I am not an Army wife

Think “Army wife” and an image might spring to mind.  She’s a woman of indeterminate age in a sweatshirt with a puff-painted “We support our troops” ribbon emblazoned on it. She’s got numerous stickers supporting the Armed Forces on her car, she walks around with multiple children, she’s generally associated with the red white and the blue.       that’s not me.       I am a mate to my man, having lived with him 12 years, but we’re not married.  I am an American citizen, and an active voter, but not a big fan of the last eight years in this country.  I have no stickers on my cars, save that one which gets me on Post.  I have one child with my mate, a smart, brilliant, and beautiful 6 year old born just after the incident with the twin towers changed the world forever.       I tell my daughter that “victim” is a state of mind, and that we’re strong and competent, NOT victims.   But at times I do feel like a victim of my mate’s “one weekend a month, two weeks a year” job, and this is especially true now, that he’s being sent to war.       I didn’t sign up for this, but I am impacted.       And I guess this blog will be my story…