Tempers On The Rise
Ignoring his warnings, she got up. With a flick of her hair and a walk of determination, she approached him. She was on a mission, and she wouldn't be backing down.
Slamming the receipt down on the counter, she asked the waiter for an explanation. In her eyes, it was an act of disrespect. The waiter tried to explain himself, but it didn't satisfy her, so she asked for the manager. If only she knew that she would come to regret it.
Mother And Wife
Suzanne Parkinson is a busy mother of two. A dedicated parent who loves nothing more than to provide her children with all the love and attention they need. But as a military wife, it hasn’t been a smooth ride.
And this restaurant experience was just another one of those moments that made her nostrils flare and her blood boil.
Nothing Is As It Seems
Suzanne has spent most of her married life unemployed and in a constant state of worry, so when she encountered ignorance, it was hard for her to keep quiet.
Since she married her military sweetheart, she has learned to live life with agility. In the military, things can change in an instant, which can sometimes make her feel overlooked. Thus, she began to fight for what she thought she deserved.
Sad And Lonely
It was that time of year again. The one where she’s left alone to look after her kids and take care of the house, missing and worrying about her husband who’s deployed overseas yet again. It never gets easier. Each goodbye is as bitter as the last. She hates it.
It’s no surprise that her emotions were already running high even before she looked into his unfeeling eyes.
Claiming Her Military Spouse Perks
Suzanne and her kids were joined by her father-in-law as they went to Cici’s Pizza in Norfolk to celebrate her son’s 10th birthday.
Nothing like a light-hearted gathering to lift her mood. It was also no harm that her meal would be cheaper than most - a military spouse perk she always looked forward to. But things weren’t about to go as planned.
Virtual Celebrations
At first, everything was fine. They sat down and ordered their meals. Once they finished, Suzanne asked for the cake to be brought out, and they all sang happy birthday to her son.
Suzanne started a video call to her husband overseas so that he could take part in things too. It was an action that was all too familiar, and a pang of sadness pierced her chest. Then she saw it.
Disrespected
As the bill arrived, Suzanne’s mood went from sad to angry. “Did they seriously not include a discount?!” she spat.
She looked to her father-in-law, who told her to calm down. It was only a $28 bill, after all. But she had already told them about her status at the till when they ordered. To Suzanne, it was an act of disrespect. So she decided to do something about it.
Discount Advocate
Although it’s common for establishments to offer discounts to military spouses, it’s by no means mandatory. Examples of such establishments are amusement parks, movie theatres, Home Depot, Disney, cruises, and clothing stores.
But this wasn’t enough for Suzanne. She wanted widespread acknowledgment. Safe to say, she was an advocate for military spouse discounts. And she couldn’t wait to confront this non-complying restaurant.
Defying Solid Advice
Despite her father-in-law’s warnings to leave it alone, she got up off her chair, flicked her hair, and walked like a woman on a mission to the counter.
She slammed the receipt down in front of the cashier and asked about her military spouse discount. He gave her an unsatisfactory answer, so she immediately asked for the person in charge. But she would soon regret it.
Feeling Worthy
While she waited, she reminded herself of all the hard times she’d been through as a military wife. She reminded herself that she deserved this discount.
She may not be serving, but she felt like she sacrificed a lot to support him and his career. So she was supporting her country and playing her part like any military personnel. Well, that’s not how the manager saw it.
A Direct Blow
Maintaining her sense of righteousness, she repeated the same question to the manager. But what he would say back to her would put her in her place.
Back to a place of total shock that anyone would dare talk to her like that. A scene unfolded as they began to attract the attention of everyone around them. She wasn’t going down without a fight.
He Wouldn’t Tolerate It
The cashier at Cici’s pizza couldn’t deny that active servicemen and women deserved his respect and admiration.
He also understood that many of these brave men and women had families and dependants who have to deal with them being gone for long periods of time. But one thing he wouldn’t tolerate was entitlement. He was about to let Suzanne have it.
Taking Advantage
Wasn’t it enough that the pizzeria would make little to no profit on the cheap specials Suzanne had ordered for the table?
They did it to keep business flowing on slow days, but this woman was really taking advantage. Why did she think she was entitled to a discount just for being a military spouse? He couldn’t help himself when he replied -- It was just too good.
His Retort
“The man is issued a seabag, not a spouse,” he replied sweetly, trying not to giggle as the entitled woman’s expression changed from self-important to absolutely incredulous.
Then, her face hardened. “I’m going to have to call corporate,” she threatened. But the cashier had an answer for that, too. If Suzanne was unhappy now, she would soon be livid.
