What is a MILITARY Wife? 什麼是軍人的妻子？(網路轉載，小娜翻譯)

今天小娜要跟大家分享這篇軍人妻子們網路上互傳的文章，希望幫助大家對美國的軍人文化能夠有些瞭解！

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What is a MILITARY Wife? (source: internet, Original writer- unknown)
什麼是(美國)軍人的妻子？

They may look different and each is wonderfully unique 
她們可能看起來每個都各有獨自的樣子
But this they have in common. 
但是她們有共同的地方

They have THIS IN COMMON!
她們相同處就是 
Lots of moving--- 
很多很多的搬家 
moving 
搬家
moving
搬家 

moving far from home 
搬到離家很遠的地方
moving two cars, three kids and one dog----all riding with HER of course 
搬兩台車，三個孩子，跟一隻狗---- 當然都跟著她一起走
moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house 
搬沙發到地下室，因為它沒辦法擺入“這個”房子
moving curtains that won't fit 
搬窗簾，因為他們尺寸不合
moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours 
搬工作，跟所有專業證照，以及再教育學分
moving away from friends moving toward new friends 
搬離舊朋友們，搬向新朋友們
moving her most important luggage; her trunk full of memories 
搬著最重要的那個行李- 她滿車的回憶

Photo By: Cpl. Robert Reeves

Often waiting- 
常常等待
waiting, waiting, waiting for housing; waiting for orders; 
等待，等待，等待房子，等待下個派駐文件
waiting for deployment; waiting for reunion; waiting for phones calls; 
等待派遣到戰區的老公，等待團圓的一天，等待電話響起
waiting for the new curtains to arrive; waiting for him to come 
等待新窗簾的到來，等待他歸來
home for dinner. 
可能只是回家吃晚餐

Photo By: Cpl. Jonathan R. Waldman

They call her 'military dependent', but she knows better 
大家叫她"軍人的依附眷屬"，但她知道的比“依附”更多
she can balance a checkbook 
她知道如何讓支票簿收支平衡
handle the yard work 
知道如何割草整理院子(各種粗重的工作)
fix a noisy toilet.
知道如何修理馬桶 
She is intimately familiar with drywall, anchors, and toggle bolts. 
她更密切地熟悉 砌牆，錨，牆螺栓

She can file the taxes, sell a house, buy a car, or set up a move, -- 
--all with ONE Power of Attorney. 
她可以報稅，賣房子，買車子，安排好搬家----> 全就靠一張先生的授權委託書

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her. 
她歡迎那些不歡迎她的鄰居

Reinvents her career with every PCS;
她在每次永久更改駐地的命令重新樹造她的職業(PCS--Permanent Change of Station)
locates a house in the desert, the arctic, or the deep south and learns to call them all 'home'. 
在沙漠，在北極圈，或者在鳥不生蛋的南方腹地找房子，並且叫這些地方"家“
She MAKES them all home. 
而且把這些地方打造成”家“

She is fiercely IN-dependent  
她強而有力的獨立自主
Military Wives are somewhat hasty 
軍人妻子通常動作很快
They leap into decorating, leadership, volunteering, career alternatives, churches and friendships. 
她們常以飛躍的速度進行裝修，領導，做志工，找代替職業，教會，經營友誼
They don't have 15 years to get to know people. 
因為她們沒有15 年去認識人 (小娜云:對呀～常常只有15 分鐘)

Their roots are short but flexible. 
她們的友誼扎根很淺，但是很有彈性

They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them. 
她們在院子裡種植一年生的花卉給自己，並種植多年生植物留給後面來的人
Military Wives quickly learn to value each other. 
軍人的妻子們快速的學習珍惜彼此

They connect over coffee, rely on the spouse-network and accept offers of 
friendship and favors and record addresses in pencil. 
她們用喝咖啡為名義彼此連絡，依靠配偶互聯網，接受別的妻子伸出的友善的手，接受友誼以及幫忙，然後用鉛筆寫下彼此的地址
Military Wives have a common bond. 
因為只有軍人的妻子們有個能聯繫在一起的羈絆 (小娜云：很多事真的只有這群妻子們才懂)

The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands. 
軍人妻子的老公不像一般人的老公
His commitment is unique. He doesn't have a job, he has a 'mission' he can't just decide to quit. 
他的承諾是獨特的。他沒有一個“工作”，而是一個無法自己決定要離開的“任務”
He's on-call for his country 24/7, 
他每週七天每天24 小時都在為他的國家待命

but for you，he's the most... Unreliable guy in town... 
但對妳而言，他是整個城市最“靠不住”的男人

His language is foreign: TDY, PCS, OPR, ACC, BDU
他的語言簡直是外星人，例如TDY, PCS, OPR, ACC, BDU 
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
就是這樣，軍人的妻子還要兼任他＆她家人間的“翻譯” 
She is the long-distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds them together.
她是娘家婆家的遠距離的聯絡站，唯一讓家人黏在一起的膠水

Military Wife has her moments-- 
She wants to wring his neck, dye his uniform pink, and refuse to move to Siberia . 
軍人太太也有不爽的時候--- 很想掐他的脖子，把他的的制服染成粉紅色，然後拒絕搬去什麼“西伯利亞”

But she pulls herself together. 
但她還是把自己拉回來在一起

Give her a few days, a travel brochure, a long hot bath, a pledge to the flag, and a wedding picture. 
只要給她幾天，一本旅遊廣告， 泡一個熱水澡，想想自己對國旗的尊榮心，還有一張結婚照片(小娜云：那是當時兩個人的甜蜜承諾..... 不過經驗裡，上面這段少了～幾杯紅酒)
And she goes. 
她好了
She packs. 
她打包
She moves.
她搬家 
She follows. 
她跟隨

Why? 
為什麼
What for?
這為了什麼？ 
How come? 
到底為什麼？
You may think it is because she has lost her mind. 
你可能想說她一定是丟掉了腦袋
But actually it is because she has lost her heart. 
但是其實她是丟掉了她的心

It was stolen from her by a man
她的心被一個男人偷走了 
who puts duty first 
這個男人把職責放第一位
who salutes the flag 
這個男人向一面國旗致敬

Photo by: Sgt. Raymond Lott

and whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military husband, 
She will remain his Military wife. 
而當這個男人的那雙軍靴出現在門口時，提醒她只要他是她的軍人丈夫，她就還是他的軍人妻子。