Anyone with Sailors/Soldiers/Marines in War Zones and Combat Areas
For parents and loved ones of deployed and deploying military personnel...Aghanistan/Iraq and any and all war zones. Please introduce yourself on the main comment page.
New to being a Navy Girlfriend
Hi everyone! I'm fairly new to being a Navy girlfriend. We met two weeks before he left to go to Afghanistan. We talked about not "officially dating" until he came home, but take this time to get to know each other. Before he left he asked me to wait, and didn't want me to see anyone else. He's been gone since the summertime and we are still going strong learning more about each other everyday. Lots of emails and phone calls as much as possible. He's probably the most amazing man I have ever met, and even with thousands of miles between us still finds ways to make me feel special. He was only supposed to be gone for a short period of time but got extended. We are working through the distance and seperation. I'm learning how to deal when he has a bad day, and can't talk about it but still needs me to be there for him. Any advice anyone has to share, please feel free!
claireb
Hey! I'm in a similar situation. I met my boyfriend (he's a Corpsman) almost a year ago, but we didn't start dating until a month before he was deployed for 7 months. He gave me the option to not make it official until he came home, but I wanted to wait for him. We're head over heels crazy in love with each other. We only have 2 months left to go and it's been very difficult so far mainly because of the distance and just fear of anything happening to him. As a couple we've been really strong and it hasn't had any negative affect or made us change our minds about each other. We learn how to deal with the bad days and taking it all a day at a time. For the first 5 months he was sent to a base that wasn't developed much so he was only able to send an email or make a phone call a week that would last 5 minutes if that. He's been at a different base for the past week and he has wifi in his room so we've been lucky and taking full advantage of that. Some advice: Everyone gets curious about what they are doing over there but when they get in contact with you it's probably the last thing they want to talk about. Talking to someone from back home is their escape away from reality, so try to update them about your life as much as possible. Talk about yourself, things that you want to do with them when they get home etc. Ask them if they need anything or how you can help them. Care packages help a lot..sending pillow cases with your perfume on it, letters, and pictures of you that they can keep on them. Even if it takes all of your energy, try to be as positive as you can during phone calls and emails. Just do your best to support them and help them get through the deployment.
For yourself: I would recommend not having a day count down because it honestly just makes the time go by slower. Make little vacations or breaks every month to get away. Go see some friends or take work off for a few days to get distracted and have something else to look forward to. Stay positive..it gets tough to drag yourself out of bed some days. Going to the gym has helped me a lot, it's a great outlet for frustration and depression.
I hope this helps a bit! Stay strong for him, lady.
Oct 7, 2011