They may say the same vows, but a military marriage is unlike any other. Living on a base far away from your family, having your husband gone for two years at a time, worrying if he will come home alive. It's hard on a relationship, to say the least. A lot of women couldn't deal. What's even harder? When your husband comes back different ... frighteningly different.
Imagine if the man you loved locked himself in a hotel room with guns and alcohol and told you "he might do something stupid." That's what Ashley Wise faced when her husband Rob returned from war with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She reached out to the Family Advocacy Group at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where they live, but realized that if she got her husband the help he needed, he could be dishonorably discharged.
Thousands are coming back with PTSD, suffering from violent mood swings, erratic behavior, and severe depression. And it's not just the soldiers who deal with it. The entire family has to face this sad reality of war and military wives are ready to battle when it comes to saving their men and their marriage.
Frustrated with the military's reaction, Ashley waged a war of her own. One night, she had a friend scribble the following poem on her back with an eyeliner:
Broken by battle, wounded by war, I love you forever,
To you this I swore: I will quiet your silent screams,
Help heal your shattered soul,
Until once again, my love, you are whole.
After she posted the picture to her Facebook page and asked other wives to do the same, the organization Battling Bare was born. It's where hundreds of women share their stories and find the support and encouragement they need to keep fighting for their marriages. They are also getting awareness for PTSD, a problem most of us will never have to deal with or understand.
It's an admirable cause, but one Wise gets flack for. She's been called an "attention grabbing whore" among other things. But sticks and stones. Those spiteful, ignorant jabs mean nothing to her if showing a little skin will help her get her husband back.
What do you think about Ashley's cause?
Image via battlebare.org
Tie-Dye for the Fourth of July!
Mom Survives Horrific Domestic Abuse
Kim and Kanye's Baby Name Predictions!
Moms Love Birthday Parties, Too!
Comments 127
To all of those who would call these women "attention grabbing whores": I speak as one who has seen PTSD first hand. Who are you to judge how a woman fights to preserve her marriage? Who are you to say that she is wrong when you do not know the burden she bears? Who are you to stand on the outside and armchair QB her life? Do you see how her husband suffers? Have you EVER seen what her husband has seen? Have you carried the load she has while he protected your freedoms? Do you honestly think you could? Kudos to these women who fight for the men who have fought for all of us. For anyone to call them whores is disrespectful; pure, plain, and simple. I have not seen the horrors these husbands have faced that have left them scarred. I have seen the aftermath of those horrors; though. Shame on those who would besmirch these women; shame on all of you.
Those who are saying she cheated- Uh, I did a google search for 30 minutes and found absolutely nothing that supports that claim (though I could be wrong). Also, for all you that have something to say about her showing her back- do not ever wear a bathing suit again. NEVER. Don't even bother wearing a granny bathing suit. You want women to cover their skin, go live in Iraq.
The point is that she is attracting attention the cause. THAT'S what matters. Nothing else. You cannot see breasts or butts, so why does it matter. Go take your hypocritical selves somewhere else.
Good job Ashley, and to all of the other women who are also taking part in this amazing cause!! :))