First and foremost I would like to say to the family of SGT Ronald Coffelt, you are in my heart today. I was in line at a drive thru for lunch and was behind a green van. There were two decals on the van that said "My Daddy died for your freedom" and "My husband died for your freedom" SGT Ronald Coffelt, 19 JUL 07. Talk about a reality check, especially after searching through the casualty list to find out more about him. Sounds like he was an outstanding husband, father, and soldier and will certainly be missed by all whose lives he touched. As an Army wife I am well aware of the fact thousands of soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice since the start of the war, but today it really hit home.
Speaking of Army life, I am going to start something new. I know of so many spouses who join the military community and are completely CLUELESS about the way things work, sometimes even months or years later. And really, who can blame them? Our soldiers all get to go through lengthy training to get all the information they need on how the military works and how to do their job. In our house we have tons of books, binders, and training manuals on everything from rank to first aid, but they're all designed for my husband, not me. Spouses, or dependents as we're referred to, don't get training manuals. Often times soldiers don't share information with their spouses because they simply don't realize how "in the dark" their spouses are. There are a ton of resources out there for spouses new the military but obviously many spouses aren't finding the information.
I've decided to start accepting questions from anyone who is wondering about Army life. I like to be prepared, so before my husband even talked to a recruiter I was researching, researching, researching, getting my hands on everything I could to learn about what we were about to get ourselves and our family into. I will try to answer every question as honestly and accurately as possible. Please understand I am only going to be sharing my personal experiences and information I have found. Everyone's military experience is different, policies vary from unit to unit, and I have limited knowledge of branches other then the Army. But I am hoping that spouses who are feeling left in the dark and/or spouses such as myself who are trying to prepare themselves, can learn and grow from my experience. Anything you want to know, from why his pay seems wonky to what the heck does XYZ acronym mean, just ask away! Questions may be sent to inspiredbymyschmooley@hotmail.com. I will reply to each and every question, and post the questions and answers here on the blog. If you have a question about something you don't want shared on the blog I will still be happy to reply via e-mail.
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Hello, I would first and formost like to say thank-you. We have never met but I have often wondered about you. You see you visited my husband's memorial page. You left me a message telling me how touched you where by my decals and how they had hit home because your husband was currently deployed. Your words touched me and helped me to. Just knowing that someone noticed and went out of their way to even learn more about my husbnad has made me speechless (not an easy thing to do). I'm happy to see that you have started this blog. I hhope that it will help other military wives, because you are so correct. That is one of the things the Survior Outreach Services here on Bragg is trying to do also. Educate before its to late. So many wives are left behind not knowing anything. Thank-you for what you are doing and thank-you for remembering my husband.
Proud Gold Star Wife of SGT Ronald L. Coffelt 118th MP CO (ABN) KIA 19 July 2007 Iraq
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