For 22 years, I was a military wife, putting aside my needs to support my husband's career - all for the promise that after retirement, when our children were grown, we'd travel the world together. In 2018, retirement finally came, and not long after, our nearly 25-year marriage crumbled. When his military career ended, it felt like he lost his sense of purpose. I tried to hold things together, but the unhappiness and bitter fights left me drowning, too.
Travis, previously an Air Force flight surgeon, had matched into a military-sponsored orthopedic residency in Houston. With a 1-year-old and a newborn in a brand-new city, Erin paused her career as a labor and delivery nurse to support her husband's residency and get the family settled. Unpacking was the easy part. Making the unfamiliar feel like home was the real challenge.