If You’re Not in Love with a Service Member

By an Unknown Author

 

If you’re not in love with a service member, you can’t know adventure. You don’t know smelly PT uniforms that require a daily washing. You can’t understand green and brown camouflaged bags flooding your bedroom floor.

If you’re not in love with a service member, you can’t understand the meaning of the phrase “going to the field” and the weeks you spend away from each other.

If you’re not in love with a service member, you can never imagine the hole in your heart when that phone call comes. “Honey, I am leaving tomorrow to go overseas. I don’t know how long I will be gone or exactly where I am going, but I want you to know that I love you—always!”

If you’re not in love with a service member, you don’t know what it’s like to say that final goodbye. You don’t know what it really means to be glued to the television. You don’t understand fear, and you can’t possibly understand the sleepless nights of endless crying, wondering if you will ever see the love of your life alive again.

If you’re not in love with a service member, you can’t know the immense joy, the uncontrollable smile, or the butterflies in your stomach when you see your service member march into the family waiting area upon redeployment. You can’t understand the self-control it takes to stand on the other side of the room as some higher-up gives a seemingly endless welcome-home speech while all the service members stand in formation. You don’t know what it’s like to have that second first kiss or what it’s like to experience puppy love all over again.

If you’re not in love with a service member, you can’t truly understand how to make every moment count because you never know when that phone call may come again.

If you’re not in love with a service member, you can never really understand how very delicate life is.

 

Featured image courtesy of 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

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Retired Blogger

Retired Blogger

Army Wife Network is blessed with many military spouses who share their journey through writing in our Experience blog category. As we PCS in our military journey, bloggers too sometimes move on. Their content and contributions are still valued and resourceful. Those posts are reassigned under "Retired Bloggers" in order to allow them to remain available as content for our AWN fans.

10 thoughts on “If You’re Not in Love with a Service Member

  • January 15, 2010 at 12:45 pm
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    really like this ,its so true but u know one need a lot of courage to keep loving your soldier, i have learnt this thing that you have to forget yourself and youe ego or self esteem when it comes to love your soldier, cuz he might not have the time to even reply your text message ,just trust him 100% and belove in your love, i feel my soldiers fragrance and his warmth even if he is on duty so far away , just want to say Z i love you & i am yours

    Reply
  • June 27, 2010 at 12:59 am
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    I'm falling in love with a soldier. i read this and I'm completely scared to death for the summer to end and him to leave me…but I know that what he's doing is amazing and needed and he is a true american hero.

    Reply
  • September 13, 2010 at 12:13 am
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    I am in Love with a soldier.. I can understand how hard life would be with him..but I want him. Wish he would want the same like me 🙁 D.G.M.S. xx

    Reply
  • May 19, 2011 at 9:13 pm
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    I love this poem, please write more about Military relationships… I'm just now seeing this and my Boyfriend is on his way back from Afghanistan June 1st this poem is so true….love it!!!

    Reply
  • June 9, 2011 at 10:18 am
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    I am in love with a soldier n haven't seen him from past 1 yr…when ever i read dis poem,i actually feel like crying…he is in very dangerous place…so i can just pray for him n wait for his call…it is very hard to explain that how much i luv my soldier…

    Reply
  • August 14, 2011 at 6:50 am
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    My sweet Scottie is in the army. I miss him every single day. I write him every couple of days and sometimes worry that I'm distracting him too much. I can barely eat and I never sleep. I wait to hear from him and feel like the letters and calls may never be soon enough. My heart belongs to him somehow and I just have to keep waiting for my country to decide I can love him again…

    Reply
  • July 21, 2013 at 12:13 pm
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    i fall in with a solider we have saw picture each other we text everday

    Reply
  • September 29, 2014 at 1:45 pm
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    Amen…

    Reply

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