These stories were submitted by site visitors. Enjoy!
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submitted by Alisha
I started dating my boyfriend when I was 15 he was 17.
We fell in love quickly, after dating for about a year, and he was 18 he
told me some army recruiters had stopped by during lunch at school and
they said he had potential physically after completing a pt test with
him. he immediately began processing into the military. I didn’t really
know what to expect. I was supportive, but I didn’t really know what I
was in for either.
The day he left was hard but it still hadn’t hit me, but a few weeks
later I became really depressed. I missed him, a lot. Things became
easier as I received many letters over the course of the 16 weeks of btc
and ait, until we found out he would be stationed in Germany.
Initially I freaked out. I didn’t know what to do, how to feel, and I
didn’t know what to say. I wanted to be supportive but at the same time,
I was still in high school, it was a really rough piece of news to
receive.
Eventually I decided that id stay with him, I went to his graduation, it
was so nice to see him again. He was a new person, filled with pride. We
spent a few weeks of leave together, and off he went to Germany. The day
he left was so hard for me, and him as well.
He was infantry and trained a lot but he made time to call me every
night when he wasn’t in the field. We maintained what relationship we
could.
We remained in love and missed each other very much. He came home every 6 months for about 2 weeks at a time. We went through a lot of hard times. I hated the army, I wanted him to quit, he wanted to quit, we fought a lot, but we never ever broke up (we wanted to get married but I had failed my senior year because I missed to much school, because I was extremely depressed)
About 2 years into his career he got deployed, I was devastated, but I
remained strong over the phone, I tried to be as supportive as
possible.
Thankfully he went back to Germany safely. Soon after he injured his
ankle during training, he broke his ankle, ultimately he got med
boarded, and came home in 2007.
He misses army life. In 2008 I started thinking about joining, he
supported me, told me probably everything I need to know, answered all
of my questions and I joined the army as a dental specialist September
2009. I’m delayed entry until march. Isn’t it ironic? We are very
excited, and interested to literally walk in each others shoes.
We plan to get married after I join. January 11 2010 will be our five
year anniversary and after everything I wouldn’t change a thing.
If I could give any advice it would be to remain strong in yourself, and
remain strong for your soldier. They need your support the most.
*****
submitted by Angelina
Hi!! I’m Angelina. I’m 20 years old, and I’m the very proud girlfriend of a U.S. Army Soldier!! He and I always joke that our story would make such a good movie =]
I met my soldier 5 years ago while hanging out with his older brother – my best friend at the time. I was sitting in the den, watching everyone play video games while my soldier was on his computer listening to music next to me. Dirty Deeds by AC/DC came on. I looked over at him, and we both broke out singing. As cliche as it sounds, it was then that we fell in love with each other. He thought I was the coolest girl ever for knowing the words to a song few other girls would, and I simply thought he was amazing.
I could say that after that, the rest is history and we lived happily ever after from that moment on, but that would be lying. Things got in the way, and we both dated other people and went on with our lives for 4 years, though we always remained friends. In the Spring of ’08, he joined the Army and went off to Ft Knox for basic training soon after. I figured that was it for us. I’d lost my chance. Little did I know, that was just the start.
A few nights after he’d returned home from Basic Training, I had a dream that he’d come home where I ran up to him, surprised and ecstatic that he was back. I told him about the dream, we began talking on a regular basis, and soon after, we started dating. Everyone thought I was crazy for committing to someone who would be stationed halfway across the country, but he and I knew it was right. We’d waited for this for 4 years. We weren’t giving up our chance.
It’s been almost a year since then, and he’s been deployed in Iraq for the past 9 months, but I don’t regret my decision, and I wouldn’t have my life any other way. Sure, there are days that I’d rather not get out of bed, when I’m lonely and all I want to do is cry. Of course, I’m angry sometimes, and I get so sick of playing the waiting game and having no control while he’s deployed. Yes, there are times that I think I’m crazy for choosing this life, when I could have it so much easier if I’d wanted. But that’s not what life, or love, is about. It’s about going for what you want, taking chances, falling down just to get back up and do it again. And if that’s what it takes to be with my soldier, then throw anything you want at me - I’ll get through. I’m Army Strong, too.
I hope this helped out or gave hope or comfort to those of you who are also dating a soldier and/or are in a similar situation to mine. I know it gets rough, and sometimes, all we need to know is that we’re not alone, that someone else understands and is doing it too. We’ve all got to stick together and support each other in any way we can!!
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submitted by Jessica
Hi, my name is Jessica and I was the girlfriend and then the fiancé of an Army Ranger.
My husband enlisted in July of 2003, only months after we had invaded Iraq. Needless to say, I was not thrilled with his decision. We had already been dating for a year and a half and a good amount of that time was long distance. I was attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia and he was in Northern California with his parents when he made the decision to enlist. I was scared of the thought of him going to war, but even more scared that this new lifestyle would make us grow apart. But I decided to give it a shot and hope that we could make it through this, and we did!
