(UPDATE: The following is a loose transcript of  the speech that I gave at the Invisible Ribbon Gala at CFB Trenton on May 3rd, 2014.  I was asked to speak on why  military families still needed support following the end of Canada’s major contribution to the war in Afghanistan.  As life would have it, my husband deployed for a different war 5 months later, making the point I was trying to emphasis that much clearer. It is my opinion and my story, nothing more.  And there are so many more out there with stories to share, mine is not any more unique or special. I am so appreciative of how well it was received, I am blown away by your response and grateful I could make a small difference for the evening.  Thank you.) If I have learned one thing in the time that it has been my privilege to write and speak as a military spouse, it is the vast diversity of our community. That diversity is seen when a Combat Arms family moves from Edmonton to a logistics base in Kingston.  The first time Dh left in civilian clothes and a rolling suitcase, I was worried he was just leaving us.  Apparently he told me, suitcases and hotel rooms are how the Air Force rolls.  He was being snarky, but I was thinking he had picked the wrong gig then! It is seen when I find myself explaining the difference between a LAV and a Tank to the spouse who has just corrected my use of the word ‘boat’ to describe her husband’s ship. And it is seen here today, as my husband sits in his scarlets and spurs at this Air Force museum. It perhaps hit me the hardest several years…