Army families

I was just as guilty as any other non-military family until I moved here with Nathan, but it is unbelievable how many military families live under the poverty level and are continually stressed about the necessities of life. I am saddened how many families cannot afford groceries, essentially living off of WIC and food stamps, how many enlisted hold several part time jobs to make ends meet, etc. It also makes me mad how many military wives are denied jobs because employers know that they will be moving on within a couple of years, or if wives do find jobs chances are they will not get the same pay as their civilian counter parts. Yes, the military does come with its benefits such as free health care, chances to move all over the world, etc. However, the pay that the enlisted are paid, which makes majority of the Army, does not cover the necessities of life. Which brings me to my new point of I cannot believe the very notion of stopping military pay increases. These are the men who deploy for a year at a time so that the rest of the nation can be free, the men who die fighting for our country, and the women who try to hold their households together while their husbands are deployed. Michelle Obama recently gave a great speech about military families and I invite all to watch her speech, even if you are not an Obama fan please watch. Copy and paste the following into your browser-
http://www.livestream.com/twc2010/video?clipId=flv_b988639c-f1af-46fa-9a6f-b110230f3284
I consider myself blessed to be the wife of an officer in the Army. I am proud of my husband and everything he does. I know most if not all Army wives feel the same. We are all proud of our men, no matter what we have to put up with.