Basic Training began in October of that same year and I don’t remember it being terrible. We both wrote a lot of letters and he called me whenever he could. I was able to attend his Basic Training graduation, which conveniently fell on Valentine’s Day weekend. I saw him again after his RIP graduation – this time he came to see me. We spent an amazing week together but saying good-bye proved more difficult than before. Although there were no deployment orders (yet) I knew in my heart that the minute he arrived at his duty station he would be gone. Sure enough, about a week after he had arrived at 1st Ranger Battalion, I got the call. He was schedule to deploy to Iraq in a matter of days. I was a junior in college and had no way of just picking up and leaving for Georgia. So I had to say my good-byes over the phone. That was probably one of the hardest things I ever had to do. To make matters worse, when he arrived from that first deployment, I was not there to greet him. Only wives were notified of the unit’s arrival and they were the only ones allowed on the airfield when their plane landed.
My husband proposed before his second deployment. At that point, I became the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy and he granted me power of attorney. This proved to be a frustrating task as he was repeatedly asked if he was sure he wanted to leave that kind of power to someone he was not married to. Although I had complete control over his finances and legal matters, I was still not an Army wife. This meant I could not be included in phone trees or any kind of support system. I truly felt like I was discriminated against by the larger Army community for not being married. I was never able to see him off on any of his deployments (a total of 3) and was only able to be there for his homecoming once.
Even when my husband was state side, life was not much easier. I was in Virginia and he was in Georgia, so I felt like I was constantly out of the loop. My cell phone was my best friend during this time because it was my main link to him. We tried to see each other as much as we could, but at best we were together once a month. So did this lifestyle put a strain on our relationship? Of course it did, but in the end, it brought us closer together. We made the best out of the time we were together and got to know so much more about each other from the endless hours of cell phone talk. This time apart established the strong trusting relationship we have now.
My husband and I got married in March of 2007, almost a year after he was honorably discharged from active duty. When I think back to his Army days, the hardest part of being an Army Girlfriend/Fiancé was the fact that I had no support system of any kind. During his deployments, I had no one who could remotely understand what I was going through. Although my college friends tried to help, they just couldn’t understand what I was feeling during those difficult times.
The lack of a support system for Army Girlfriends/Fiancés is just one of the many reasons why this site is so useful. I wish I would have know about Married to the Army and Army Wife Chat when my husband was in the Army and especially during his deployments. It definitely would have helped a lot! But at the end of the day, this experience made me a stronger person and has resulted in the addition of many great friends.
*****
submitted by Katie
I meet my fiance 7 months ago. yes that’s short but I know with every bone in my body its right. It all started one night when I couldn’t sleep I was online and just in those stupid AOL chat rooms, when this guy IM’d me.
We started talking and he told me he was in the army and even sent me pictures, he was stationed in South Korea at the time for a year but only had 3 months left. We talked that night for 6 hours straight and every night after that for 6,7,8 hours on end. We connected so much it was like I knew him my whole life.
He asked me if I would be his girlfriend and I said yes. With today’s technology we talked every night, he called me when he could (because of the time difference) and we would video chat all the time as well. We dated his last 3 months in Korea and he had bought a ticket to come see me after he got home for a week, he’s from Boston and I live in PA. About 2-3 weeks before he was to leave Korea he broke up with me. My heart was broken, but we made an agreement to stay friends and that I would still visit him in Ft. Drum, where he was stationed next. When he got back to Boston we still talked everyday on the phone, online, thru texts everything. It was like we never broke up. Then he tried to date someone else, but still talked and flirted with me like crazy.
Needless to say the one day I couldn’t hold my feelings back anymore and told him that I still loved him, and he said he still loved me too. I asked him why he broke up with me and he said it was too good to be true, I am his perfect match and he can see me being his wife the rest of his life. We got back together, and last weekend he had a 4 day weekend so he came to see me, for the first time in person. Let’s just say that every girl has that dream where there prince sweeps them off there feet, this was my dream come true. The weekend was amazing and he asked me to marry him. We are planning to do a Justice of the Peace ceremony by July hopefully for now, because he wants to be married to me before he leaves for Afghanistan, which we are not sure yet when that will be.
All I can say is that yes, most people think I’m crazy for meeting my fiance online, and only knowing him for 7 months and then getting married so soon. But when you are in love and you know it, you have that feeling of absolute certainty you should never let it go. I have never been more certain about anything in my life, and I can’t wait to be his wife. The first year or so will be rough with his deployment but we’ve made it this far we can get through anything.
**I have an update. I got married the day after Easter, April 5, 2010. I couldn’t be more happy with the life I have been given and the man that makes my life complete. As of now I am not living with my husband due to the fact that I am going to finish school first but I talk to him everyday and night and we try to see each other on weekends. Well just wanted to let you all know.
