What it Means to Be an Army Wife

In September of 2006, after nearly six months of letter writing, weekly three hour drives and long periods of being apart I was finally permanently joined in matrimony with my soldier. It was a tough road up to that point. Through those six months preceding my marriage I could say that I saw him a total of about a month out of that time. He and I met on Valentine's Day that year under unfavorable conditions. Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. I had been there for a month. He had been there for five. It wasn't until the following month that we actually started talking to each other. After that first conversation I knew he was the man I was going to marry. So, what did I do? I called my mom. She was happy for me and supportive, but not exactly ecstatic. The word spread throughout my family and friends. People asked if I knew what I was doing. They told me I was crazy or worse. To say the least, my certainty wasn't shared.

About a week after that conversation I found out I was leaving for home the next day. As a creature of impulse who is lead by her heart there was no doubt that this was love. The following morning, following a night talking of the future I said those three little words I'd been dying to utter. He said what I knew was true, that he loved me, too. It was a bittersweet parting. This was just the beginning and I couldn't wait for what was to come.