Shutdown impacts military families: 'It's really frustrating because he does a lot for his country'



BREMERTON,  Wash. -- Inside their new Bremerton home newlywed Michelle Meli prepares dinner by herself.

It’s not a new scenario.

She hasn’t spoken to her husband since weeks before the government shutdown.

"It's hard," Meli said starting to cry. "It's hard to know what's right for us and I don’t want to do anything wrong. I want him to be proud."

Related: This is what it means for Washington state in the federal government shutdown

That’s because her husband Charlie Boaz is deployed aboard the USS Kentucky, a ballistic missile submarine, based out of Naval Base Kitsap.

"It's really frustrating because he does a lot for his country so it's hard to see--and everyone else in the military who does a lot for their country--it’s hard to see that the government isn’t going to pay them," said Meli.

His paycheck may be put on hold, but his mission doesn’t stop.

Neither do the bills his wife is managing back at home.

"We just moved into the house a few months ago so our bills just went up and with me not working," said Meli, who is studying fulltime to become a medical assistant. "It's kind of stressful and on top of that I kind of have to decide what’s best for us, without being able to talk to him."

Even more difficult--the confusion that comes with latest circumstances.

"There's a lot of things on base that are closing. The commissary is where the food is and we've heard it's staying open and we've also heard that it's not staying open," said Meli.

And what about the childcare for other military wives who have kids?

"There's a lot-- we don’t really know what's happening,"

It’s a lot for this new wife to tackle and with no nearby family to lean on.

"He’d say I could do it," said Meli, when asked what her husband would think of all this. "He says I'm strong."