The Sacrifice of Military Families

Abstract

The impact of war is not limited to the battlefield. The families of soldiers also make great sacrifices when one of their members is engaged in combat. Sleepless nights, loved ones missing at holidays, a parent left alone to raise children, and the torment of wondering whether the knock on the door is a military officer in full dress bearing the bad news of the death of a loved one are among the anxieties that military families face. Tragically, as the number of fallen soldiers increases, more and more families are faced with the trauma of death. As the wife of one marine put it, “[b]eing married to a Marine is said to be the toughest job in the Corps.”¹