It’s 25 years since humanity celebrates the International Family Day. In Moldova, 2019 has been declared the Year of the Family. In this context, has anyone wondered how it is to be a member of a military family, how it differs from others and, significantly, why the military family deserves more attention and respect?
I will try to highlight the Military Family, starting from my own experience and feelings in the following lines.
Apparently, a military marital union is the same as the others, except that one or both parents work in military uniform. From here on, the differences appear:
1. The military has a specific working schedule. They, even in peaceful conditions, work continuously and on alert. They swear to serve to the army and the country’s needs 24 hours per day. The military’s program includes nights, weekends or holidays services, interventions in exceptional cases, alarms, etc.
2. The military operates at risk. They use the weapon, military equipment, special tools in training, exercises, missions, including demining, the defender of the homeland, which can be life-threatening. Although the family trusts the military skill and professionalism, the unrest persists daily, especially in missions in conflict areas.
3. The military moves frequently. The military is periodically separated from their families when they work or study away for a short or long time. On the one hand and the other, they resist only through volition, hope, trust and thanks to the diversity of social media.
The happier situations are when the whole family manages, by the recommendation of the host country, to be together on business trips. In this case, we must recognize that the military family shows mobility and an organizational capacity, including financial enviable, before departure and during the stay abroad. To the amazement of foreigners, the Moldovan military successfully manages a scholarship to survive, visit some local places, and represent our country with dignity at the official and informal events.
4. The military is dedicated. The military career is a lifestyle, in which responsibility, discipline, friendship, mutual help are at the highlight values. In some cases, they give up or postpone housework in favor of duty and then only good understanding and patience can save the military couple.
5. The military is modest. They, more than anyone, cherish peace and maintain it without being seen. They know the risks of a conflict, and perhaps that is why they are the best members of society.
6. The military spouses are consecrated. They, in special wives, are accustomed to expectations, the house responsibilities and the missing partner, separate celebrations, etc. If necessary, they give up a career to follow his / her spouse in the extensive world, support him/her unconditionally, and keep the family together.
7. The children of the military are exceptional. They worthily overcome any separation, change, move, loss, and some continue the military dynasty.
For sacrifice and devotion, the military and their families are usually compensated by free medical services or discounts in military institutions, duty apartments/houses – a minimum social package, which Moldovan military families enjoy. In addition, depending on priorities and budget, some countries offer other benefits.
The most respected and honored by society are the American military. In the USA, they are heroes, who together with his family, are greeted with admiration at most public events, implicitly in the Military Family Month. Moreover, each force structure has organized Support Centers for military families, which offer complex services. Also, military families benefit from discounts in stores, providing various services, travel, etc.
The Indian military is also satisfied. In Bangladesh, for example, the Wives Community and the Military Children’s Club are active, which keeps them busy, organizing a series of programs and activities. Military families also get furnished service homes and discounts for children in educational institutions near military bases, said Farzana Sultana.
Tunisian military families are also pampered with service cars to go to and from educational institutions, in the case of Colonels and Generals, confessed Sonia Ben Slama.
Georgians thank the military through taxes exemption, discounts at various venues, life insurance, public-private partnerships. Also, they get monthly, annual allowances, health insurance for family, and rest tickets for war widows, a prize – about $ 2,000 when the second contract expires, it doesn’t matter if he continues or not the military career, etc.
These are just a few examples selected from the military wives in the countries concerned.
What else can we do, from the simple human to the decision-maker, in gratitude for the military and their families? Many … and I find suitable the remark of the American ex-president, Barack Obama : „We remember a most sacred obligation—to serve them as well as they serve us.”
In Romanian: https://dragostinavicol.org/?p=257
Mai 2019
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