Recently, a good friend of mine posted on Facebook that (paraphrase) it really, really, really annoys her when civilian wives tell her they totally understand how she feels because their husbands go on business trips. She said she didn't really have a good response at that time. I commented that she should have laughed in their face. Rude? Maybe.
Now, I don't want to diminish the fact that all (well, most!) wives miss their husbands when they are away. I have another friend who's husband travels frequently on business. She has three young kids and I know they all miss him terribly when he's gone. But I also know that she would never tell a military wife that what she goes through is the same.
So, before you say you understand how a military wife feels because your husband travels on business, ask yourself a few questions: Will your husband be gone for six or more months? Will he be 'traveling' to an incredibly hostile country where the view is mostly dirt? Will his 'suitcase' consist of fatigues and steel-toed boots? Will the 'gift bags' he gets there contain an AK-47 and a flak jacket? Do you pray every night that he doesn't drive over a land mine? Do you pray that he just makes it home at all, let alone in one piece and without severe trauma?
It's never easy when a family is separated because of a job. But your husband going to San Diego for a few days can't be compared to another husband who might not come home from Afghanistan.
Think about it.
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