Denied
“Go ahead. I’m the district manager, so that nothing will change. If you wish, we can sit down and talk,” the cashier replied. Suzanne, bested, didn’t know how to reply to that.
She looked around the room, expecting to hear somebody come to her defense. But nobody spoke up, she was met with silence, and people avoided her eye contact as she scanned the room.
Venting Online
Suzanne quietly went back to the table, seething. If nobody was going to say anything, she would look elsewhere. Then, she had an idea.
She immediately posted what just happened on her military wives' Facebook group to vent and try and get some sympathy. But what were their opinions? Was she acting entitled?
The Facebook Post
‘Thankfully, my kids and father-in-law were with me, and it was a celebration for my soon-to-be 10-year-old, or I would have left!” Suzanne typed angrily.
“I don’t care about the free drink. I care that this man feels that only the service members serve and openly give such disrespect to military spouses! Please share!’ her post concluded. But it all backfired spectacularly.
Opposing Views
One Facebook user thought she was being entitled: "It’s much appreciated when corporations extend their military discount to spouses, but it shouldn’t be expected. Stop being so entitled.”
While another disagreed, “I believe they should get the discount. Unless you have served or know how it feels to worry about someone 24/7 for days, weeks, months, or even years, please don’t speak down on a spouse or the children of people who are deployed”.
Leaked
Soon after it was written, the post was leaked into a Reddit forum dedicated to “dependas,” a term used to describe military spouses with an overwhelming sense of self-importance that sometimes overshadows their deployed spouse’s achievements while serving their country.
Unfortunately, many military spouses do little to dispel the stereotype.
Military Families
Military families face many challenges when a member is deployed, and even more so when the member is a parent.
They must bid farewell to their loved ones as they are sent for their tour of duty, and sometimes they don’t know if they will return. No one can deny that being a military wife can’t be easy.
Challenges
The family members of servicemen, holding down the fort and handling life’s challenges alone, are left behind. Without the help of their loved ones nearby, they don’t have an easy time either.
This proves to be quite difficult when the person at home has to be there for the family and take 200% of the workload. However, are our military wives entitled to special treatment?
Taking It Too Far
Sometimes the dependants of servicemen take things too far and cause a lot of resentment amongst the public and other servicemen and women.
There are many such stories floating around the internet about these entitled spouses. But Suzanne’s post, in particular, sparked such a storm of fury on social media that she was left reeling.
The Internet Reacts
Many people have reacted to the story, sharing their indignation at what they perceived as audacity and a sense of entitlement. ‘Feed five people endless pizza for $28, and this chick still complains,’ one user wrote.
With such opposing views, many others also decided to share their own stories of military spouses and children - adding fuel to the fire.
Netizens Divided
‘It’s laughable how some of the military spouses view their spouses’ accomplishments as their own and try to pull rank over other people,’ another comment reads.
Even other military spouses had stories to share. One such spouse posted: ‘I am a military spouse, some of the entitlement is UNREAL. I have legitimately met wives who say things like “our rank” and “thank US for OUR service.”’
Reactions
The woman then continues to talk about a wife who insisted that she ‘address her by her rank, even though she wasn’t military.
The woman is clearly not impressed by such behavior, saying: ‘My husband serves, not me or our kids. I hate when people automatically go, “well, my husband serves our country, so….” Give me a break.’
Controversy
Another eagle-eyed user quickly noticed something on the bill that made Suzanne's case even less compelling.
‘I didn’t see it pointed out, but she ordered three child buffets, two adult buffets, and two adult drinks….now either she let the kids go without drinks….OR…more than likely, let them drink from her cup, saving her the price of 3 kids drinks.’
Entitlement
Another user wrote: ‘My last duty station there was a woman who was married to a 2nd Lt who used to demand we salute her and would do stupid stuff like try to put us at attention in the gym or PX etc.’
He added: ‘...finally, one day a base-wide email went out from a Lt Col and in it said "Remind your spouses they do NOT wear your rank and outside of commonplace niceties and respect, deserve nothing extra."’
A Good Point
Another user had a good point: ‘I grew up being told that if the military wanted their personnel to have a family, they would have issued them with a spouse and kids,’ he pointed out.
‘I know times have changed in the past decade, but not to the point that the sacrifices made by the families are recognized. Besides, you married into the lifestyle!’
Too Much Backlash
Suzanne never expected the backlash she would get when her post went viral. After being harassed and called entitled by people online, she deleted the post and her entire Facebook account.
