Continuing on with the reasons I am thankful for this military life, where I have shared a week of different things that we are thankful for. Today’s reason does not need much explanation, we are thankful for the education opportunities we, as a family, have been able to use.
Shortly after we got married, my husband was able to transfer his education benefits of the GI bill to me to use for my bachelors degree. I am incredibly thankful for that opportunity. There are specific criteria for transferring the GI bill, but as long as you meet the minimum requirements, it was fairly simple process. I am thankful for this military life by allowing for family members to also use the GI bill.
As well as the GI bill benefits, my husband is able to attain his degree by other education benefits of this military life. And thanks to technology and so many colleges that are extremely military friendly, it has allowed for him to complete courses online, and also around a demanding work schedule of him. This has been so helpful for our family because it would it be near impossible for my husband to do traditional school for 16 weeks at a time in a classroom, as well as keep up with his work schedule. In addition to college, the education my husband has received from courses and experiences throughout this military life are all nothing he could have received from a classroom.
For most of my school, I was fortunate to be able to attend classes on campus. This goes back to Day 1 of my thankfulness, there is no way I could have done that without my husband and all that he has done for us to have the life we have. There were several nights before and after our children were born, that he made sure I had a quiet distraction-free time to get homework and projects completed. I was able to complete online courses for the latter part of my degree, which worked out well while stationed in Japan.
Being thankful for the educational benefits is not just college in our family. This military life has allowed us the opportunity to home school our children surrounded by other military families with a similar lifestyle. Where many are frustrated with the transient life of the military, we see it as a blessing and an opportunity to educate our children with these changes.
Education is something both my husband and I are very thankful for of this military life and I am excited for many more of the education opportunities we may have. Most all the education and skills that we have learned will also benefit us years after the active duty life of the military.
