<P><B>Military spouses from World War I to Afghanistan tell their stories, presented along with personal photographs and diaries</B></P> <p>At a time when the bravery of armed service personnel is foremost in many minds, this book tells the other side of the story: the women—and men—who were left to cope as best they could while their loved ones fought in some of the 20th century's bloodiest conflicts. These are the backbone of the armed forces, from the WWI fiancées who lost their opportunity to marry, to the WWII wives who manned ack-ack guns, and worked in munitions factories and on the land, through National Service, the Small Wars, and modern conflicts, when male partners joined the ladies married to a uniform. These stories reveal a picture of just how much those behind the colors contributed to support the uniforms they married, and what it cost them to do so.