I Am An Army Girlfriend
I'm Emily, and this is my story as an Army Girlfriend.
It all happened so fast. He was a friend of a friend (of a friend?) and just so happened to join the group in our New Years Eve celebrations. We exchanged numbers, but I debated calling him for a few days. I eventually did and we set up a 'date' at Starbucks for the following Tuesday. He was just too cute. He was already there when I arrived, when he saw me through the window his face lit up, a smile spread across his face, and he excitedly waved to me. His smile tugged at my heart. We just clicked! I felt so comfortable around him and the conversation flowed easily. He had told me he was in the Army, but I learned he was just getting back from Afghanistan and had 2 weeks leave before he was to go back. We became pretty much inseparable from this moment on. He actually met my parents this same night (I'm living at home while attending school) and I met his that weekend. Everything, and everyone, just fit together so perfectly.
I spent the weekend with him. He was leaving Tuesday morning, I didn't go with him to the airport because I figured his family would want to say some private, meaningful goodbyes without me around! He walked with me to my car, holding my hand in his. And then he said, "Hold on I have one more thing for you." We walked over to his camaro and he said, "Stand right here. I don't want you to see it." He dug around the passenger side a little, then he turned around and placed a replica of his dog tag around my neck and said "I had this made for you. I would give you my real ones, but I still need them. So I thought this would be close enough." He held me tight and then looked deep in my eyes and said, "I'm going to miss you so much!" and he pulled me real close. I started crying a little and he took my face in his hands, wiping away my tears and looked in my eyes. Then he kissed me. He held me close for a little while. We walked back over to my car and I said, "Well we never talked about it. We never said it out loud, but are we dating?" and he said yea, "You know what else we didn't say out loud?' He looked in my eyes, pulled me close, and said, "I love you," and I told him I loved him too. We've been together 13 months now, but we talk about our future together. We are both sure that we're meant to be and it's just all too perfect to be anything less than soul mates!
We're fortunate enough that he is stationed in Hawaii, a beautiful paradise. James has less than 5 weeks left in Afghanistan before he flies back to Hawaii. Although I am infinitely appreciative that things are as easy as they are (we talk on Facebook messenger almost every day) I still miss him and wish we could share more moments together.
People often ask me, "How do you do it?"
My response is always, "How can I NOT do it?!"
Some people just simply wouldn't understand unless they have personal experience with how military relationships work. There is nothing about mine and Jame's situation that I dislike or regret. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and supporting him while he's deployed just comes naturally for me. I have never been so comfortable with anyone, never trusted someone so easily, and never felt that it was perfectly okay. He makes my heart skip a beat when he looks into my eyes. He catches my breath with a simple touch. The sound of his voice causes an outburst of butterflies in my stomach. I feel a jolt in my body every time a kiss is shared, like a surge of electricity flowing through my veins. When I am near him, I can't stop smiling, and his hand always manages to find mine when we're together. James is not even close enough unless I can feel his heartbeat and I can't remember a time I ever felt so much like someone's world. He is the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I fall asleep. I think about him all day long, remembering the way he touched me, remembering the way he kissed me, remembering the way he looked so deeply into my eyes. He makes me want to be a better person.
I won't lie to any of you reading this - It's not easy. The distance is absolutely terrible, but we are so fortunate in what we have. He is so good to me and he loves me more than I ever thought imaginable. He has put his whole heart into our relationship and only asks that I love him in return. Our love for one another is deeper and stronger than any I ever hoped to find. It's the kind of love found once in a lifetime. Something as trivial as distance could never ruin the feelings we share. I treasure every second we have together. No matter the distance, no matter the time away. I have made a commitment and will always stand by James and support him.
Every day that goes by means one less day until I see him again. (He's flying me to Hawaii on April 27th, 2012 so I can attend the Military Ball with him, as his date!) I do have moments of loneliness and depression, and I let myself be miserable. Then something important brings me back to reality, and I'm back to the hustle and bustle of my life. I can't sit around every day and feel sorry for myself. James is deployed, but life goes on. I have things I need to accomplish, and sitting around feeling sorry for myself is not one of them.
