"Dear Military Wife" Letter

I got this from Sheryl, a proud military wife, who got it from one of her MySpace groups. I felt like I had to pass it on. In other words, I did not write this beautiful letter ;-)

Dear Military Wife,

I am an American woman that has no idea what is
going on in the military other than what I hear on the news.

I have
never had to let go of someone so that they could go fight for people that they
didn't know, people that sometimes do not appreciate or understand what they are
fighting for.

I have never had a sleepless night of worry because of a
report that another bomb has exploded and I still haven't heard from my husband.

I have never had to wait for months on end to hold the one that I loved
so.
I have never had to tell my children that daddy wasn't coming home
tonight because he was so far away fighting for something that they aren't yet
old enough to understand.

I have never had to hold my head high and
suppress the tears as I hear that it will be at least another six months of
separation before my loved one gets to come home.
I have never had to deal
with a holiday away from the one that I thought I would share every day of my
life with.

And I have never had to feel the panic rising in my heart at
the sound of a ringing phone or knock at the door for fear that it is the news
that everyone is terrified of getting.

For the reasons listed above, I
can not tell you that I understand how you feel. I can not tell you that you
must be strong. I can not say that you shouldn't be angry, because you "knew
what you were getting into when you married a military man". I can not say these
things because I have never had to walk in your shoes.

What I can say
for certain is that because of your unselfish acts of bravery and your husbands
willingness to stand up for those who see him as "just another soldier" - - I
will never have to walk in your shoes.

I do understand that as a
military wife you are expected to uphold a certain amount of control, but I
never understood how you could do it, until now. I have figured out that you are
not like other women. You are of a special breed. You have a strength within you
that holds life together in the darkest of hours, a strength of which I will
never possess. The faith you have is what makes you stand out in a crowd; it
makes you glow with emotion and swell with pride at the mention of The United
States of America.

You are a special lady, a wonderful partner and a
glorious American.

I have more respect for your husband than I could
ever tell you, but until recently I never thought much about those that the
soldier leaves at home during deployment.
Until this moment I could never
put into words exactly what America meant to me.
Until this moment, I had no
real reason to.... Until I heard of you.

Your husband and his military
family hold this nation close, safe from those who wish to hurt us...but you and
those like you are the backbone of the American family. You keep the wheels in
motion and the hearts alive while most would just break completely down.
Military families make this nation what it is today.

You give us all
hope and you emit a warming light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
Because
of you and your family...I am able to be me. I am able to have my family. I am
able to walk free in this great land. Because of you and your family, I can look
ahead to the future with the knowledge that life is going to be okay. Because of
you and your family, I can awake to a new day, everyday.

I realize that
you are a stronger person than I will ever be because of these things and I just
wanted to take the time today to say thank you to you and your family for
allowing me that freedom.

I will never be able to repay this debt to
you, as it is unmatchable. However, I hope that you know that no matter where
you are...what you are doing...what has happened today...or what will happen
tomorrow...Your husband will NEVER be "just another soldier" to me.... And you,
dear sweet lady, will never be forgotten.
You are all in my prayer's
everyday and I pray that God will bring you back together with your loved one
safely.