As a military family, we’re all — on some level — puppets, marionettes at the mercy of the United States government pulling our strings. In so few words, we go where they tell us, and our active-duty members do what they’re told. Oct. 1st confirmed this hard truth. With front-row seats, military members were reminded just how not in control we are of our own lives. We are all pawns in this game of government shutdown, and our livelihoods, mental health and financial security are up for grabs as bargaining chips.
Unfortunately, a marionette doesn’t have a say in who pulls its strings, and that is as scary as it sounds.
The shutdown clock started ticking, and the fragility of the mental health of our military members was felt. Life doesn’t stop because our service members aren’t expecting to get paid, but think of the mental toll: working for free because a contract was signed, and now the strings are being manipulated.
Service members are still deploying, training and sacrificing stability, knowing there is no paycheck for daycare, gas, groceries, medications and other essentials. That’s unimaginable for any normal place of employment, and how that situation affects each family varies. For our family as a one-income home, that paycheck is spent before it hits the account — regular bills, unexpected expenses, and peace of mind. Throw in a PCS next month, and now every dollar has a destination and duty to keep this family moving forward.
Our story is just one example of the millions affected by today’s reality.
I’ve said it before: in some ways, we all know what we’re signing up for. However, the fine print can be blurred at times. While there are situations that are expected — such as deployments and long-distance relationships — there is so much more intricately, chaotically and delicately woven into actually living the life. And while the public eye and the civilian community only see what is surface level, the hardships the military community experiences firsthand on any given day go exponentially deeper.
There is something to be said about the military families who keep rolling with the punches. Even when it feels like the stage is falling out from underneath us and all control is lost; we keep going, because the government shutdown isn’t just a game of politics, it’s a game of livelihood.
To be a military spouse is to be proud of our service members and community. As out-of-control as we are as military marionettes, what we can control is how we claw our way through uncertainty and rise. Even as the strings tug and pull, we do not break.
The marionettes may sway, but we never fall.
