Sarah Smiley

Flying a Desk: Less Glamour, More Reality

Gridlock

Sarah Smiley

Dustin sent me an essay that our friend Frank wrote for the U.S. Navy War College website. "I spend my days sequestered in a dismal pooka only to churn out mindless reports of barely readable administrivia," Frank writes. "[At the end of the day], I proceed to my truck to enjoy at least an hour and a half of bumper-to-bumper traffic. ... I will... more

Is This The New America?

Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013.

Sarah Smiley

On April 15, while the Boston Marathon was getting underway, the boys and I were in Washington, D.C., embarking on another time-honored American tradition: visiting our representative in Congress. We entered the Longworth congressional building at the corner of C Street Southeast and New Jersey Avenue SE, with the Capitol building visible just ... more

Pentagon Trip Is Refresher on Military Lifestyle

Pentagon

Sarah Smiley

When you live in a mostly civilian town like Bangor, Maine, some of the services' nuances fade from memory. It usually takes going back home for these memories to resurface, like they never were forgotten. A recent trip to D.C. and a visit with Dustin at his new job at the Pentagon was this homecoming for me. I remembered the military way of li... more

Things to Learn From Living Apart

Couple

Sarah Smiley

Readers were surprised to learn last week that after Dustin's yearlong deployment, the military assigned him elsewhere. Together as a family, we decided that the boys and I will stay behind. We will maintain an apartment in one city, a house in the other, and commute on weekends. Some readers questioned our decision: “Why would anyone with youn... more

Is Geo-Baching the Solution to Military Marriage?

Geobach'ing

Sarah Smiley

When my husband returned from a yearlong deployment overseas, he was (of course) sent on a new military assignment -- in a different state. We found ourselves up against the modern military dilemma: which spouse concedes to the other's career? Back when I first because a military wife in 1999, that choice was a no-brainer. It was still customar... more

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