One Day It Will Be ‘Nothing Out Of The Ordinary’

(I am a soldier in the Army. I work in an administration section for the post. One day, two men come into the office: one a soldier, the other a civilian. Both are the same age. The soldier takes a seat while the civilian comes up with paperwork. My lieutenant is at the desk.)

Civilian: “Hello. I need an ID card.”

Lieutenant: “I can help with that. Please fill out this form.”

(It’s a very quick write-up, so he just stands at the desk and fills it out. He tries to hand it to the lieutenant, but she can’t take it.)

Lieutenant: “Sir, I need you to put the code for your relationship with the sponsor.”

Civilian: “Uh…” *glances at the soldier*

(At this point, I realize they didn’t simply come in at the same time, but are together. The civilian turns back to the lieutenant, with the soldier also looking, both nervous. The other soldiers working in the office also catch on, and look towards her as well.)

Civilian: “I’m his husband.”

Lieutenant: *not batting an eye* “For spouses, use [designation] as the code. You’ll be asked that in the future, so don’t forget it.”

Civilian: “Oh, okay.”

(He finished filling it out, and they both left with the paperwork for the new ID card. The lieutenant simply continued with her work as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, and we followed her example.)

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