In the hearts of all citizens, there is a particular pride everyone feels for their country. While every nation is flawed, there are many parts of the United States lifestyle that make one proud to be an American. In a land where children have access to high-quality public education and diverse make-up of communities, jobs and families fill each institution with a sense of welcoming – the United States is strong before it is weak. With so many things to cherish, there is also a lot to be protected and cared for.
Throughout society, it is the United States military that functions as an establishment committed to protecting the daily lives of all Americans. Brave soldiers fight wars and stand on the front lines of many battles to ensure that all citizens continue to have the same freedoms, opportunities, and liberties that many are so fortunate to exercise. In the month of May, however, it is important to recognize that members of the military would not be as able to enact their duties if it weren’t for the constant love and support of their spouses.
Each year, millions of Americans pay homage to the countless sacrifices and contributions made to this country by military spouses by celebrating Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Military spouses are the backbones of individuals on active duty and represent an unwavering force of strength as they endure missions, deployments, and reintegration. Without the support of a loving spouse at home, a notable pillar of stability throughout the military would be lost. Since these spouses often go as silent heroes, it is necessary to show appreciation and thank a military spouse this May.
One of the best ways to show support for a military spouse is to take the time and learn about one in your community. In Western Kentucky, Krissy Vance is a beacon of light as she is a mother of two and proud wife to husband Chad Vance, an officer in the Kentucky National Guard. With such an esteemed position, Chad has spent a lot of time overseas serving our country. In 2013, Chad was deployed to Afghanistan and just returned last year from being stationed in Iraq. While still serving the country in the armed forces, he currently works as a civilian engineer in Metropolis, Illinois.
As a wife, Krissy is incredibly supportive of Chad in his role as a military officer due to her own experience as a woman who served in the armed forces. The spouses first met when Krissy was recruiting for the military after returning from Iraq in 2005 and recruited her husband to join the Kentucky National Guard.
Since being out of service, Krissy remains an integral part of serving her country and bettering the military. When her husband is on deployment or away enacting his military duties, Krissy is the acting parent to their boys, Gavin and Gage, and manages every household aspect. Her contributions of support and care enable a father and husband like Chad to serve adequately since he can rest assured that his kids and household are being taken care of while he has to be away. Being the spouse of someone who is required to spend many months away from home can provide difficulties.
“I went through some depression during the first deployment because it was so hard to let him go and be worried about him,” said Krissy. “But I had a really great support group throughout the last deployment. His location was bombed last January when he was gone, and we didn’t know if he was okay for about 24 hours. And when the coronavirus happened, I was having to homeschool both our boys at the time, and those difficult experiences only made us think about Chad more. These difficult times helped me to learn even more about how to manage the household by myself and depend on others.”
When Chad has to be away, Krissy and her children have only grown to cherish him more. Despite experiencing the hardships that come with fighting wars and servicing his country, Chad is an involved and dedicated father and husband when he is both home and away. In the moments that Chad gets to be home, he contributes to the Vance family dynamic so greatly. He’s been able to help out around the house and spend lots of time with each of his boys, whether that be by helping his son Gavin practice for cross-country running, playing with Gage, or doing CrossFit with them both.
With all the uncertainties and inconsistencies of her husband having to be away sometimes, Krissy is so thankful for the endless support from those close to her and her family. One place in particular which helps Krissy when Chad is away is her CrossFit Dig Deep gym in Paducah, where Chad himself is a coach. Fellow gym members are active in making sure Krissy is taken care of by being a community for her and her boys. They’ve even sent her home with gift baskets filled with gift cards to restaurants and salons to get her nails done.
As the month of May progresses, it’s immensely helpful to both military members and their spouses that individuals throughout the community show their support for them and their roles to help serve the country.
“I think some really helpful, yet easy things that people could do to show their appreciation and support is to offer things like military discounts at the businesses they work at, spread awareness about the military, and even reaching out to anyone going through deployment can help so much,” said Krissy.
During the rest of May, please consider offering your care and support to military personnel and spouses of people in the military in any way you can. The support anyone can give to those in service can help them to serve and protect the many things our country stands for.
