MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- The spouse of the U.S. Army Materiel Command's senior leader, Gen. Dennis L. Via, reflected on the resilient nature of military families during a visit to Via's hometown, Nov. 10-12.
Linda Via, a military spouse for more than 31 years, took the opportunity during the Month of the Military Family to pay tribute to the families of the less than 1 percent of the nation's population who serve in the Armed Forces.
On a local morning television show, Mrs. Via said that while it was rewarding for her family and children to be exposed to so many different experiences and places, the challenges with military life - including deployments, training exercises, and long hours - were many.
"I'm no different than many spouses," Mrs. Via said. "We're the balance of the family. While the service member has very little predictability, the spouse provides the nucleus and the stability of the family."
After furthering her career for the first eight years of their marriage, Mrs. Via said she and Gen. Via decided that she would stay home with the family following the birth of their first son. From there, she focused her energy on ensuring her children were given opportunities wherever their military career took them.
"We, as parents, are our children's best advocates," Mrs. Via said. "It's a wonderful and rewarding journey, but it comes with sacrifices."
Mrs. Via said one word sums up military families -- resilient. She applauded the military community for the support given to families.
"We've had strong advocates on behalf of our military families and spouses," said Mrs. Via. "While we don't have all the answers, we've certainly made tremendous strides, and we continue to make great strides to help make transitions as seamless as possible for our military members and families."
Mrs. Via said she joined the nation and military children in thanking military families and service members.
"As simple as the words are, thank you," she said. "Thank you for the tremendous role models that you are and for the wonderful contributions that you've made in our history."
While in Henry County, Virginia, Mrs. Via also addressed two groups of female high school students. She encouraged the Early Childhood Education students at Bassett High School and a group of student leaders at Magna Vista High School to pursue their dreams, safeguard their reputation, and find balance in their lives.
"You must have maturity to maintain a sense of balance," Mrs. Via said. "Strive to be resilient, adaptive and flexible, and find a balance between work, kids, your spouse, and whatever else you have in your lives."
Mrs. Via stressed to the students to keep their options open as they go through life, explaining that she never thought, as valedictorian of her high school and a top student in college, that she'd forgo a paid career to pursue a life at home with her children and in volunteer work.
"Don't be afraid of evolving ," she said. "Dare to dream. The world is the limit; the sky is the limit. As long as you keep all of your options open, you never know when opportunity will knock. Be ready to seize the moment."
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