Army Wives: Alaska

The OWN Network has started airing a show about 7 Army wives living at Ft. Richardson, Alaska while their husbands are deployed. It's actually remarkably realistic (for a reality show), but unfortunately for the OWN Network (and for real military wives everywhere), there just isn't a way to accurately portray what it's like to send someone you love to war, the feeling of terror that comes over you when you hear there has been a KIA, the feeling of relief when you know your husband is safe - and then the immediate guilt for feeling better when someone elses life has just fallen apart, or the wonder of a homecoming. I've been really irritated over the years when a friend or aquaintance has come to me and said "I watch Army Wives, I know exactly what you go through". Though I have always appreciated the attempt to relate, you just truly can't understand until you live it; this show, however is a close as someone on the outside looking in could get (at least judging by the first 2 episodes).

I watched the show in the family room and Erik was down here on the computer (and I'm glad, I think tuning in to this show will be good for him! Anyway,) and we both had a few moments of "Did she really just say/do that?!", because after all it is still a reality show, and sometimes people are cast just to be the drama - but to be honest the show is close enough to real life that I realized I desperately miss the sisterhood that comes from seeing each other through the ups and downs of this lifestyle.

I'm really glad these women are being true to the gamut of feelings a person goes through during a deployment- sadness, anger, lonliness, anger again - no feeling is unreasonable, and I'm glad these women are showing it - warts and all.

Sidenote: During the show, Erik and I were both wondering aloud why they chose Ft. Richardson to film in and suddenly I realized that I bet it's because it's ridiculously gorgeous. If America saw some of the crappy bases that the Army has to offer, recruiting would plummet.