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On a cold and rainy day only a week ago, I watched as an honor guard fired a three gun salute in honor of the military service of John Peters, my mother’s husband. The haunting melody of taps, played with exquisite precision, still hung in the air as a beautiful American flag was carefully unfolded and folded again, a ceremony reserved for those who served our nation as warriors. Slowly and methodically the flag was placed in my mother’s arms, symbol of a loved one gone.
We have observed this far too often, five times in my family, every service a reminder of sacrifice. Duty often calls for sacrifice. The commitment to see the world on an aircraft carrier, cargo plane, or an armored truck, can mean lonliness, loss of time with family and friends, hardships that come from separation, waiting to pursue one’s dreams, and sometimes the devastation of combat, physical injury, or even death.
Marshelle Waddell understands the challenges of living in the military and recently held the first When War comes Home, Don’t Retreat weekend for spouses of military in combat. Statistics show that “for every troop who returns from war, at least ten family and friends are directly affected by the effect of that warrior’s combat stress and reintegration process.”
Marshele served with her husband, Commander (ret.) Mark Waddell, a career U.S. Navy SEAL, for 25 years. Together with their three children, the Waddells have endured over two decades of lengthy separations and eleven deployments for combat duty, special operations training and real world conflicts. Mark is now battling PTSD and multiple TBIs with Marshele at his side. Her son, Joshua is a U.S. Marine Infantry Officer, presently deployed to Afghanistan.
Marshel’s first two books, Hope for the Home Front: Winning the Emotional and Spiritual Battles of a Military Wife and its companion Bible study, Hope for the Home Front Bible Study arm other military wives with God’s promises of His presence, power and protection. She co-authored the book When War Comes Home & Christ-centered Healing for Wives of Combat Veterans, and was a contributing author for a book called Faith Deployed: Devotions for Military Wives.
Marshele is an advocate for veterans’ issues at the national level, speaking with U.S. senators and congressmen as well as health councils and organizations regularly on behalf of combat veterans and their families. She has been featured on international, national, and local television and radio programs including National Public Radio (NPR), the BBC, LA Times, Washington Post, Fox News, CBN’s 700 Club, Focus on the Family’s daily radio broadcast, Canada’s 100 Huntley Street, the Armed Forces Radio Network and the K-LOVE radio and Internet webcast. She is a consultant and spokesperson for Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group in Colorado Springs. She is the founder of One Hope Ministry. Marshele is also a popular national and international speaker and has written numerous articles for both Christian and military publications.
Pray for Marshele and those who are serving our country, their spouses, and their families. Freedom is ours because of them.
