Doc Jargon: When did the Army start supporting families?

Photo By Collen McGee | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army.  

KS, UNITED STATES

11.03.2023

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Dear Doc Jargon,

I am a new Army spouse. My husband has only been in the Army for about a year and he said something as a joke the other day that got me thinking.

He said, “They used to say that if a Soldier was authorized a wife, the Army would issue one.”

Now I know he was being funny, but I know spouses weren’t always able to live near their Soldier. Can you tell me when that started to change?

Sincerely,

New, non-issue wife


Dear New,
Congratulations on marrying into the Army family. I hope you have felt welcome so far. I bet you have felt like you just walked into another culture.

That quote your husband spoke is pretty popular and has some level of historical truth. In the past, civilians and children who followed their Soldier were sometimes called “camp followers,” a term that was coined during the Revolutionary War. In fact, some sources say there were as many as 20,000 women, many with children in tow, who traveled with the armies. They nursed the sick and wounded, they did the laundry and cooked for the troops and they did it without Army support. The only one to receive a paycheck was the official laundress.

Once Independence was won, the Army, along with civilians, headed west. The task changed from fighting the English to guarding settlers on the trails. Often, Soldiers on the frontier outposts would have to get a commanding officer to approve their marriage.

Housing was scarce and Army families often lived in tents or sod huts. They literally carved their existence from the land around the fort. The lack of family support continued in the American Army until World War II. In 1942, the Dependents Allowance Act was passed – the first financial acknowledgement that families support Soldiers. It wasn’t until 1956; however, that families were able to use the military medical system.

Since then, the military departments have figured out that without a solid foundation, Soldiers will choose family over career. So, now, the programs available run the gamut from full housing and medical to education, employment, recreation, daycare, on-post schools and more. In fact, if you have questions about what is available to you as a new spouse, check out the Army Community Service and they will have someone who can get you plugged in to all kinds of support and benefits. Just give them a call at 785-239-9435.

Hope that gives you a bit of an overview on how far the Army has come when it comes to family support among the ranks.

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

• Date Taken: 11.03.2023
• Date Posted: 11.03.2023 14:12
• Story ID: 457156
• Location: KS, US