I've been married to my husband for a decade. I wasn't prepared as a new military wife for how long he'd be gone.

"My husband and I started our part-time military marriage the day we got married in two different countries. We were both at work (he in Kuwait and I in Minnesota) when we received emails on our phones congratulating us on our newlywed status. So began our life together as husband and wife. In the 10 years since then, situations such as deployments, rotations, job opportunities, graduate school, courses, field exercises, travel, and training have kept us apart for about half of that time."

"Before getting married, I hadn't realized how often military life requires service members to be gone. As a spouse, I had to be prepared for things to change and for my husband to be gone often - from last-minute training exercises to deployment date shifts. You learn to adjust plans, to be flexible, and, in my case, to figure out how to make the most of the time apart."

"In those early years of our marriage, while living in Savannah, Georgia, we both focused on advancing our careers and studies. I worked on my teaching degree and studied abroad. As a pilot, he attended courses, participated in field exercises, and went on numerous late-night training flights, so our schedules were completely opposite. We were apart more than we were together. But because of this constant "ships in the night" lifestyle, we appreciated our time together even more."

The marriage began with the husband in Kuwait and the wife in Minnesota, confirmed by congratulatory emails while both were at work. Over ten years, deployments, rotations, graduate school, courses, field exercises, travel, and training kept them apart for about half that time. The spouse learned to expect frequent absences, adapt plans, and be flexible around last-minute training and deployment shifts. While living in Savannah, both prioritized career and studies—she pursued a teaching degree and studied abroad, he attended pilot courses and late-night training—resulting in opposite schedules and limited together time. The couple valued shared moments and supported each other's opportunities even when separation was required, and a major turning point came after their first miscarriage in 2019.

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