The Road That Led Me Here.

When in doubt I suppose it's best to start at the beginning. I grew up literally across the street from an Air Force Base so most of my friends were what you'd call "military brats". My high school mascot was the "Bombers" and it was the kind of place where every business had a "Wall of Heroes". Growing up in a Southern state you're raised to support, respect, and admire those who serve. I can't count the number of classmates that joined one branch or another. My surroundings aside I come from a military family. My grandfather served in the Navy in Vietnam where he nearly lost his life on the Swift Boats before going Air Force and retiring a CMSgt of Ammunition. "If You Ain't Ammo, You Ain't Shit!" I also have an uncle in the Army who started out as a Ranger in Desert Storm but in his over 20 year career has had an assortment of jobs since. My other uncle went Air Force when I was in Jr High and works as a Crew Chief. He's done two tours in Afghanistan. I am no stranger to the military. In my town you could throw a rock in any direction and most likely hit a service member. My college roommate was what some might refer to as a "tag chaser". She wanted that over the top Hollywood kind of military relationship; a man in uniform serving his country while she waited on the home front with all her glory and sacrifice. Oh what a martyr she was when she landed one. Facebook posts day and night, "I love my soldier" and "praying this deployment ends soon and he comes home safe". Believe me I am all for a woman being proud of her man and wanting the safe return of any one in the military, but some of these guys were guys she hardly knew or never met but she was raking in the sympathy based on her passionate posts about their "relationship". I was not so star struck by the uniform but I did respect the men and women in them. It's no surprise that I ultimately made friends with a group of Airman stationed at the local base. We would have cookouts and go to karaoke. They truly were some of the best and most humble people I have ever met. At one of our many gatherings I noticed a new face. I was told buy the guy who was throwing the cookout that he was new to the base. He was handsome of course but that wasn't the only reason he caught my eye. It was his personality. He was confident and funny and he commanded all the attention in the room when he spoke. It wasn't long until he was a regular in our circle. We were fast friends, and as the parties died down we could always be found on the porch in the moonlight sharing cigarettes and stories. It stayed that way for three years never anything more. He dated, as did I, but our friendship was always a constant. I watched him deploy twice and come back each time a little different. It was then that things changed. He had only been home a couple months from his second deployment and a group of us was suppose to go out for beers. Everyone bailed so it ended up just me and him. It was a night mostly full of laughs and some serious talks. He informed me that he had received new orders to deploy again in the fall and we discussed his fears and concerns. I caught him up on all he had missed while he had been gone and we made plans to do things before he left again. As the night came to a close, again we joked and laughed and in a hug I looked up and he kissed me. It's hard to explain my emotions at that moment. I think at best I could call it electric. It was as if 1000 volts were coursing through my veins. My heart pounded, the butterflies took over and we both began speaking at once. I was flooded with so much happiness and excitement that I thought I might burst. His friends told him it was a bad idea, he was about to deploy, it would never work. My friends told me they had been hoping it would happen for a long time because they thought we just made perfect sense. I guess that is the difference in men and women; they are so practical and we are so romantic. He left for Afghanistan in October and I was glad to be close to home and surrounded by family and friends to help me through the next six months. There were good days and bad days. Some phone calls he just sat silent and angry on the other end, nothing I had done just months of frustration boiling over. Other times it was all hearts and kisses. Our relationship was tested in ways you'd never consider and in the end it made us stronger. That first kiss was three years ago and life has never been the same. Married now for a year and a half we live in South Korea and learn more about each other every day. Maybe our story isn't a Hollywood blockbuster but it's certainly so much more than that to me. My days are full of acronyms and career field related jargon I can't begin to understand. I have learned to stay ever flexible and ready for anything. I have learned that navigating the mine field of military wives can be a very dangerous sport, but when you find the good ones they truly are amazing women. And I have found that marriage especially to a military man takes strength, courage, and hard work.