FORT SILL Okla_ The wife of one
of Fort Sill's finest is in the running for a
"Military Spouse of the Year" award.
Some believe
that the toughest job in the military is being married to someone who serves.
From waiting for your spouse to return from a deployment, to picking up and
moving at a moment's notice, it's a challenge.
So, once a year, "Military Spouse Magazine" recognizes those who
have chosen that life, and Tara Crooks is one of the finalists.
Tara does it all. Besides
being married to the military for 15 years and raising two kids, she's written
a book, operates several blogs all dealing with being a military spouse, and
even has her own radio show called Army Wife Talk Radio. It's her mission to
show the world how beautiful military life can be.
"I
honestly don't think I would have had it any other way," Crooks said.
Being a
military wife wasn't something she aspired to be, though.
"I didn't
know that I was cut out for this," Crooks said. "It wasn't in my plan. I was
going to go work corporate somewhere, and I was going to have this big job in
training and development, but here we are," Crooks said.
She said love
has nothing do with the uniform.
"Whenever I
fell in love with my husband, I didn't fall in love with a soldier," Crooks
said. "I fell in love with a scrawny kid who was in college and stalked me. He
didn't really; I stalked him," Crooks said, laughing.
She's stood by Major
Kevin Crooks' side for 15 years, through three deployments and five abrupt
moves. She'd never lie and say it is easy. She'd tell you it takes a strong
individual.
"We are resilient, amazing creatures,"
Crooks said. "There's just nobody else out there like us."
Tara Crooks has
poured herself into projects like blogs devoted to helping other military spouses
conquer the lifestyle and a book about why she loves being a military wife.
"Gosh, there
are 1,001 reasons, don't you know?!" Crooks said.
She even hosts
a talk show about being a military wife. That's why one of her Army Wife Network
friends nominated her for Military Spouse of the Year.
"I feel so
lucky to have a little group of my biggest fans," Crooks said. "I love them. I'm
their biggest fan. We're like a little family. So, I thought it was really cool
that they would recognize one of their own."
Now, Crooks is
up against 17 other finalists from each branch of the military and from
installations all over the country. She said regardless of whether she takes
the title or not, her mission remains the same: embracing military life and
making it her own.
"I just
really think that this is a life to love," Crooks said. "There's so much pride
involved in what we do, and military families are amazing. I always say that
military spouses are so much more than homecomings and all the kind of stuff
you see on the news."
Tara Crooks said
the best advice she can offer to spouses new to the military is get yourselves
a battle buddy. There will be struggles on the home front, too, and it's best
to face them with a friend.
You can vote
for Tara Crooks or any of the other finalists on March 5th only! Just click
here and follow the Military Spouse of the Year 2013 links.