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submitted by Keisha
My experience as dating a solider is way different than I first expected it to be. At first, I was begging him not to sign up and all I could think about is negative thoughts. But as time went out I learn to support his decision of joining the Army and over time I as so happy that he decided to go. We have been dating for three years but have known each other for six. At first during bootcamp was a little hard but then I got used to not expecting a call everyday. It was just hard going from seeing that person and talking to them everyday to only communication through mail. And then during AIT he had more chances to call me.
The big big tip is to be patient and do not expect anything. I feel like if you expect a phone call or something and then don’t get it then you are more likely to be disappointed. Also, be very supportive. They look for someone to stick by them even through the hard times and trust me being patient is so worth it and from my experience it has been a good thing (I just recently got engaged!!!). Trust is also a good thing to remember, most of the time you will be away from your solider so if you have a good trusting relationship that will help a lot. Me and my soldier live about 12 hours away and I only see him about four days every month and we try to cherish those few days we have with each other. In the end, I am so excited that I am going to be an Army wife!!
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submitted by Lindsey
Hi, my name is Lindsey and this is my story. It all started when I was six years old. My family and I had just moved to a new town and we had just settled in. I was such a sociable child so it was not hard for me to make new friends. My older brother, Nick, joined boy scouts, with my father as his troop leader. And that is when I met Raymond. At first we were like any other 6-7 year olds. I was a MAJOR tom-boy when I was younger. I tagged along when my father and brother went to boy scouts and soon became good friends with Ray.
As we grew older our relationship fluctuated. One moment we were friends, the next enemy’s, and finally we dated. It only lasted a week, in middle school, and we didn’t really get the whole “dating” thing. A few years later we grew closer. It was my junior year, his senior, and we were in the same class together. Every day we talked, laughed, and joked around like old friends do. At the end of the school year Ray and I fooled our friend, Tom, by making him think we were dating. This act went on for about two weeks. And then we broke up. It was the most HILARIOUS fake break up ever! A week or so went by and we were still laughing at our success. And that’s when we realized, dating each other was actually kind of fun.
I worked up the nerve to ask him to be my boyfriend, for real this time. He said yes but on one condition. “You know, I’ll probably break up with you before boot camp
right?” he said, I just shrugged it off. The first week or so it was awkward, like dating your brother. After a month or so I started falling for this boy. Two months in and then came the bad news. “Do you really have to go?” I asked him, come on you all know you’ve asked once or twice. So I packed his bags, because lets face it, the boy can’t pack, and I watched him say his goodbyes to his family. I was the last person he hugged. They got a picture of us hugging, me bawling my eyes out, he was impatient with a hint of excitement and worry, and his recruiter in the background….laughing. I hate that picture. I couldn’t watch the car drive away.
After what seemed like the LONGEST three weeks of my life, he called. I cried. While at boot camp he called every Sunday for a half an hour. We wrote letters back and forth, me being a writer pouring my soul onto those papers, him being not much of a writer writing “Miss you too, yes I’m fine, Can you send me a picture I miss seeing your face.” Boot camp was finally over. I bought a plane ticket to South Carolina to go to his graduation. He was not the same person. We had dinner in the mess hall and every thing I did he was like “Stop that”, or “You look foolish”. This was not the boy I grew up with. I also felt very insecure when I went to SC. He was MUCH skinnier, though I never saw him as fat, and I, even though I lost 10 pounds, still looked like a cow compared to everyone else.
We parted, he was headed to Alabama for AIT, I was headed back home. He got his laptop and phone privileges and I thought I was in heaven. The months passed, and although we hadn’t physically spent a lot of time together, I was falling for him. He called me on my 18th birthday at midnight. He came home for Christmas and I was the happiest girl alive! Ray was back to his old self. A friend of mine, who is much older and wiser, has been through what I have been through and she says it happens to all of them. Boot camp breaks them down, but once they get their freedoms back they revert back to who they used to be….but not fully. He was still the boy I fell in love with, but now he was a man.
New Years changed my life. I had been telling myself I would stay a virgin until I was at least out of college, so I wouldn’t end up pregnant, even though I was on birth control. But new years eve…..something clicked. I won’t go into details but, it was the most awkward, magical, hilarious, romantic, freezing cold, experience of my life…And I loved every minute of it. And then he left me…again. As he was hugging me at the airport I held back tears and I whispered ”You know, this is the third time I’ve had to watch you walk away from me?”. All he could say was “I love you”.
The months passed and March rolled around. Ray’s aunt was dying. Instead of taking the two weeks leave he had to come to my prom and graduation, he used them on visiting her. I am so glad he did. Prom sucked anyways. I took him out to dinner, wore my prom dress a month before I was supposed to, and paid. He was happy about the dress and dinner (at his favorite restaurant) but he was mad that I wouldn’t let him pay. He left again, after his two weeks, back to Florida. July 4th weekend I flew down with his mom and uncle to visit him in Florida. That was the best vacation of my life. We were on the white sands of Destin beach when he leaned over, kissed my forehead, and whispered “I love you more than breathing.” I melted! For some time I thought he was going to ask me to marry him. I thought he would do it in Florida, I mean it was SO ROMANTIC. But it didn’t happen. The day I left Florida for home was also the day he left Florida for Oklahoma. That last night was magical. We spent all night talking, just lying in each others arms. And then I fell asleep.
