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Being the wife of a Coast Guardsman stationed on a buoy tender is a lonely occupation; however, it can also be extremely rewarding. Sit back and experience a walk through a Coast Guard wife’s average week.
At 0645 you are driving your loved one to a boat that will be out in dangerous waters, perhaps never to return. Your
husband reassures you it will only be a few weeks. If they pull into a harbor he will call, when and if he can. As you walk down the pier your heart begins to tighten your throat and chum those ulcer-producing acids in your stomach. All you can think about is how alone and scared you will be; you are fighting back the inevitable tears. Somehow you do find it in yourself to fight them back for now. Your husband is rushed and preoccupied with his thoughts of leaving his family and the job he is about to do. He jumps out of the car, gets on the boat, changes his clothes and lines up for attendance. Five minutes later the earthshaking noise of the boat5 whistle startles you. Suddenly you can no longer hold back the tears. In a running walk the men rush over to hug their loved ones good-bye. Wives and children stand on the qu,e pier waving, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Now it’s time to be brave and walk on your own two fee • You are responsible for everything—the bills, the children, and trying to keep yourself in good spirits. The children 5 questions are wrenching; “When will Daddy be coming home? Does Daddy still love us?” All you can do is answe with a loving, “Yes, of course he still loves us, and he wi be home soon.” The first night is always the worst.
The clatter of the wind slapping the tree branch against window startles you awake. You are horrified at the though that your husband is probably riding a 10-to- 15-foot wave in 30-to-40-mile-an-hour winds. You calm yourself enough to say a silent prayer for him and his shipmates, and get back sleep.
A few days have passed now and your life is beginning get into order. It’s like living as a single person. The decisions you and your husband usually make together are no* on your shoulders. Sometimes you wonder what you have done to deserve such punishment. Some of the wives are stronger than others. A few get their support from a Jack Daniels bottle. Some have attempted suicide. Most of the wives fill their empty evenings with church fellowship- Eve night you pray for a little more strength.
Two weeks have passed; not a word from anyone about where the boat is or if the men are all right. Every time tne phone rings your brain plays games with you, making yoU think it could be your husband. After 15 days of lonely ^ nights the phone rings: it’s your husband. Suddenly the w°r becomes a brighter place to live in, you are back in touch with the one you love and you now know he’s okay. T*1® bliss lasts only for a few minutes, until he breaks the bad news that they won’t be home for another week or so.
One more week has passed. The third week is the easie5 ^ because you are beginning to adjust. The phone call y°u ‘ia been waiting for has just come; it was another one of the wives calling to pass on the information that the boat wilt pulling in at 2300. $
But 2300 rolls around, and still no boat. The pier looks a it did three weeks ago, except this time you see some tire but happy faces. Finally about 2400 the boat arrives. One hour later some of the men get to return home with their families. If they happen to have the duty on this night, they have to stay on the boat until the following afternoon. Eve the men lucky enough to be going home will have to return the next morning at 0745 to work until 1700.
I have explained why I call being a Coast Guard wife aI1 occupation. It is a full-time job. But I haven’t covered the rewarding part. The rewarding part is that you have dealt with everyday problems that a family would normally run into. With God’s help you have accomplished your missi°n' Of course your husband helped you in spirit, but essentia1*/ you and God have done it alone. Not only were you a vV1* ’flf but a mother, and sometimes you even had to play the pao a father. Such an accomplishment is something to be prou ^ of. This gives me a sense of wonderful worth, as a wife a as a person. So for all you Coast Guard wives out there, j next time someone asks you what you do for a living, tc*1 them you are a Coast Guard wife.
Mrs. Myles and her husband, Robert, a health service technician, find c*‘* ' are stationed at U. S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma, California- were expecting their first child at any moment when this went to press.
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Proceedings / October