Ross walked to the microphone. Behind him, a slideshow of happy military families played across the projector screen. Then a photograph of Corinne in uniform appeared, captioned: While she served the nation, he protected his home.

“This award doesn’t belong to me alone,” Ross began. “It belongs to every husband who holds a family together through a long absence. Our daughter needed stability.

And sometimes protecting a child means making painful decisions.”

He gestured to Gwendolyn in the front row.

“I couldn’t have done it without a brave, loving woman who stayed when others left.”

More applause. Every sentence turned Corinne’s service into an accusation.