When I woke, (we had a room to ourselves), he was no where to be found. I knew he was leaving that same day, but I thought he would have at least woken me up to say goodbye. I rolled over, disappointed, and I heard a crinkling noise. There was a note on my pillow. “Good morning babe. I didn’t want to wake you, but I had PT this morning. I should be back by 5:30. I love you.” I smiled and looked at the clock. It was 4:45 in the morning. I think I woke up because I felt the absence of his body next to mine. I fell back asleep, tired as hell. When I woke up I was facing the bedside table. The clock read 6:30. His plane left at 9:00. “Shit” I thought as I turned over, afraid I had missed him. And who did I see? Raymond, smiling down on me.
“How…What..Whe…” I babbled. He leaned down and kissed me. He told me he came back from PT and saw me still sleeping, note in hand, and decided to take a shower while he had the chance. He said he was watching me sleep, laughing every time I snored or made a funny face. I was so embarrassed, before Florida we had never slept in the same bed, let alone the same house! My cheeks flushed and he told me not to worry, It was “cute”. We parted ways and prayed that he would come home soon. His stay in OK only lasted a month or so. The day Raymond came home was the day his Aunt died. Everyone, including myself, were gathered at her house.
Judy had Down Syndrome. She was the sweetest woman I had ever met. Everyone was gathered at her house, and I know it sounds bad, but we were waiting for her to die, waiting for the suffering to end. We all thought she was waiting for him. She just wasn’t strong enough to wait any longer. Judy died about an hour before Ray got home. He was a wreck. I accompanied him to the wake and funeral.
Believe it or not, life went on a little while after that. Ray was home for a month. That’s when I heard the bad news. He was being deployed to Korea. It seemed like that year had gone by so fast. He couldn’t be leaving me. September 4th he asked me to marry him. After July I had given up on hoping for things, because when they didn’t happen I was even more upset. I was in total shock. I don’t remember my exact answer, but obviously it was a yes. He left for Korea September 20th, 2009. Now I sit here, typing this letter, waiting for my soldier to come home, so we can get married!
My advice:
1) be patient, regular relationships are hard enough as it is, but adding the military, boot camp, being in the field, and deployment…..it takes a big toll on the heart. If you are patient enough, love will find a way.
2) be supportive. you may not love the idea of your loved one going off, but the fact is, they are government property, they cant control their actions anymore, The Army says jump, they jump. If he jumps, you jump too. You may not like it, but tis life, and all he really needs right now is your love and support.
3)have fun! Respect the rules, but still be yourself, remind him/her of who you are, who they are, and what it was like before the Army. Its always good to laugh.
4) Stay strong. Keeping a strong image in front of your soldier lets them know you’re alright, even when you’re not. When they’re gone is the time to let it all out, but
5) NEVER break down in front of your soldier. yes it is ok to cry, or show concern, but if you can’t handle it, neither can they, They have as much stress as you, if not more. Breaking down just adds to their stress, and then they worry about you, and not about their job.
6) don’t distract your soldier. They are married to the Army first, you second. If you distract your soldier, even in the slightest, they may lose focus and hurt someone because they are not doing their job right.
7) You are married to the Army. Respect it. Learn it, Live it. Love it. There is really not much else to say about that.
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Hey y’all(: I’m Tabitha. I’m the girlfriend of a U.S. Army National Guard soldier. He left for Basic this morning and his flight leaves at nine. I’m sitting at the airport while he is on the plane and I am looking out the window and watching his flight take off to Fort Leonard Wood is one of th ehardest things I have to do. And for the rest of you going through this…here is our story(:
I was a regular customer at a local store where we lived. Chris(my soldier) worked behind the counter in the meat department. Everytime I went in the store he would flirt with me, ask me how my day was, and called me beautiful and stuff. Sometimes I would make an excuse just to go down to Gerwigs just so I couls see his smiling face and beautiful blue eyes.(: One day(I went in to buy 1 lb. of meat just so I could see him), he asked what was new and I told him how I had enlisted into the guard that very same day and then we started talking (this was about two months from today) about the National Guard. He told me that he was also enlisted and would be leaving for Basic Training on the 14th ofNovember. He packaged my hamburger and on the top of the package he wrote his name and his phonenumber, whta he said after that was “Call me if you have any questions about the Guard.” It was about the cutest thing ever and I had been hoping he woul dgive me his number because if not I was going to sing “Call me maybe” and then give him my number(: hahaha. im completly serious about that one too. Anyways of course I texted him. and that night he called me on the phone and we talke duntil like 3 in the morning on a school night. After that we hung out everyday. He has now become my boyfriend, my soldier, and my best friend. I know he will be there for me when I leave for Basic and until he returns home safely into my arms for Christmas on the 20th of December, I will remain strong, Army Strong for him and for our Country. We have been dating for three months and I have convinced his dad to tell me what my Christmas present is and it’s a ring. Yes an engangment ring. shhhhh! don’t tell him I know. I can’t wait to be Army Strong forever.
