What it Means to be a Military Mother-in-law
On May 8th we celebrated Mother’s Day – a day to honor all mothers and mother figures.
Image Credit: U.S. Army
Arlette Mendenhall, the store manager at the Optical Center in Fort Huachuca, Arizona is just one of many National Vision mothers who we’d like to thank for all that they do.
Having worked as a store manager and licensed optician at Fort Huachuca since 2005, Arlette is no stranger to the military. Throughout her career with NVI, she has helped countless Army spouses and children with their vision needs. She is proud to work at NVI and even prouder to work at one of our military stores.
Arlette is also a proud Army mother-in-law. Both of her sons-in-law have served our country in the Army – one in an Airborne unit and the other as a Chinook helicopter mechanic.
Arlette clearly remembers the day her first son-in-law announced that he was joining the Army. Everyone was very proud of him but didn’t know what to expect. There were lots of meetings and training before he even left for Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma – far from home, and far from her daughter (his then girlfriend).
She also remembers how tough those first couple of days of Basic Training were. They began to receive wildly anticipated phone calls and before she knew it, 10 weeks were over and it was time to attend graduation. Being the supportive mother that she is, Arlette loaded up the car and began the two-day driving adventure from Southern Arizona to Oklahoma.
Graduation was in December, which coincided with Exodus – the Army’s way of saying “holiday leave.” Recruits are allowed to go home for the holidays during Exodus, so Arlette and her daughter were able to bring their soldier back home for a two-week visit with family and friends.
Before leaving for another 10 weeks of Advanced Individual Training (AIT), Arlette’s daughter happily married her soldier in a simple, civil service ceremony.
When Arlette’s other daughter’s boyfriend joined the Army just short of a year later, she knew exactly what to expect. After all, she already knew how to translate military code and was fluent in military time. Coincidentally, this soldier also attended Basic Training at Fort Sill, and once again Arlette and her daughter made the two-day drive to Oklahoma for graduation.
Image Credit: U.S. Army
This graduation ceremony took place in the spring, so time with this soldier was limited but yet again, Arlette witnessed another joyful marriage ceremony at the courthouse.
Both of Arlette’s daughters have since had larger wedding ceremonies and both couples have had to learn how to live far away from the place they call home. One couple now lives in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, while the other has made Fort Drum, New York their home away from home.
Although Arlette quickly became a supportive Army mother-in-law, nothing could have prepared her for the news that her son-in-law (the Chinook helicopter mechanic) would have to deploy to Afghanistan. Arlette knew that she needed to be there for her daughter during this extremely challenging time, and she did just that. While her daughter missed her husband, Arlette’s heart experienced the same ache felt by each mother that has a soldier fighting for our country.
Soon Arlette’s role as an Army mother-in-law will be coming to an end. One son-in-law has already completed his service, and the other will be finishing up in February. However, her relationship with the Army is far from over.
Arlette’s experience as an Army mother-in-law will allow her to better serve all the families that come through the Optical Center. She understands firsthand the hardships and rewards that come from the Army lifestyle. We at National Vision are proud to have military family members like Arlette, who can be a supportive mother figure to our Army families, while helping them with their vision needs.
Jessica Altamirano
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