Thankful For The Blessings Of This Crazy Military Life

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Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you to my readers who are keeping us safe to celebrate.

I was grousing this morning about people being entitled and unappreciative, and my daughter suggested that I write a post about thankfulness.  Well, yeah, that is a good idea.  I spend a lot of time thinking, reading, and writing about the military and its benefits.  Sometimes, my readers or I think that something is unfair or wrong.

It would be easy to focus on the benefits that my husband has never received or our family has never used:  bonuses, assignment incentive pay, subsidized child care, sub pay, student loan repayment, special pay for dental officers, and a whole list of other benefits that just don't apply to his job and our situation.  However, that would be ridiculous.  The military has provided my family with a world of blessings, and I am thankful.  Specific things for which I am appreciative include:


  • Little to no worries about the cost of medical care.

  • A place to live, or an allowance to pay for a place to live.

  • A paycheck that has arrived twice a month for the last twenty-some years, and doesn't look like it is going disappear anytime soon.

  • The opportunity to travel and live in different countries.

  • Family support programs of all varieties.

  • Regular increases in pay.

  • Financial support for my education through MyCAA.

  • Access to the commissary.

  • Pretty sweet gyms.

  • Lower cost entertainment activities such as golf, bowling and movies.

  • Safe, fun family events.

  • Free music downloads from the library.

  • Access to the best thrift shops.

  • Movers, because as much as I hate having someone else move me, I hate moving myself more.

  • Youth centers with truly impressive activities.

  • The opportunity for my husband to earn a lifetime pension.

  • The many discounts and promotions that companies generously offer to military families.


Yes, my husband has worked hard for these things, and the kids and I have made a few sacrifices along the way.  All in all, however, being a military family has been a good thing.  For that I am thankful.

Enjoy your day!

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