There are a few members of my social circle who don't understand this inter-service rivalry thing. We are a proud Navy family, and we make fun of the Air Force, and we enjoy making disparaging comments about the Army. (We don't touch the Marines...my grandfather is a Marine and they are revered in our house. Plus, they don't have a football team.)
Most of you understand that this is all in good fun, right?
What amazes me is the number of people who don't understand the friendly nature of this competition. I've gotten comments ranging from, "Why can't you all just get along?" to "Is it okay that you are friends, since they're in the Army?" Each time, I'm speechless.
It seems so obvious to me. My children have always understood, even when they were young, that we give our sister-service friends a hard time, but we love them fiercely. I will be the first person to step up and offer assistance to any military family, regardless of the color of their servicemember's uniform. I have close friends in every branch of the service. I tend to identify more with the concept of "military spouse" than "Navy spouse."
To me, the teasing and joking is a way that I express my affinity for the other services. Just as a sister might tease another sister, it is a way of showing love and affection without getting all mushy. Honestly, I don't think my friends want me coming up to them with a hug and blubbering, "I love the Coast Guard." It would be awkward, it would sound funny, and I might get snot on their clothes.
For the record, I would like to make sure that everyone knows that I respect and appreciate all our military services.
Now, Beat Army!
