As her husband served in Afghan, Mrs. Perrine was fighting a life-threatening battle here
Tiffany Perrine teaches math, science, English and social students to third graders at Mathews Elementary, but she teaches me about fortitude and bravery, faith and hope.
Because Tiffany Perrine had her whole life planned out. She had dreams and goals and lofty aspirations. But she met a boy and fell in love and married a soldier. And like so many military spouses do, she made sacrifices for the sake of love and service.
Our city’s strong connection to Fort Benning has made the relationship between civilian and servicemember powerful and profound. From hearing the booms of artillery practice from the comfort of our living room couches to driving down Whittlesey and seeing young recruits walking the sidewalks, being this close to a military post places the sacrifices of our men and women who serve at the forefront of our thoughts and prayers. I venture to say, too, that each of us has specific faces of familiar U.S. Armed Service members etched into our minds. So, whether we ourselves have worn the uniform or not, we appreciate, respect and adore our military personnel.
And it’s because of our closeness to Fort Benning that I have learned very valuable lessons about what it really means to serve our country in the Armed Forces. Behind every soldier is a family who is serving as well — a spouse, a son or daughter, a mom or dad. I’ve seen this reality is many of my students’ faces and heard it in the voices of many of my coworkers. And although I may not know firsthand the depths of sacrifice families make for the sake of our country’s safety and liberty, I am grateful for the lessons I learn every day from military family members walking the hallways of our Muscogee County schools.
People like a wife named Tiffany Perrine.
Her husband proudly serves our country, and she proudly stays behind, like so many other spouses who endure loneliness, absence, worry and fear. Her sacrifice wasn’t just a postponement of her career goals as she followed her husband across the world. Hers was waging her own, personal war against cancer without her beloved husband by her side. As her brave soldier was fighting in the sands of far-off Afghanistan, Mrs. Perrine was fighting her own life-threatening battle here at home.
These are the kinds of sacrificial experiences so many of our military families face daily. Babies being born, loved ones passing, toddlers taking first steps, high schoolers scoring touchdowns, spouses battling cancer. Some soldiers make the ultimate sacrifices for our freedom that forever change and make us thankful. But all soldiers make the personal sacrifices we sometimes forget. And sometimes lost in our thoughts are those family members who are making sacrifices just as necessary and just as difficult.
Mrs. Perrine puts a face and a name to those family members who bravely kiss their soldiers goodbye and are left holding on to hope and faith. Because through every chemo treatment and doctor visit, Mrs. Perrine remained a strong mother, a loving wife, and a dedicated teacher. Like her husband who marched bravely into battle for his country, she marched strongly into battle for her life.
And just as her husband had a group of soldiers fortified around him, so did Mrs. Perrine have a collection of coworkers at Mathews Elementary stand in the gap with her. They loved and supported and rallied around her when she needed them most. That’s what soldiers do.
I can’t thank our servicemembers and their families enough for what they do every moment of every day. I just pray I live a life worthy of their constant sacrifices. So, thank you, Mrs. Perrine, for a life-changing lesson on sacrifice and service.
This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 6:32 PM with the headline "As her husband served in Afghan, Mrs. Perrine was fighting a life-threatening battle here."