Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the military spouse.
While the military member is thousands of miles from home, it is the military spouse who manages the home front.
Whether it is taking the kids to lessons, getting maintenance done on house or car, dealing with bills, attending parent-teacher interviews, taking a sick kid to emergency, tucking in the kids and telling them that daddy or mommy will be home soon, whether it is waiting for the phone call or email from halfway around the world or controlling the gnawing fear when it does not come as expected, whether it is being there for a friend who has lost his or her mate through service to Canada, or living in fear of the black staff car in the driveway, or putting on a brave face when his or her spouse returns early to Trenton, it is the military spouse who bears the burden of service every bit as much as the military member.
It is the military spouse who deserves a medal, because he or she is every bit as heroic as those who wear the maple leaf.
As poet John Milton wrote in the 17th century:
They also serve who only stand and waite.
Truer words were never spoken, and we should all remember the military spouse in our thoughts and prayers.