The Life of a Military Spouse

The Life of a Military Spouse Ashlie Silkiner

May 8th, 2016 I married my husband, Andrew Silkiner. June 2nd, I packed up and moved 1,206 miles from home, making my current residence in North Carolina. It hasn't even been a year and we have been blessed with so many amazing memories. As of now, I am currently a student at Park University in the process of obtaining my Bachelor's Degree in Finance Management. This here, is my story.

May 8th, 2015 Andrew graduated the Marine Corps Boot Camp. This was a great accomplishment for him. Twelve long weeks of intense training, to do the job he had dreamed of his whole life. After graduating, he was given ten days to come home and spend time with his family.

June 13th, Andrew graduated MCT (Marine Combat Training). Andrews mother, JoAnn, and I flew all the way to California to watch this Marine of ours march across the field to graduate. We were only given 24 hours of family time, but those 24 hours were spent on the warm, California beaches.

September 5th, 2015, Andrew popped the question. Which as you can tell, called for a photoshoot. From left to right you see my father in law, my grandmother, mother in law, husband, myself, my mother and my step-father.

May 8th, 2016 Andrew and I got married.

Since getting married, I moved to North Carolina and have gotten to experience many wonderful memories. My family came to visit and we went to see the USS North Carolina Battleship, we experienced our first hurricane, and have had many fun memories with friends who have come to visit.

Three months after moving to North Carolina, we met with a hip and knee surgeon. We shortly found out that Andrew had the hip of a 75 year old man. We were put in the position of Medical Separation, or to have surgery. Clearly we chose the route of surgery. Andrew received a Hip Arthroscopy and an Iliopsoas Tendon Release. Essentially the surgeon shaved the head of his femur, cleaned up debris from torn cartilage, and cut the tendon in his hip in hopes of lengthening it. This was a life changing situation.

When we initially moved to North Carolina, we had one dog and one cat. Threw the process of having surgery, many field ops, and being away from home, we quickly decided to expand our fur family, and brought Johnny Cash into the picture.

This was Johnny at ten weeks old.

Surprisingly enough, Johnny and my cat get along great. It has been four months and they are finally becoming friends. Sometimes I wonder who is the dog and who is the cat.

Johnny Cash has brought so much joy into our lives. When we initially told our parents we were getting another animal, they all were a little skeptical. Not a minute goes by that he isn't making us laugh. Being in the Marine Corps, we have many puppy play dates that keep us on our toes. Our fur babies might as well be a full time job.

As of the 1st of April, Andrew has been put on an MEB (Medical Evaluation Board). Eight months post-op, and there is no signs of improvement in his hip. We knew this was a possibility, but nothing we ever truly expected. The next six months will be spent with doctors, the VA, lawyers, and medical boards, evaluating the full disability that Andrew is faced with for the rest of his life.

At this point, we are looking at medical retirement. In less than one year, I will have lived in Kansas City, North Carolina, and be packing back up to move back to Kansas City. We have many obstacles to face as the Marine Corps will be fighting us every step of the way, but this is still just the beginning of our journey.

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The Life of a Military Spouse Ashlie Silkiner

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