- Joined
- Jun 4, 2018
- Messages
- 713
Today, on the Fourth of July, I should be celebrating my 20 year wedding anniversary with my beloved. Instead, he is with Jesus, as he has been for the last nine and a half years.
We were two active duty soldiers when we met. We thought becoming dependent upon one another on Independence Day would be fun (and ironic). And so in front of 100+ friends and family, we got hitched at the base chapel and celebrated with BBQ and a big blowout. Then that night, we watched the fireworks from the balcony of our room at a quaint Central Texas B&B.
I always knew, being a soldier myself, that our life together would certainly have its challenges. And it did. There’s a lot of unique stressors on military families, especially during times of deployment. We endured several during our marriage, but never dreamed we would face the deployment that lasts a lifetime.
I knew in my heart, before the knock even landed on my door, that he was gone. The night before, insurgents had hit the helicopter he was piloting with their airborne IEDs, causing a chain reaction of devastation and ultimately the loss of my husband’s life.
Today, I am remarried to a wonderful man. That man, my Chapter Two, loves me as I grieve and remember today... and what should have been. And for both my past and my present, I am so incredibly thankful.
We were two active duty soldiers when we met. We thought becoming dependent upon one another on Independence Day would be fun (and ironic). And so in front of 100+ friends and family, we got hitched at the base chapel and celebrated with BBQ and a big blowout. Then that night, we watched the fireworks from the balcony of our room at a quaint Central Texas B&B.
I always knew, being a soldier myself, that our life together would certainly have its challenges. And it did. There’s a lot of unique stressors on military families, especially during times of deployment. We endured several during our marriage, but never dreamed we would face the deployment that lasts a lifetime.
I knew in my heart, before the knock even landed on my door, that he was gone. The night before, insurgents had hit the helicopter he was piloting with their airborne IEDs, causing a chain reaction of devastation and ultimately the loss of my husband’s life.
Today, I am remarried to a wonderful man. That man, my Chapter Two, loves me as I grieve and remember today... and what should have been. And for both my past and my present, I am so incredibly thankful.
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