nbcuniversal archive (july 12, 2019), copyright
©2019 by nbcuniversal archive, nbcnews.com.Nonmilitary friends
don’t get it: “The mind-
set of many Americans
is, If you work hard,
you’ll be fine. If you tell
someone from outside
of the military community
that you shop at a food
pantry, they’re like, ‘Oh,
are you mismanaging
your money?’”
The guilt is crippling:
“For a while there
were lots of tears on
my part: ‘What am I
doing wrong? This is
embarrassing.’ I don’t
think that way anymore.”It’s about priorities:
“How can we have new
billion-dollar warships
when our sailors are
struggling to eat? I used
to see on the news,
‘Support the troops.’
Then why don’t they pay
them enough to live more
comfortably?”We yearn to be
middle-class: “I’m
grateful that I have thehealth insurance I do,
because a lot of Ameri-
cans don’t. Still, a lot
of things a typical subur-
ban family should be able
to do, my family can’t.
We’ve never been to
Disneyland.”Through it all,
she has learned
about empathy:
“I no longer take things
for granted. As a result,
I’m really aware of
people who have less
than others.”WHAT A MILITARY SPOUSE
WANTS YOU TO KNOW
Desirée Mieir loves her four young children, her sailor husband,
and her country. But she feels the financial burden every day.but she wishes more Americans knew
that food insecurity among the lower
enlisted ranks of the military is a
problem. “We’re giving 100 percent to
the country, and the country doesn’t
give it back.”
On the morning of May 20, the USS
Stockdale, a guided-missile destroyer,
slowly docks at Naval Base San Diego.
Jubilant sailors disembark. One of
them is Dan Mieir. Among the throng
of loved ones waiting is Desirée, wip-
ing away tears of joy, anxiety, and ex-
citement. She’s wearing a flaming-red
sleeveless dress and holding a sign
that reads, “Hey Sailor, after 212 days,
this Missus Needs Kisses.”
Later that day, Dan sneaks into
his twins’ classroom at Dewey El-
ementary. The second they spot their
father, they leap up from their desks,
run past their schoolmates, and
jump into his open arms, shrieking,
“Daddy’s home!” Two beautiful
words, which, for today, push away
all the worries. RDNational Interestrd.com 83