The Kate

Today I got reminded that a hell of a lot of people stand in awe of me for some reason. One of my very good friends ran into another wife from the company (who I have never met, by the way) and mentioned that she and I were friends. The wife's reply? "Kate!?!" with a look of awe that my friend was on such good terms with me. Apparently, I am famous in the unit. Probably infamous would be a better word.

This incident, related to me by my friend with a good deal of laughter (Fuck you, E), got me to thinking: why do people hold me in such high regard? Am I just that fucking awesome? Is there something about me that inspires confidence or do people just think that I'm a bitch you wouldn't want to cross? What? And I have come to this conclusion: it isn't me. It isn't Kate that people look up to or admire or fear. It is the personae of an Army wife who is tough yet caring. It has nothing to do with Kate the person.

SO what exactly are the qualities of an outstanding Army wife?

1. Tough- She can run her house, deal with kids, juggle bills, and tackle any situation even when her husband is 10,000 miles away. Nothing ever seems to catch her off-guard. She is a rock.

2. Rank schmank- She doesn't care what rank her husband wears or what rank anyone else wears. Rank is used only as a means of addressing a soldier. She knows she is just a wife like all the other wives and that all of us have the same worries and problems.  And she lets it be known that those wives who do try to wear their husband's rank can go fuck themselves.  She has no tolerance for the whose husband's dick is bigger game. 

3. Proud- She is proud of her soldier and proud of his unit. Nothing can change this: not the rumor mill, not the chain of command, not a jerk NCO. Her husband is her hero and anyone who says otherwise gets a "FUCK YOU!" to the face. Done. Now, if her husband does fuck up, she'll be the first one to tell him he's a piece of shit.

4. Compassionate- She actually gives a damn about the soldiers and families she meets. Not an "I'm so sorry. Now go away," but a genuine concern for whatever problem someone may be having. The kind of wife that will tell off housing for being fuck-offs or call out the CoC for dropping the ball. She won't just stand by while people get fucked over and she will go that extra mile to do whatever she can. She also has the entire platoon over for Thanksgiving when they can't get leave or for a weekend BBQ and lets everyone get piss-ass drunk (after she steals their keys!)

5. Knowledgeable- All the time she's spent as an Army wife are years she's spent learning how the Army operates and she'll use that knowledge to mentor new wives. You really can expect her to have the answer or to able to get an answer. She just fucking knows it all.  (And if she doesn't know, you can damn sure bet that bitch will have an answer by 1600 that day!)


I really think that's what people see when they look at or talk about "Kate." They don't really see me. If they did, they would know that I am a psycho bitch and would run screaming in the opposite direction. I am far from being this exemplary Army wife. I try to be all the things in that list up there, but I am not sure how successful I really am at being all those things. I certainly don't deserve any kind of recognition or admiration. I'm just an Army wife trying to make it through deployment and trying to make sure my harem makes it through, too. If we all come out the other side sane, I say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!