Melanie Branch stands strong behind her husband in his ministry

Author's Note: Some of the details in this story are graphic in nature and may be triggering for survivors of various forms of abuse. Discretion is recommended.

A common expression shared by members of the United States Armed Forces is that they are offering their country a blank check. This is because the service they offer includes everything up to and including their lives if necessary for the betterment of the country that is free and the home of the brave.

The commitment of these heroic men and women is all that and more, but they are not the only ones giving more of themselves. The family members of these soldiers also make quite a sacrifice. Whether you're talking about a parent, spouse, or child of the hero in action, the family member gives up time, memories, and moments so that the loved one can do this do what is necessary to keep everyone safe.

Melanie Branch knows this victim all too well. She is the wife of 12-year US Air Force member Jared Branch. He was already serving when he and Melanie met. Jared had already ended a marriage before they met. Their first encounter was at a local bar, but their first real encounter was at a charity event in Arizona. Even though he had to move to New Mexico, they stayed in touch through social media.

“I ended up taking a Greyhound bus from Tempe, AZ to New Mexico, and we got married pretty quickly,” Branch recalled. “We got married in an apple orchard on an Indian reservation with two witnesses.”

The newlyweds kept their marriage a secret from his family for the first year of their marriage. Nonetheless, Branch was now the spouse of a soldier. Her first surprise in her new role came at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

“It was quite a shock just getting into it, really finding my footing and find out how friendships work how they don't work. There are even different types of spouses," Branch said. “I tell people I feed him and wash his clothes. That goes back to my appreciation for everything he does. I've seen all his struggles."

Combat is something Branch himself is familiar with. She revealed that her family members didn't like each other very much. So there weren't many meetings. She also grew up with a single mother and a brother who she called a "certified sociopath." When she was 16, she went on a camping trip with her brother and a friend, and one of her brother's friends also came along. Her brother's boyfriend would sexually assault Melanie.

"I came home from it and told my mom and she didn't believe me," she revealed. "We were living in Arizona at the time, and I ended up moving back to California to live with my dad. They tried to get me into counseling and everything."

Despite the advice, Branch's journey didn't get any easier. She would actually move out of her father's house for a year and live on her own. She went back to graduate high school at 18 but wasn't sure what was next. She even tried to enlist in the military, but was recently in a car accident. This resulted in her not being able to serve herself.

“It always kind of came to me,” she explained. Combined with the previous struggles she had already dealt with, Branch attempted suicide in 2017. She tried to walk onto a busy street in the dark during a rainstorm. Her attempt failed and she remained in a psychiatric hospital in North Carolina.

“It really opened our eyes,” she said. "I've seen people come off things like heroin. This is where they lived. They were systemized. That's what happens to people who go through things and don't deal with things."

Melanie Branch would leave after a short stay and get back to her life. One option that helped her was fitness.

"I started working at Five Star Nutrition. I was the assistant manager there and found out that I was good at supplements. I'm really good at researching and figuring out why these supplements benefit the body."

Just as negativity can steam and create momentum, so can positivity. After focusing on her new career, she and Jared became parents to a baby girl in September 2018. However, Melanie would once again face adversity in the form of postpartum depression. This time Melanie didn't succumb to the negative forces - she fought back.

"I looked for signs like not wanting to get out of bed, not wanting to exist. Luckily, the only thing it affected was me. It never affected the overwhelming love I had for my daughter."

Training and fitness would be key to helping Branch become a better mother and military wife. Another military spouse she knew had a baby around the same time as the branch. They have started go to the gym together to motivate and engage each other.

"We just started going to the gym at 4 a.m. This went on for about a year and a half."

Melanie Branch took her involvement to the next level by going on stage and she even started working with her Redcon1 via social media. If fitness was the path that helped her be her best, then she would do anything.

"I'm the type of person that if I want something, I'll go get it," she proudly shared. "I used to message the guys there and ask, 'Hey, how do I do this or that?' They told me no one had ever asked them those questions before. 'So, here I am. So, tell me how.'"

Branch is now thriving on all fronts. Now approaching preschool, she and Jared's daughter are as engaged as ever, and she is thriving in her fitness role. She is considering competing in the 2022 NPC Armed Forces Nationals later this year, and she also works as a trainer to help others. Whether the title she works under is mother, military wife, competitor or coach, she now lives by two mantras.

“Begin – again” and “Head down, grind up.”

Follow Melanie Branch on Instagram and Facebook: @iamelefate.