Decisions of an Army Wife

Being an Army wife is tough work but making decisions as an Army wife is even tougher. Most times we don't have much of a say. When we do, though, it is important to consider everything. All the pros, all the cons, all the negatives and the positives... Sometimes thinking about what others might think or say make those decisions even harder.

Our first PCS we were given a list of possible duty stations and were allowed to choose where we wanted to go. John left it up to me after narrowing it down to two. He wanted Ft. Carson, Colorado and he knew I did not. The other option was Ft. Stewart, Georgia... and if you know me, you know where I picked. Not sure why he let me choose, but I took the opportunity and ran with it. We spent almost four years down south.

This last PCS was much like the first. We were, again, given a list of possible duty stations and the choice was ours. We didn't have nearly as much time to discuss it as we had the first go around and this time we had about 5 options (a 6th option was Ft. Carson but they were deploying soon and that was not an option we were looking for).

Option 1: Ft. Huachuca, Arizona
Option 2: Indianapolis, Indiana (Recruiter Duty)
Option 3: Hawaii (Schoffield Barracks)
Option 4: Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois (Non-Deployable)
Option 5: Ft. Jackson, South Carolina

It was quite easy to narrow it down. There was no way I was moving to Arizona. I do not think I could handle the heat. Ft. Jackson was still in the south and I wanted out... plus, John didn't care much for the area and I didn't care much for the schools. John didn't really want recruiter duty so that left us with island duty Hawaii or a midwest tour.

Hawaii was a great opportunity. How often would that option come up, right? But I wasn't sure. I researched both areas and came up with a clear answer to my pressing dilemma. Hawaii was not right for us. Everyone thought I was nuts. Who in their right mind turns down Hawaii??? Well, I don't ever claim to be in my right mind, but my left mind knew better.

Yah, Hawaii sounds cool and EVERYONE would have come to visit us there {insert eye roll} but think about it. Be realistic and really think about it. Would YOU want to take 5 small children to Hawaii? To me, that did not sound like fun. Add that on top of the many other reasons for NOT going to Hawaii. The schools were not good enough for our standards, the cost of living is outrageous (our BAH wouldn't even cover a decent place for us to live) and our dog would have been quarantined. Also, the Army would only ship one of our vehicles, we would never be able to afford to come home for Christmas and even though everyone says they would visit, I don't want to only be visited because I live in Hawaii.

So while Hawaii sounds like the perfect place to be stationed on the Army's dime... it was not the place for our family. Those are the kinds of decisions and sacrifices Army wives have to make all the time. We have to think of our family, our children, our pets, our every day lives and make tough decisions based on those factors. It isn't just cut and dry. Hawaii may not ever come up again but that is ok because I know that I made the right decision... no matter how crazy it seems or how difficult it was.

And yes, the hubby let me have the choice again... and if we get a choice next year, I bet he puts the weight on my shoulders. Unless of course he gets the option to PCS to Ft. Carson because then he will gladly take it. Third times a charm, right?