These pictures reflect a defining moment in my life. JD and I have been together since I was in highschool. We both have the same hometown, although we went to different schools. He joined the Navy and left on September 18, 2001 - he had joined prior to 9-11. I was starting my second year of college at Williams when he left. The long distance was too hard and I left everything to follow my man around the world!!
I go to Va. Beach with the plan to finish college there and be near my boyfriend. Within a few months we are engaged! (This picture was taken in Washington D.C. a few days after we were engaged)
I couldn't have been happier and everything just seemed to be going so great!! Then, out of nowhere JD comes home from work one day and says that he has a 48 HR notice to leave for Iraq!!! We weren't even at War with them yet or anything? I was so scared/confused. We decided to go ahead and get married. We couldn't get all the arrangements in order before he left for Camp Lejuene in North Carolina - but he thought he'd be there for about two weeks (he'd sneak back up on the weekends) and I started making arrangements. Oh my, the things I had to do!!! I was his official power of attorney and could legally sign any document for him, as him. I went to the court house to do the marriage stuff and I swore myself in for marriage and then they had me do the same as JD. HAHA! It's like I married myself. By the next weekend, I had arranged everything so that we could get married and we did!!
Sure it was a JP wedding, but to this day - I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!! We spent maybe a couple hundred dollars on a wedding that was only about the two of us and our vows. In the end, it couldn't have been a happier time. The cherry to the top of all of this is that the night before he has to leave to go back to Camp Lejuene - we find out we are expecting!!! I'm that girl. These things happen to ME!! He left the morning after our wedding, not to return again until after his tour in Iraq. The Honeymoon would have to wait.
Boo Hoo! I loaded my car and headed back to Arkansas! I was not going to be pregnant and alone with my new husband being in Iraq!!! With the support of family and friends, I got through the deployment and the pregnancy. Don't feel sorry for me. All the worry went towards JD. It was different when he was in Iraq. He was a Corpsman and was with the Recon team, which saw more combat than any other battalion. The picture above is of JD. They were constantly on the move and he only had a few showers during his whole 5 months over there. He said they were sitting in Kuwait for a few weeks and then they were given a Steak Dinner and a fake Beer...they knew. Shortly after, Bush declared War and he moved into Iraq that night. He was only able to call me three times - two times I missed his call and the one time I got it, he heard me and I couldn't hear him. I just kept saying over and over, "WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!" and later he said he heard me.
His Battalion covered more ground than anyone else and he was with the first wave to come home. The War was won and 5 months later - we reunite.
Of course, the War was not won and so here we are 5 1/2 years later. Shortly after he returned they stopped letting the guys come home and extended the time they would be there.
JD served 6 years as a Corpsman on Active Duty in the Military. He was stationed at Little Creek Amphibious base in Virginia Beach, VA. We lived there for two years and then he was sent a few hours north to Quantico, VA. We had a blast!! There were times that were hard, but we made it through them and have a rock solid foundation because of all that we've been through.
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