So for all of you girls (and boys) out there with a military boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, or even family members. remember what The Soldiers stands for. They pay the ultimite gift…their lives. Stay strong for them, even if they are just in Basic because that’s when things get tough.
forever more,
Army Strong Girlfriend,
Tabitha (:
I must say, I almost felt like I was alone in this journey. It kinda makes me feel good to know that there are hundreds of girls that can relate and rely on each other for support with this common struggle.
My unfinished story:
I have talked to most of my family saying I want to marry him and how much I love him, and most of them look down upon it, EXCEPT for my aunt-in-law. She gets it, I think mostly because almost all of her family is in the army and she knows that the only way for me to stay with him (location wise) is by marriage.
and that was something I have been scared of since my first heartbreak. My soldier left for basic training on November 22, 2012 and is shipping from Reception to actual BT tomorrow, Nov. 26. Tomorrow, we will have 26 days until he comes back home for Christmas holiday and I am SUPER excited.
he just keeps telling me to stay strong..
Sooo, I have known my soldier since sixth grade (I’m a senior in high school now) and since I saw him, I had a huge crush on him. We had a class together in ninth grade and that started our minor minor MINOR friendship. Haha, I would say that I wasn’t the kind of person that he would normally hang out with. Haha, though we barely talked, I would often bother him in class, poking him and calling his name while he was dozing off. That was as far as our “relationship” had gone.
My tenth grade year, I switched schools and started my life anew, losing contact with most everybody from my old school, including my soldier. The summer after junior year, while I was in Latin America, I decided to search Facebook for someone to chat with. I scrolled across his name and thought “hmm… Why not?” Upon my “Heyy!” he replied to me saying “hey!! Didn’t we have a class together? English right?” And from there things grew. We talked for about two weeks before meeting at his place and hitting it off.
We have been dating for about four and a half months now, and I’m in love. Is that strange? I mean I’ve been in love one other time and he ditched me, but this time, I feel the same amount of love (if not more) that I did then. Better yet, I am his first love.
My boyfriend and I have been talking about kids, marriage and our future probably since the second month of our relationship, he even thought of a name for a baby boy while I’ve taken charge of the girl names. I knew from the beginning that he was going to be a soldier but I also didn’t think much would become of us, as he is not my usual type lol. Any who, I am as happy as I can be with our relationship…it is ALMOST perfect
The first few days of his shipping, I was not extremely sad as my mom kept reminding me that it’s not the war, just training — but I did cry periodically for about two days after he left. Needless to say, I was confused and shocked when I got a text and call from him when I thought his phone would be taken up as soon as he reached reception. -.-” haha.
I guess what was getting me through this week was his constant calls whenever they had downtime and his cute texts. I’m kind of sad about him losing his phone privileges BUT I’m also excited to finally send and receive the letters that we’ve been writing since his first day on base. He says they are kind of depressing but I think I can handle it
I don’t know you guys, I really love this guy
And I’m willing to be his puppy dog haha. Following him on his journey as I attempt to make mine along with him.
Is that a bad thing?
P.S. we are still working on the marriage thing. He planning to ask my mom for my hand in marriage when he gets a ring and we are looking towards the Justice of the Peace option. I really hope everything works out…I want to be with him. Forever.
And he says the same (even though I joke around with him repeatedly about his love for me).
I just want everything to work out smoothly and happily.
My story is very interesting to say the least! I am 20 met my boyfriend about 4 months ago in Hawaii and he is 22. My cousin goes to college there and I went to visit her for the summer. My cousins boyfriend is in the Army which was completely new to me, I had never even thought about ever being with someone in the Military. My cousins boyfriend set me up with some of his friends and it was fun to meet new people and go out and have a good time. I met my current boyfriend about 3 weeks before I had to head home to New York to go back to school. We really hit it off and enjoyed each other a lot and so he asked me to be his girlfriend, and even though I was a little skeptical about a long distance relationship I didn’t hesitate and said yes of course. I left about a week later to go home and we Skype and talk as much as possible although I’m in college and he is always busy so its hard, but we manage. He has leave for Christmas for 3 weeks and he is going home to Chicago to see his family and I am making the trip there to meet everyone and to see him. My family doesn’t really approve of my relationship with him because they don’t know him and they think he is rushing into getting married because he wants to so soon. I need my family’s approval before I can make that step though and I think our relationship is still new. He is about to PCS to Kentucky soon so he will finally be way closer although it will still be long distance it wont be Hawaii to New York fortunately. He makes me so happy and all the time that we don’t get to talk he always makes it up to me because talking to him always brightens up my day!
