No Uniform Required

Written By: Christina Piper, Her War Her Voice

There is no uniform required to be a military wife. There is no handbook to read or secret handshake to learn. There are no prerequisites to complete or paperwork to be approved (well maybe a little paperwork). The only thing that will get you into this exclusive club is loving a man in uniform. We have no rules to follow, but we do have open arms for all, that say, “I do” to a man that is called to serve his country.


Being a military wife is not without struggles, but we learn how to deal with those struggles. We learn through our falls, and the helping hands of those that have gone before us. We learn through doing and trying again. We learn from not wanting to do anymore but we do it anyway. We are strong, independent, fierce, loud, meek, and quiet. We do not fit into any set mold. We come in many shapes and sizes. We are from every background that can be imagined, and we are the ones that our heroes rely on.

Our pride runs deep, and it is hard for us to admit that we would ever need the help of anyone else. We stand up for our children, and we support our spouses, that do don that uniform. We cry in private and we cry in public when we have to say goodbye again, but we will hold our heads high while doing so. We will love our military children enough for two while he is gone and we will keep his home running, and waiting for his return.

We love without surrender, even if that love may never come home again. We build walls to protect ourselves as best we can, but we leave a key in the pocket of that uniform-wearing man. It is not in us to give up on the hope that he will be fine and that we can handle anything that can come our way. It is not in us to run even when we are curled up on the floor with worry and fear.

There is no uniform required to join our ranks, but know that when you are alone and overwhelmed by what it means to be a military wife, we stand beside you. We stand to your left and right and we will catch you. We will be there even when it seems that no one else is. We are in this together until every one of our uniform-wearing spouses comes home. We may not wear a uniform, but we are a force, a force that will never waiver.