MOORE COUNTY, N.C. — The choice to serve in the military is one that impacts the whole family, including those sacrificing at home while supporting our nation's heroes on duty.
What You Need To Know
R Riveter is a company that provides stable employment to military spouses across the country
Military families move every two to three years on average
Consistency is often one of the hardest things to come by for those serving and their families
Unfortunately being a military spouse doesn't come with a survival guide, but Jennifer Gentry is an Army wife who managed to find her place in the military community by accident while exploring downtown Southern Pines a little over two years ago.
“We were shopping and my husband is looking at the bag, and he said 'I think you could do this,'” Gentry said. “And the manager overhead and she was like, 'We really need some people.'”
Now she works from home, sewing the liners of Riveter bags before shipping them off to be finished by other military spouses stationed around the country. She said working with R Riveter has not only given her purpose and a steady income but a nationwide community of people who understand exactly what she's going through as a military spouse.
“It's an opportunity that I think people have a hard time finding,” Gentry said. “I kind of stumbled on it, but at the same time these opportunities are out there for spouses, you've got to really just look. ... I would imagine this is true at every military base there are companies that have been started by veterans who got out, put down their roots, and they have a company, and they want to hire spouses and veterans, and it's a great way to meet people who understand what you're going through.”
Gentry said the first time her husband was stationed somewhere it was tough trying to find her place and balance a new lifestyle that is never the same two days in a row.
“I didn't know anybody that was active duty military. I didn't have any friends that were active duty military or married. It was totally new to both of us,” Gentry said.
These bags are more than employment for her, they're a way to support her husband and remind herself of the many other people who have sacrificed something in their own lives so another could answer the call of service.
“It's just such a great memory of things ... of the sacrifices that we made because he was gone during that time, and you see it and you just remember all the things that it means,” Gentry said.
Her husband only has three years left until he's able to retire from the military, but her hope is that even after his service is up she can continue working with R Riveter and using her sewing machine to support our troops and their families.
“My husband loves being in the military, so for us it's not just a job, it's something he loves doing,” Gentry said. “We love our country. We love that it is a place that we can be free, and we can do what we want and think what we want and say what we want ... the fact that we can be part of making that a thing that everyone has, it's a special thing.”