Promotion?

I've been neglecting this blog, but it's actually because I have so much to say that I don't know where to begin. A lot of things are happening in our lives right now in terms of changes in our jobs. Yes, don't you know that as a wife married to an officer in the Army, I have a job, too? More on the complicated aspect of wife politics later. This post is about my husband.

The Hubby has been promoted to become an Executive Officer (XO) of a different company. This promotion is solely a promotion in title and responsibilities, but it doesn't include a higher salary. More work for the same pay? No surprises there!

Basically, this means that he is second in command of a company of approximately 130 soldiers. He is the Company Commander's (Captain) right-hand man. All I really know about this new job is that he will no longer be a Platoon Leader and will deal mostly with paperwork. This is not my husband's cup of tea. He has grown to love his soldiers over the past nine months, and they have developed a bond between one another that is so strong and steady that has made his platoon the best in the company. And since the company is the best in the battalion, it's probably safe to say that he has the best platoon in the battalion!

Yeah, my husband is seriously kicking major ass at his job. He told me last week that he received an amazing evaluation by his commanders and has been ranked in the top two out of 36 platoon leaders in the battalion. They didn't tell him if he was either number one or two, but they did say that he was ready to command his own company now if he had to. I am one proud wife!

You see, this is especially amazing as when he was first given his soldiers, he was told that he had a group of rejects and nobodies that no one wanted. The Hubby was told by numerous others that he had his work cut out for him. But he gave everyone a clean slate, whipped them into shape, gave them confidence in themselves, and they worked their way to the top.

But now he has to leave them all and move to a completely different region of Iraq. This was devastating news for my husband. His current commander fought for him to stay, but it was useless. There was a need for someone with my husband's talents and they wanted him ASAP. I tried to convince him that he should be flattered to have been chosen for this job because it means that they believe he is qualified for the job.

Now, here is a wife's perspective. Knowing that TH loves his job and is good at what he does keeps me going back at home. So if he is miserable, then I am miserable as well. Because suffering through loneliness and all the rest of it was okay as long as my husband was happy. His work is more important, and I could suck it up for him. But if he is unhappy, then what does that mean for me?

If I get the chance tomorrow, I'll write about how else this promotion affects me. Boy, is it a doozy!