Hey
So I’m Australian, 19 years old and an army girlfriend. My boyfriend (19 years old also) joined the Australian army early this year and left for basic on April 10th ( I remember it like it was yesterday) we’d be dating for just over a year and we were inseparable from the moment we met.
nothing made me happier than seeing his face when he saw me waiting at the train station for him.
I do hope my story helps and gives comfort to anyone in a similar situation. No one can say that this is easy, but i think we can all agree it is oh so rewarding. We defense girlfriends/wives need to stick together, know we’re not alone and support each other any way that we can! I respect every single one of you and your partners, all the love and luck in the world to you 
M.
His brother is in the Navy so I suppose I always knew he’d be in the defense force in some respect, but no one can really prepare you for the army life. The moment he got on the bus to leave, i felt a part of me was missing. For the first 2 days, i think i just blocked out the whole thing, thought it was a dream that i would soon wake up from (hopefully waking to my boyfriend next to me) but eventually i had to come back to reality. I cried almost everyday for at least 2 weeks, sounds ridiculous i know, but, it almost felt like we’d broken up. We had no contact for 3 weeks to start then spontaneous phone calls and letters began to flood in. From that moment i knew that no matter what obstacles we would have to endure, we could do it.
CAT training was wonderful as i saw him almost every weekend for 10 weeks
He told me, just before graduation, he was being based at the top of Queensland for 3 years (unless deployed of course) I made the decision after so many long sleepless nights, to make a new life for myself and follow him there (I live in Sydney). Two weeks before he was to leave, in true army style, he told me that he was no longer going to Queensland but to Darwin (top of Australia-half the country away) instead. Although this was going to be an even bigger move than Queensland, it’s something i felt i have to do. So as of January next year, i’m leaving everything i’ve ever known, to be with my soldier in a city i never would have dreamed of moving to.
If you named the first emotion that came to your mind, good chance i’m feeling it. No matter how many times i try to make sense of the situation, i hurt my head. Although army life is more difficult than anything i have ever experienced, and i’ll be honest, i’ve often doubted how much my heart can handle, i believe i’m making the right decision.
I’ll support him through anything and everything, he’s doing such a tremendous thing and i couldn’t be prouder to call myself an army girlfriend, even though at times all i want is for us to have a ‘normal’ life where i’m not afraid that he’ll be deployed at any moment. In saying that though, every part of this experience, good or bad has helped me grow as a person, as a woman and as a partner and I hope one day i will have the privilege to call myself an army wife
i have been dating my boyfriend for a year and a half. I love him with all my heart, he loves me, we want to get married. We are 18 which is very young to talk about marriage. This summer we split for college, it was so hard. We have gotten through the first semester, i attend a college in New York, he goes to Delaware. He is in ROTC and in three years he will be deployed and be gone for six months. We have been in a long distance relationship, but not seeing him for six months will destroy me. I am looking for advice. He has told me he won’t ask me to stay but if I’m not staying i need to tell him so he can move on, or at least try to. I want to stay but i really don’t think i can deal with his deployment. And i don’t want to tell him this because then i will loose him. I know we have a long time and so much can happen in three years but when i look in his eyes I’m home. The thought kills me.
i’m having the same issue but my bf will be gone for 8 months. he told me if we make it through everything that he will ask to marry me. (I’m only 15 but i’ve known him for four years and fallen hard over the years and i even know im young totalk about love.) Anyway, i know that feeling of not knowing what to do knowing he’ll be gone for so long. but reme ber this. it will ony make your relationship stronger becasue u will cherish the time you have w/ him more when he’s back on visits and your love will only become stronger becasue you will learn to wait for each other.
Dont leave him then.
This is going to probably be the hardest thing you have ever had to do (support him. be faithful to him. love him through the distance and lack of communication) but you can do it if you take it one day at a time. My boyfriend is currently in AIT and will be graduating soon and then overseas he goes. We have been together for 2 in a half years.
But your bf is right . you need to let him know if you are going to stay with him or not. He cant be worrying about his gf leaving him or cheating on him while he is away. In the end this will only make you guys stronger so if you are up for the challenge then go for it if not break it off and allow him the chance to be with a lady who is strong enough for this.
Sorry if i sound harsh but im just telling you the truth sweetheart. there has been so many times when i just wanted to walk away but id rather deal with the pain of him being far away from me then to deal with the pain of losing him forever , or to another woman who can handle the distance better than me . You need to prove to him that you can do this because he can be with anyone and there are plenty of people who would love to take your military man away from you, so you have to be the strong civilian girlfriend and hold down the fort !!!!
Hello,
My name is Latitia i am 27yrs old and i am a Army girlfriend. My soldier is deployed in Afghanistan we have only been together for 4mths. We haven’t met yet, but we talk everyday and video chat when he can. This is all new to me i have never been with anyone in the Military. He tells me he loves me and wants to be with me daily. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s who i want to be with he is so sweet and seems to be very loyal. I am learning that trust, patience and loyalty is a must. Can anyone give me any tips or advice as to what I’m getting myself into? Thanks in advance.
