Army teaching troops how to pick the right spouse

[Taximom]

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=4455375

U-S Army chaplains are trying to teach troops how to pick the right spouse, through a program called "How To Avoid Marrying a Jerk." (more)

 

[mysteriew]

LOL, we need to have more of those classes with the general population!

 

[Paradise]

Are you kidding me? Maybe they should change the name to "How not to be a jerk in the first place."

 

[Masterj]

Are you kidding me? Maybe they should change the name to "How not to be a jerk in the first place."

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Cypros]

Officials partly blame long and repeated deployments, which started after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and stretched the service thin.

Troops also are coming home embittered or with life-altering injuries -- either way, very changed from who they were when they wed.

It seems like a poorly named program. Based on the reasons they cite for the divorces, it has nothing to do with being married to "jerks". I am disappointed that the Pentagon would use such a title.

From what I know of being a miliatary wife (my mother was one and numerous military wives post on this forum), it seems that one of the important qualities for a spouse -- from the military's perspective -- is that she be flexible, not complain, never question authority, and would never publicly protest a war or the government, even if her husband and father of her children comes home with no arms or legs--all due to lies.

A more appropriate title for this program may be: "How to find a Pentagon-approved spouse"

 

[nanandjim]

I wish that I would have saved the booklet that I was given years ago by the Marine Corps. It basically said told the wives that the Marine Corps was to be put above everything else, including the family. It was really written in a condescending tone--as if the wife had signed up as a recruit. Needless to say, this "recruit" finally went AWOL!

 

[Timex]

As we were told in basic, and many times throughout our time in the Army...

"If the Army wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one."


Seriously though, I don't see this as different from any other wartime military. Divorce always runs high in such times.

Even in peace times, it takes quite a bit to keep a military family together. I would say it is much like being married to a cop or a trauma surgeon or any other specialty that requires one to be on-call 24-7, putting the job ahead of just about everything else in their life. It's not for everyone, and it is important to know what you are getting into before marrying a military member.

 

[Taximom]

Are you kidding me? Maybe they should change the name to "How not to be a jerk in the first place."

Paradise, and everyone else, I couldn't agree with you more!

Besides, I think they need to spend more money on helping these guys and gals with all the stress from being in the war (or wherever) in the first place.

Your loving, perfectly normal spouse leaves for duty and comes back a jerk? I don't think the problem is that you married a jerk. It's what happened in-between that may have caused changes!:doh:

And then of course, there are some that are just jerks.