Surely, I am just misinterpreting some of the responses as having sexist undertones.
First, yes I am an SNA spouse.
Nonetheless, I am intimately familiar with the the support needed and challenges faced by an active duty service member as I have been one myself. I am not some fly-on-the-wall, stay-at-home wife, however, my husband is a grown man and makes his own decisions.
He has already been selected for TACAMO so I am not here searching for information to "change his mind". Conversely, I am looking for some insight for both of us as we have not had any prior contact with this community and would like some information on what to expect.
I don't need any comments or advice on how to be a supportive spouse. I am just looking for a small glimpse into the community my husband is about to enter so I can best prepare my family.
Thanks!
Mee-ow!
I think we all got off on the wrong foot here. I will try to provide some more info:
From my spouse's perspective: TACAMO is awesome. It has provided us with a lot of stability for our family to have a life.
I have never missed a childbirth, major illness, funeral, or any other major event while in TACAMO. Leave can almost always be scheduled given enough advance notice and without abusing it.
Your hubs will be gone a lot, but he will be home often too.
You can afford a palace in OKC for what you would pay for a shack in San Diego. The reasons are obvious, but OKC has a lot to offer too. If you have a fairly portable career, there is a lot of opportunity to work here too, especially in energy and military related jobs.
As far as being a "military spouse", you can go that route or not. My wife doesn't do the knives club, and I have never nudged her in that direction. She has a full life and set of friends that have nothing to do with the Navy along with plenty of squadron friends as well. Being in a fairly big city where the military isn't the only show in town allows her to do that.
If you have kids, there are excellent schools in the burbs.
In short, most people really like it here. It is mostly going to depend on your attitude and ability to see through all the shitty parts of living here (the barren landscape, no beach, the weather) and see all the really great things about this city and the TACAMO community. We were ready to leave after my JO tour, but we are both glad to be back.