"Army Wife" is not the toughest job in the Army!

[jmowreader]

If you live outside a military base, you've seen it plastered on the back of a car. Or on a T-shirt.

"Army Wife--Toughest Job In The Army."

The toughest job in the Army is "survivor assistance officer." This is the official title of the additional duty that starts when you put on your greens and knock on the door of an Army wife to speak the words no one wants to hear: "Your husband was killed in battle."

The job is so difficult, the Army has a whole manual devoted to it. It repeatedly gives the admonishment "do not 'fortify' yourself with liquor before performing your duty." Last I checked, nothing about being an Army wife is so hard you have to get drunk off your ass before you can perform your tasks.

[demnan]

1. Yeah - do they give a manual on "Army Widow, though?"

n/t

[trogdor]

3. Um, that's kind of the point of this post...

...don'tchathink? Your name comes to the top of the stick-me roster. You are not the poor bastard's commanding officer; in fact, you don't know the man at all, nor his wife, who might react in any number of unpleasant ways, understandable as they may be. A significant portion of the manual is devoted to anticipating the most common of these and responding properly and professionally (hence the admonishment against having a couple of belts beforehand) to them. If you have any shred of humanity in your soul, this duty is truly a motherfucker.

I imagine sitting at home day after day wondering if your spouse is still OK must also be rough.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trogdor]

4. EXCUSE ME?

My wife hails from the Federal Republic of Germany, and we have been married for nearly twenty years. She is not, in any sense of the word, a "camp follower." She put up with stupid Army shit for the great majority of our marriage, not entirely without complaint, but in good faith. She's worth at least a hundred of you.

Now then, for the moderator alert.

[qazplm]

5. wow

pretty classless comment there pal. Here's a clue, never attack a man's wife (or woman's husband for that matter).

Why dont you attack the kids while you are at it.

[nostamj]

6. alert sent

what a hateful thing to post on DU.

[Mizmoon]

7. Me too

I don't like to rat, but that was over the top.

[Kanary]

10. didn't seem to do much good

seems like anything is allowed anymore

[Solly Mack]

9. And did your father think that up all by himself?

or did he and his buddies come up with it during their weekly circle jerk?

[jeff5]

12. I Sure Would Enjoy

watching you say that in any NCO Club in the Country.

[OneBlueSky]

8. my mom was an Army wife for 20 years . . .

and, trust me, it's one hell of a tough job . . . particularly when you have to pack up the whole family and all your belongings and move cross country at literally a moment's notice . . . sometimes two or three times just months apart . . . from my birth until my dad retired when I was 18, I think we lived in about 20 different locations . . . how my mother managed is beyond me, since by the time I was 15, there were eight of us kids in the family . . . it's even tougher for wives whose husbands are on extended overseas assignments, particularly in times of conflict . . . my dad was in Korea for two years, which were incredibly stressful on my mother . . .

[vetwife]

11. Over the top and under the bridge.....