Nia Harden: Life when you're married to 'Uncle Sam'

The term was coined in the 1800s after a meat packer named Samuel Wilson. He supplied beef to the government during the war. He’s also the guy with the hat and white beard on posters recruiting people for the Army.

You could say every military family is married to "Uncle Sam." A lot of spouses probably feel that way. While it’s an honor, it can also be a juggle. Our marriages to him are all different. For our family, let’s just say the Army has needed us in several locations - Virginia, Korea, Texas, Arizona and the latest, North Carolina. One thing I love about the military is that they try to keep families together. Besides deployments, we’ve been blessed with that option.

While exploring new places is fun and exciting, it also means you may not be close to your family and friends. Every place you go, you start over with everything. You try to get your kids settled, find a new job, make new friends, don’t get me started on childcare. It’s the same for my children. For the last 10 years they’ve had to start a new school, daycare, and make new friends. My daughter has been to so many schools, I honestly can’t remember their names and I’ve lost count.

Despite the challenges of packing up and leaving, moving with the Army was something my family looked forward to - until this last move. When we found out we were going to be stationed in North Carolina, my daughter was excited because she knew it would be her last move until she went off to college. The first week we moved here, she called me from school in tears saying she didn’t like it and that she wished we hadn’t moved.

Meet WRAL morning reporter, military wife Nia Harden

It was at that moment I realized, it’s not just my husband and I connected to "Uncle Sam," it’s our children too. It really hadn’t occurred to me all the sacrifices our family had to make because of it. The fact that I’ve never lived somewhere for more than three years is crazy! That same day my daughter came home excited because another girl at school invited her to sit with her for lunch. My daughter said she loved it here now, which reminded me like every other hectic move, we were going to be fine.

People wonder how I can handle my husband being away for so long or the fact that we’re always being sent somewhere else. You realize, not only is this his job, it’s his duty and with the help of the people close to us and lots of prayer, we get through it. That's life.