Typhoons and Military Spouses
Here in Okinawa Typhoon season is just around the corner and I have been reminiscing about last years Typhoon season and the “strangers” who were around me, these women who I didn’t know saw a familiar situation and helped me. And it touched my heart. This post is for them.
My husband has never been with me to brave a typhoon. He gets the call to leave as he has to help evacuate the planes and I got left with a new baby, a dog and a house to prep. We had some typhoons last year, really bad typhoons, cars flipping and flying across parking lots bad typhoons. I had never been though a typhoon season as we arrived on the island the year before just after it ended so I didn’t realize that sand bags were advised. Coming from California, earthquakes are common but typhoons are unheard of. So after watching all of the special announcements around Typhoon Bolaven I took my son and drove off to the sand pit to get some sand bags ready.
I got to the sandpit. It was raining. Of course! So there I was with my sandbags, shovel and infant in a travel system trying to get sand bags to secure my home while trying to keep my baby dry. A group of women recognized my predicament, husband gone and a lonely spouse trying to protect her young family and home in his absence. These women pitched in and helped me fill my sandbags and loaded them into my car while I was able to place my son inside away from the rain. One of them had her 11 year old with them who also pitched in. We were out of there in no time and ready to face the typhoon. Those women gave me more than a helping hand, they gave the feeling that I wasn’t completely alone in this. And I was thankful for them.
The rank that their husbands held, what service they were, none of it mattered. One look and they knew what was going on.
So wherever you’re stationed, if you see that struggling military wife, help her. It makes a world of difference.
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