Courtesy of Marla Bautista
- Marla Bautista became a military spouse in 2007 and has lived all over the world with her family.
- Her three children were born in three different places, and she says moving them has been difficult.
- While there are benefits, she has struggled with her identity and hopes to have her own career.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marla Bautista, a 40-year-old military spouse in Tampa, Florida. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
When I was 24, I worked at a hotel in Denver near an Army base. I met a soldier staying at the hotel in September 2007.