Joining military with husband/wife outside military

[PSULeila]

I just got selected for army nursing and commission this weekend.. I was hoping to talk to someone who has joined the military while their husband is not in the military.. I heard it can turn into an ego thing for them and that it doesnt work a lot of the time.. does anyone have experience with this? ANy married couples with one outside the service and one in: can it seperate you as a couple or is army nursing just like having a regular nursing job (exclusing the chance of getting deployed.. i just mean your weekly work schedule?) any insight would be awesome! thanks!!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Hubby and I were both military for the first few years of our marriage. I then got out because of the difficulty of being stationed together (I was in the USN and he was USAF). My husband did a total of 23 years and yes, it is a different lifestyle. Some of the pros:

1. We got to travel. We've lived in Japan, Spain, Alaska, Korea, LasVegas, etc.

2. I have a great appreciation for just what a wonderful country we live in. There is none better.

3. Our kids had a wonderful education - DODDS (Dept of Defense) schools are good.

4. Our kids grew up appreciating how lucky they were to be Americans.

Some of the cons:

1. I have definitely sacrificed my career. We came back to the states when I was 32 and I went to nursing school then. Then halfway thru, we got orders for PCS....ooops gotta move. So...get to repeat some more courses. Finallly get done with the ADN and hubby wants to retire. However, no jobs in that area, so lets move again.

2. You may not think its important when you're young, but retirement comes for everyone. Not being able to employed long enough to establish retirement is another fact of military life. Tricare is a wonderful advantage but it doesn't substitute for a retirement income of your own.

3. Though our kids adjusted okay at the time from the frequent moving, it was hard on them in a different way: they both say now that they are adults that they wished they could have lived somewhere for longer.