One of the speakers at the At-Home Dads Convention was Jeremy Hilton, aka U.S. Military’s First Male Spouse of the Year. Like I wrote on a previous post about the convention, if you think you have to deal with outdated stereotypes as a stay-at-home dad, imagine the added stereotypes and other difficulties you have to overcome as a stay-at-home dad in a military base.
Still, Hilton seems like a great guy, who has made the choice to concentrate on the positive. Attempting to reach other dads in similar situations, who may otherwise feel isolated as male military spouses, Hilton and other male military spouses have set up an organization called Macho Spouse.
The organization, which currently operates with no assistance from the military, serves to introduce new military spouses to the basics of life as a male military spouse, and to help other male military spouses connect and feel less isolated. The Male Spouse 101 section on their website, for example, includes military jargon, ranking explanations ("Who salutes your wife, or who your wife salutes"), and other resources.
In addition to these resources, the website includes a blog, links, videos, job-seeking assistance, and much more.
In a perfect world, a country that cares about its military as much as the US does, will also be there for the spouses of career soldiers, and maybe one day it will happen. For now, though, these men are on their own, doing everything they can to join forces in order to help other male military spouses feel like they're a part of a group.
If you know a male military spouse, please let him know about Macho Spouse. You'll help him and his wife navigate the sometimes difficult path of military life.