Campfollowing: A History of the Military Wife

Campfollowers themselves, Betty Alt and Bonnie Stone have collected published and unpublished memoirs, diaries and letters and have conducted personal interviews to present this comprehensive history of the military wife from the Revolutionary War through the post-Vietnam years. Concentrating on the hardships and rewards known to these women, this book considers both the traditional and modern roles of the military wife, with particular attention to her place as second in line to her husband’s career and the military establishment’s reluctant acceptance of her as integral to the success of its mission. Resilience and flexibility, loneliness and companionship, and danger and loyalty are all components of the life of a military wife and are reflected in these revealing pages. The chapters are organized chronologically, outlining the experience during both peacetime and war, both stateside and overseas. Throughout, the focus remains on the strength of this sisterhood as it copes with separation and fear by fostering its sense of community, and faces the indifferent attitude of the military by constantly asserting its identity.