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I Love A Man In Uniform: A Memoir Of Love, War, And Other Battles (2009)

by Lily Burana(Favorite Author)

3.59 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1602860831 (ISBN13: 9781602860834)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Weinstein Books

review 1: Lily Brana delves into just about every aspect of the military life in one enjoyable and fun read. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the humbling. The dynamics of military wives and the, at times, ancient practices of the military community. Rank, the Army alphabet, protocol, and so much more. this book was eye opening and really gave me a greater understanding for what I would face in the military world. As a military spouse you give up just about everything to play the role as devoted and loyal Army wife. Burana points out that you don't have to sacrifice who you are for your country and that loving a man in uniform doesn't have to mean losing yourself.I read this book as a new Army wife. It was eye opening and thought provoking. The tone was funny and relatable and felt ... moremore like a conversation with a fellow Army wife then it felt like I was reading a book. The military life is highly misunderstood. The role as a military wife is even more foreign. military wives can be painted in one of two lights. The unfaithful woman who cheats when her husband deploys and mooches off the system...often naive and unprepared for the struggles she'll face. Or the proper, perfect military wife who is the support and heart of her military man. The military spouse is greatly underestimated and this book really delves into what we are military wives are capable of. And in addition, it portrays the struggle we face in a true and honest light.We're not all perfect and patriotic; providing endless support and zero resistance. We feel the tug at our hearts when or soldier deploys or trains for lengths of time. We feel the sacrifice when we move away from what we know and put our careers on the back burner. This book doesn't encourage Army wives to rebel by any means, it simply lets them know that they're not alone and that it does get better if you make the proper steps in the right direction. Lily Burana brings to light the fact that military spouses can do both. Be a supportive wife and stand on her own two feet.Above all else, this book lets military spouses know that they don't have to sacrifice who they are to be there for their soldier.
review 2: The book really illustrates some of my conflicting views on supporting the troops, but being troubled with what they do. It was really relevant to my life when I read it. Here are some quotes that resonated with me:You know what's hot about soldiers? They know things, important things about protection and survival. The great outdoors is the great unknown to me, and to revere my man as a sage of this realm had real meaning. He taught me about chewing match heads so mosquitoes don't bite you-- they are repelled by the sulfur in your bloodstream, and how to scare away coyotes nosing around your tent by making a coyote shaker out of a handful of pennies in an empty soda can sealed up with duct tape.You know what else is hot about soldiers? They've done things. When we met, Mike's accomplishments were a big attraction, and that only ramped up when we knew he was leaving for the war, which would not be called The Iraq War by the military conversant, but rather, it would be folded into the larger, ongoing Global War on Terrorism, a.k.a. GWOT, sounding in its pronunciation-- "G-WOT!" -- like a sound effect from Japanese anime. He was about to accomplish yet another significant feat.Within the soldier's outsize capability and experience is the humble element of purpose. There's something deeply stirring about a man responding to the call of duty, and in hearing war stories delivered with a strong dose of modesty. At the core, being a soldier means possessing an unself-conscious capability. Selfless service is one of the Army values. It's also a powerful aphrodisiac. A firm body catches your eye, but firm beliefs capture your heart.While "no one hates war more than a soldier," as Mike frequently reminded me before he left, and I knew he didn't want to go, it would have been infinitely worse if he hadn't. He didn't become an Army officer because he wanted to slack. He wanted to serve, and to be deprived of that opportunity, by fate or circumstance, would be a gut-shot to his well-being, to his identity as a soldier. "Devotion is not a uniform to be worn on certain days and then to be put aside," the spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Babe once said. Anybody can mosey down to the Army/Navy surplus and pick up some camouflage or a dress blue to wear, but it wouldn't have the same effect as the real deal. The uniform itself is not what attracts us, it's the character of the man who wears it.""I'm not one to advocate a retro gender politics -- I want to see women as surgeons and soldiers, politicians and mothers and more. But after two centuries of feminism, I still prefer a man to open the car doors and the pickle jars. There are politics and then there are preferences, and all desire for equality aside, I'd be bereft without the masculine touch. It's that cavewoman thing, a crazy howl from the primal depths. In the wild jungle of the female heart, it's two steps forward, one step back in this ancient mating dance -- I like a strong lead, as both a standard to meet and a guiding light to follow. Parity between the sexes is one thing, respect for essential difference is quite another. The two exist, like man and woman, in ways that flatter and complement each other. I'm woman enough to boldly state my appreciation for male strength as embodied by the American soldier. For those of us who love a man in uniform, might makes Mr. Right. less

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