to our military men and women are way underpaid and thus any perks we get help us experience things civilian families do. But I think it comes down to much more than that.
It comes down to supporting our troops, remembering the fallen, supporting each other in our military communities through the good and bad and being proud of our loved ones.
Take care,
B&W Mom