Yes, we've already been told about natural vs. synthetic hormone replacement meds. And the Army hospital here is the #1 military hospital for endocrinology, nuclear med, and internal med AND one of the top 100 hospitals in the US according to US News and World Report (civilian or military)for the past 3 years in a row. So we're pretty comfortable with her quality of care.

As for the going off to war thing...gang, that's what soldiers do! It's easy to forget we've been at war for the past 8 years now because they're so damned good at keeping us so safe that we don't even really notice. But when your spouse is in the military, the reality that they're going to get on a plane and go away for a year or longer every now and then to go hunt bad guys is part of the deal. It doesn't make it any easier, but it isn't a surprise...like a doc saying, "You have tumors in your neck that might be cancer."

The reality is this: since 9/11, the operational tempo for all active duty army and marine corps personnel has been (on average) 1 year deployed and 1 year at home. BUT...that 1 year at home includes 3 months of pre-deployment work-up for the next 1 year combat deployment. It also includes ALL temporary duty assignments and travel for schools, training, and such necessary for career advancement and professional development. So the typical soldier or marine is gone from home about 75% of the time. And that's been going on for 8 years solid. That's why the divorce rates, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, high school dropout rates for military kids, military suicides, military-involved murders, and all that [censored] are skyrocketing and veteran soldiers are getting out as fast as they possibly can unless they are single with no kids.

That, the coffins, the wheelchairs, the scars, and the PTSD...these are the REAL "sacrifices" the military makes so that we don't have to even live like there IS a war going on.

I don't know why MPs are not considered as being combat troops. But then, I am not in the military so I may be missing something. At any rate, I wish her a well and boring time over there.

God bless and keep her. I lost mine May 7

She got nuked today. So the Army sent her home because she was too dangerous to hang around with them. Gee...thanks! LOL She can't get within 6' of another human being for the next 8 days, can't touch animals. Can't eat off of anything but paper plates. And is carrying a DoD letter that notifies everyone that if she sets off a radiometer it's the Army's fault...so please don't kill her or arrest her.

So - in the past 14 months she's been shot, beaten, stabbed, tased, pepper sprayed, gased twice, given anthrax, and nuked. And they haven't even sent her to war yet! LMAO

So much for all that, "Back when I was in the military we had it really tough..." stuff. We did have it tough. And we were good at what we did. But these kids today are AMAZING!