He’s been wearing the Army active duty uniform since he enlisted in the military in 1996.
Except for the four years he spent in college going Green to Gold, Super-Spouse has been clad in the camo and combat boots that a once-18-year-old girl swooned over before promptly tricking that sexy soldier into dating her. (Listen, had 18-year-old Michelle known then what 38-year-old Michelle knows now, I wouldn’t have just deceived that Catch of a Lifetime into dating me; I would have flat-out, no-regrets kidnapped him.)
That active duty uniform saw this strong and courageous soldier through 11 deployments, eight mailing addresses, three military specialties (because he was an infantryman and a Medical Service Corps office before he decided what he wanted to be when he grew up and applied for the military’s physician assistant program) and a lifetime of memories serving beside some of the best and bravest men and women we have ever had the privilege of knowing.
And this morning, after 20 years of active duty service, the most servant-hearted and selfless man I know retired those fatigues that have marked every page of our family’s story, and he signed out of the military on terminal leave.
Which means today, with a freshly-issued DD214 in hand, Super-Spouse will now actually finally appear, FACE AND ALL like a real, live human being, here on this blog!
It also means that he and I are trading uniforms.
Welcome to this continent, baby. Grab a paintbrush.
#terminal leave #militaryretirement #16yearsofhoneydoliststogo