While a few other military wives were on her side, the majority certainly weren’t. And, as one Redditor pointed out, Suzanne married into the lifestyle and knew what she was getting into. In the end, she couldn’t take the heat.
The Fight Continues
Suzanne ended up staying at the restaurant as it was a celebration for her son. Still, she demands respect from establishments like this and the wider population as she fights to change the narrative on military wives.
She explained, “I don’t care about the free drink. I care that this man feels that only the service member serves and openly gives such disrespect to military wives!” What do you think?
Are There Consequences?
We don’t know exactly how this part of Suzanne’s story ended, but there are many women out there who use their husbands' ranks for their own gain, and it doesn’t always just end with them being ridiculed on social media.
Some of these women go far enough to throw their husband’s rank or position around like it’s supposed to change the facts.
When Things Go Wrong
Unfortunately, many soldiers end up paying the price for their wives' actions. With their names and titles being recorded or often known by the person being spoken to, it can lead to a hearing or worse. The soldier could lose his career over something that should never have been a problem.
That was almost the case for this next soldier who had his wife throwing his title around.
A Shocking Confrontation
In a video uploaded by the Youtube Channel Wooh Comedy, a soldier is seen pulling over an anonymous woman. The soldier is seen approaching the window and asking the woman for her license and registration.
But instead of handing him the requested documents, the woman does something that shocked the soldier.
Excuse me?
The woman who recorded the video immediately starts giving the soldier an attitude by saying, “excuse me.” She then proceeded to ask the soldier why he had pulled her over. As the soldier tried to explain that he pulled her over because she was speeding, she interrupted him again.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked.
A High-Ranking Husband
When the officer told her that he didn’t know who she was, she proceeded to ask him if he knew who her husband was, to which she received the same answer. The soldier was clearly getting agitated with her line of questioning since it had nothing to do with her speeding on the base.
But the woman only made the situation worse.
Threats
The woman then proceeded to threaten the soldier by telling him that her husband was the chief and that the soldier was probably under his command. To make matters worse, she told the soldier that he’d definitely be hearing from her husband.
The clear abuse of power, which she didn’t have, was evident here, but her misinformed behavior didn’t stop the soldier in his duties.
Determined To Have Her Way
By this point, the soldier was fed up, but he still tried to remain calm and let her vent her frustrations. However, the woman only made things worse for everyone involved by telling the soldier that he had no reason to stop her.
Once again, the soldier told her that he had pulled her over because she was speeding, but she wasn’t accepting his answer.
More Ranting
The woman told the soldier that speeding was not a reason for her to be pulled over, shocking him even more. She told him that she “wants a bit more respect than this,” which agitated the soldier even more since he had been courteous the entire time. She insisted that he had pulled her over for no reason and that it was a show of disrespect.
She had no idea what she was in for.
Trying to talk
The officer tried to talk to the woman, but instead of listening to what he had to say, she kept trying to prove that she was right and he was wrong. She reiterated that he husband what the chief and then went on to talk about the other cars on the street.
She said they were all traveling at the same speed she was. But were they really?
Losing it
That was when the soldier had enough of her antics. He raised his voice in an attempt to get her to quiet down and listen. It might’ve been the wrong move, but it did have the desired results. The woman became quiet and finally listened to what the soldier had to say.
But it didn’t work out in her favor.
Every Action Has A Reaction
The soldier then told the woman it didn’t matter who her husband was because the world didn’t revolve around her. Once again, he told her why he pulled her over and politely asked for her license and registration. This time the woman complied.
But it didn’t end there.
Impact Of Social Media
The woman proceeded to upload the video to the internet, not thinking about how it would impact her husband or his career. The video went viral, and it didn’t take long for the higher-ups to notice it.
But could the overentitlement that led to her filming and publishing the incident really cost her husband the career he worked so hard for?
Consequences
It was later revealed that her husband was called in because of her actions. Not only because of the video she circulated but also because of how she handled the soldier and tried to use her husband’s position as the chief.
Her husband had to suffer the consequences of her actions but at what cost?
Keeping His Job
Even though her husband didn’t lose his job or position, he publicly apologized for his wife’s behavior. He stated that a woman shouldn’t use her husband’s position in the military or any other field for her own gain because it’s not right to anyone involved.
No other statements have been made by the woman since.
The Balance
Even though we all suspect how hard the life of a military wife can be, and there are companies out there who try their best to offer some incentives to these wives, some of them still try to take advantage of the situation.
Maybe that wasn’t the case with Suzanne, but it certainly is with some others out there.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.