The Gap

I recently started a blog geared to reach Christian women who are associated with the Military in one way or another.  There are limited Christian resources for Military Wives, and even less for Active Duty women.  Because I am a Veteran, having served in the Air Force and the Air Force Reserves, and because I am now a Military Wife, the HUGE gap between women who serve and women who support is very visible to me.  I keep hoping and praying that Military Wives are not the only ones who are reading my blog, but I fear this is the case. 

I have seen this gap most glaringly in Bible Study groups.  Sure, a few Active Duty women attend from time to time, but for those who are young, who have yet to start families, who are single, who might be single parents, the never-ending chatter that Military Wives share about hubbies and babies and homemaking make many Active Duty women feel very out of place.  I know, because I have seen it, Military Wives do their very best to reach out to these women.  However, for as much as they know of what occurs in Active Duty life, somehow Military Wives have a hard time relating to and comprehending the challenges an Active Duty woman faces.  This works the other way around as well.

The desire to start building a bridge across the gap has been on my heart for several years now.  I first noticed the gap when I was Active Duty.  Whenever I would meet Military Wives at social events, it was like we were speaking two dialects of the same language- we were not QUITE understanding each other.  When I transitioned from Active Duty to the Reserves, I noticed this gap even more.  At that point I was both serving and supporting, but still could not help but see this huge gap.  Now that I sit in a role of support as a Military Wife, I see the gap growing, and no one seems to know it is there, or are unwilling to address it if they do see it.

I believe any woman affiliated with the Military needs to know that she is not alone.  She should know that when she is in a room with other women affiliated with the Military, that whether they serve or support there is no reason to draw that invisible line.  We are on the same team, just playing different roles.  Plus many of us have performed in both roles, so we can learn from each other!  Certainly, we can draw encouragement and support from one another.

It truly breaks my heart that there is this gap.  I hope to be able to attend a military function one day where the Wives and the Active Duty Women can truly communicate with each other on a level of mutual trust, respect, and admiration. 

For all you gals reading this that might be involved with the Military on one way or another, what are your thoughts about this gap? 

Do you think there is a way to start building a bridge across that gap?