Hey Latitia
You are deff getting yourself into a longggg road of lonely nights, sad days and friends who do not understand why you would want to be with someone in the military . BUT despite all the negatives you are going to have a man who loves you 100% .
I dont know about the whole online relationship thing with a soldier bc my soldier is my highschool sweetheart and I fell in love with him before the uniform came into play. You just have to remember that his career comes first but he still loves you.
Distance is hard especially if you are use to being around them all the time. But since you guys started out longdistance maybe that wont be such a problem for you. Just make sure he is really a soldier and not some random guy pretending.
My story, is not a typical one. It has many twists and turns, both bad a good.
I met the love of my life when I was still engaged (the person I was engaged to wasn’t the person for me, we weren’t happy) I had a fight with my ex fiancé and went to visit a girlfriend of mine that night to get away for a awhile. Little did I know she had friends come down from Sydney to spend that weekend with her, this is how I met him.
We drank too much had many laughs and enjoyed each others company, somehow separating ourselves from the group at my friends house. We had a moment where he was showing me pictures of him in uniform on his mobile and I was leaning over his shoulder having a fantastic perve. Both of us felt this spark, like electricity tingling on our lips and we locked eyes instantly. However we both knew me being engaged (even though unhappily) it was wrong for us to act upon how we felt.
Once I had and too much and proceeded to literally throw up everywhere, my girlfriend took me home.
I thought of him often for the following two weeks, which then I decided I had had enough of my loveless relationship and to leave. Two weeks after leaving I managed to get into contact with that mysterious man who I had forgotten the name of (blaming that on too much vodka!) we messaged over Facebook and he called me almost straight away. We organised to meet up the following night.
We had such a great time, so much laughing and stories told. We played pool had a few drinks with his friends, then stumbled back to his black and fell asleep (not before being surrounded by all his other mates that went out to the city that night, horribly drunk, telling him he can’t let me go) which was hilarious and we still laugh about it till this day!
We became inseparable almost immediately, literally! I had never felt this way before, the need to be next to someone all the time or just to be in the same room or to hear his voice.
He is such a strong man, very loving, very sweet, very gentle. Without fail makes me breakfast in bed every weekend (WHO WOULDN’T LOVE THAT) :p
He has gone away for quite a few reasons (hasn’t been deployed yet, currently has a high chance too) he has many different things he has had to go away for. The first one was like living hell. I locked myself away for the entire time, I hardly ate I rarely spoke to anybody.
We recently just got through 8weeks apart, the longest we have been apart from each other. It was tough but so much easier then I first anticipated. I took it upon myself to do something, I workout a lot and keep fit anyway but decided I needed a new way too meet people. So I joined my local soccer club. He is starting to get worried I will be fitter then him soon, we always joke about that haha
So I’m writing this now while laying on my bed, waiting for him to come home. For some stupid reason I’m not allowed to meet him at the airport and take him home. (Some duty of care bull shit) so I have to patiently wait to hear my front gate slam shut and the sound of his heavy boots run up the concrete pathway.
It’s nerve wracking, it sends me into engerizer bunny excitement to almost wanting to cry sad lows.
We have been together now for almost two years. He is the love of my life. The man I will love forever, even when he no longer draws breath I will never love another person. He means everything to me.
The biggest thing for all military girlfriends/finances/wife’s or as I like to say PARTNERS as a whole you need patience and if you don’t have them yet you sure as shit going to learn how to get them very fast haha.
Enjoy the time you get to spend with them, sometimes they are few and far between. Don’t lose that fight to keep going.
I am a girlfriend to a furture Army Soldier. He is signed up and already has he’s ship date and he’s worried about how we will work while he’s gone. I’m still in high school and i need help
Our story is we met about 4 years ago and fell in love but never admitted it and so on, about 1 and a half ago we finally admited it and started dating about 5 months ago. and now he’s all worried about how this will work. he’s 17 and im almost 15 and soon after he’ll be 18 and im not sure how to assure him things will work
I met my soldier in January of 2011. It was my freshman year of college at East Carolina University. When I first met him, I’m not going to lie, I thought he was an absolute jerk. I had never heard anything good about him at all which was disappointing because he’s absolutely gorgeous
Anyway, he started making passes at me. He would come in my room when all my friends and I were watching movies, which was kind of cute. Then one night, we just sat in the hallway in front of my room and talked for hours. At the time, I never thought I’d ever be interested in a guy like him. He was rude and a womanizer. But then I got to know him. He told me that his parents were both in the Army. He was brought up in Fayetteville, NC at Fort Bragg. He grew up military style, which was something that I wasn’t used to at all. He was very cut and dry and had absolutely no emotion. He was a rock, literally. I could tell that he had trust issues. He had never had anything stable in his life because his parents were always deployed, nothing against them of course, they raised an amazing man. But when we finally started dating, things were ROUGH. We fought constantly and never got along. But when we did get along, it was absolutely amazing. I met his parents, we went to the beach a few times, and we just had a lot of fun. We broke up and got back together a couple times because we both just couldn’t stand the fighting, not to mention there were rumors of him being unfaithful. But we got through it and always found our way back to one another. All of his friends told me that I had changed him for the better. Ever since he’d met me, he’d become a happier person. Before, he was full of rage and always on the edge.
He had always wanted to join the army. He wanted to be an army ranger. Well, one day in September 2011, he called me and told me that his parents finally agreed to let him go through with everything. His parents wanted him to be a doctor, they had hoped he’d never want to be in the military. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in their favor. He signed a army ranger option 40 contract, which was the one he’d been waiting on for two years. He attended meps and did everything he had to do. I noticed that he started getting cold feet, and unfortunately I was right. He broke up with me. He told his friends that he didn’t want to leave me here and he was afraid that if he stayed in the relationship, I’d find someone else while he was gone. We were apart for a month and had absolutely no contact. He’d ended up moving back home to Fayetteville. Over the course of that month, I found out that he lost his contract due to a drinking ticket, so he had to start all over again!!
One day while I was at work, one of his high school friends approached me with some bad news. One of their friends had passed away in a car accident. So me, being as caring as I am, texted him. I wanted to let him know that I was there for him if he ever needed me, no matter the circumstances. From then on, we’ve been inseparable. We’ve worked on our relationship quite a bit. He has finally given me what I’ve wanted from him for the last year. He’s let down his wall and he actually talks to me. He’s more emotional and a lot more caring. Since he’d lost the last contract, he literally had to go through everything all over again. I was with him through everything. I was afraid that he’d get cold feet again, but he didn’t. He’s more committed than ever. He took me on a beach trip with his ENTIRE family. He told me that he wanted to give me the opportunity to meet everyone. He didn’t want me to feel like I was alone while he was gone. I had a great time and I loved his family, especially his mother. She gorgeous and she’s quite a beautiful person.
My soldier literally left today for Fort Benning, GA to attend OSUT. Saying goodbye to him wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I didn’t want to cry and put more stress on him. I know he’s going to need all the support he can get. I miss him already and I honestly feel like a lost puppy. I’m already anticipating his first letter. Once again, he’s worried that I’ll find someone else. Fortunately for him, that’s not the case at all. We might’ve had a rocky road in the beginning, but I’m happy to say that we’ve found leverage. He’s truly the greatest man I’ve ever met and I love him with everything that I have. I see a bright future ahead of us. I’m definitely going to give him all the support I can. The military life is hard, I’ve learned that already and it’s only the first day. But in the meantime, keeping myself busy sounds like the best option for me to pass the time. I know that after OSUT he’s going to attend airborne school. I’m hoping that he’ll get leave but from what people keep telling me, he won’t get leave after OSUT. He’ll just go straight to airborne school. Our plan is for me to finish school and eventually move to wherever he is and continue our life together. Hopefully it will work out in our favor. He’s truly the man of my dreams.
I have known this guy for a number of years. However, it was very light and a simple “hey” in passing. A few weeks ago, he contacted me out of the blue and we have been talking ever since. He is going through a divorce, but assures me it has been over for almost a year now. I’m not overly concerned with that. What I am curious about is if it is normal or consistent for military boys to move so quickly?!? I mean, we’ve not even gone on a date yet, as he doesn’t live here, but will be home in a month and a half. But, we talk everyday, almost all day. He has already said he loves me and we are making small plans for the future. Now, granted, we are constantly reminding each other that if at any point one of us feels uncomfortable that we have to verbalize it and that if this relationship doesn’t go as we planned, we just have to be honest. Is this normal?!? Seems a bit fast! I should probably add that we are 30 years old. It’s not like young puppy love. Any thoughts would be great!
After reading all your guys stories I just think I am lucky. My boyfriend of a year and 4 months enlisted in the Army National Guard on January 7th, 2013. When I got the text saying he and his mother signed the papers. My heart sank to my stomach I felt like he didn’t care about my opinion about it cause a few days before I cried to him saying I didn’t want him to enlist. I was scared I didn’t know what to think, all I would think of him getting deployed and him not coming back. I’m just scared of being away from him. Well the good thing about it was that we are still in high school but I graduate this June and he still has another year of high school left. So this summer he will just be at bct. And come back before his senior year then leave again next summer. But after that I don’t know what’s gonna happen. But at least he will only be gone for about ten weeks. But it’s just gonna be hard to transition from seeing and talking everyday to waiting for a letter or a call. But I know that I will have my days not wanting to get out of my bed, crying, and just being plain depressed. But if you love the person you will be willing to do anything. I can do this. With or without my families support. They won’t understand they just think “oh it’s only 2 months” no it’s more then that. It’s fighting to keep your relationship and staying strong I just have to look forward to certain things during those times like the letter or my first call from him or even my birthday and the state fair. It feels like the year just started and its already May, my Soldier will be back in no time.
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