(Btw, I never take the necklace he gave me off. It makes me feel closer to him. I hold it in my hand all the time because it gives me comfort. Look at the picture! You can sorta see it...)
One piece of advice that always helps me is this....
-Emily.
It all happened so fast. He was a friend of a friend (of a friend?) and just so happened to join the group in our New Years Eve celebrations. We exchanged numbers, but I debated calling him for a few days. I eventually did and we set up a 'date' at Starbucks for the following Tuesday. He was just too cute. He was already there when I arrived, when he saw me through the window his face lit up, a smile spread across his face, and he excitedly waved to me. His smile tugged at my heart. We just clicked! I felt so comfortable around him and the conversation flowed easily. He had told me he was in the Army, but I learned he was just getting back from Afghanistan and had 2 weeks leave before he was to go back. We became pretty much inseparable from this moment on. He actually met my parents this same night (I'm living at home while attending school) and I met his that weekend. Everything, and everyone, just fit together so perfectly.
I spent the weekend with him. He was leaving Tuesday morning, I didn't go with him to the airport because I figured his family would want to say some private, meaningful goodbyes without me around! He walked with me to my car, holding my hand in his. And then he said, "Hold on I have one more thing for you." We walked over to his camaro and he said, "Stand right here. I don't want you to see it." He dug around the passenger side a little, then he turned around and placed a replica of his dog tag around my neck and said "I had this made for you. I would give you my real ones, but I still need them. So I thought this would be close enough." He held me tight and then looked deep in my eyes and said, "I'm going to miss you so much!" and he pulled me real close. I started crying a little and he took my face in his hands, wiping away my tears and looked in my eyes. Then he kissed me. He held me close for a little while. We walked back over to my car and I said, "Well we never talked about it. We never said it out loud, but are we dating?" and he said yea, "You know what else we didn't say out loud?' He looked in my eyes, pulled me close, and said, "I love you," and I told him I loved him too. We've been together 13 months now, but we talk about our future together. We are both sure that we're meant to be and it's just all too perfect to be anything less than soul mates!
We're fortunate enough that he is stationed in Hawaii, a beautiful paradise. James has less than 5 weeks left in Afghanistan before he flies back to Hawaii. Although I am infinitely appreciative that things are as easy as they are (we talk on Facebook messenger almost every day) I still miss him and wish we could share more moments together.
People often ask me, "How do you do it?"
My response is always, "How can I NOT do it?!"
Some people just simply wouldn't understand unless they have personal experience with how military relationships work. There is nothing about mine and Jame's situation that I dislike or regret. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and supporting him while he's deployed just comes naturally for me. I have never been so comfortable with anyone, never trusted someone so easily, and never felt that it was perfectly okay. He makes my heart skip a beat when he looks into my eyes. He catches my breath with a simple touch. The sound of his voice causes an outburst of butterflies in my stomach. I feel a jolt in my body every time a kiss is shared, like a surge of electricity flowing through my veins. When I am near him, I can't stop smiling, and his hand always manages to find mine when we're together. James is not even close enough unless I can feel his heartbeat and I can't remember a time I ever felt so much like someone's world. He is the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I fall asleep. I think about him all day long, remembering the way he touched me, remembering the way he kissed me, remembering the way he looked so deeply into my eyes. He makes me want to be a better person.
I won't lie to any of you reading this - It's not easy. The distance is absolutely terrible, but we are so fortunate in what we have. He is so good to me and he loves me more than I ever thought imaginable. He has put his whole heart into our relationship and only asks that I love him in return. Our love for one another is deeper and stronger than any I ever hoped to find. It's the kind of love found once in a lifetime. Something as trivial as distance could never ruin the feelings we share. I treasure every second we have together. No matter the distance, no matter the time away. I have made a commitment and will always stand by James and support him.
Every day that goes by means one less day until I see him again. (He's flying me to Hawaii on April 27th, 2012 so I can attend the Military Ball with him, as his date!) I do have moments of loneliness and depression, and I let myself be miserable. Then something important brings me back to reality, and I'm back to the hustle and bustle of my life. I can't sit around every day and feel sorry for myself. James is deployed, but life goes on. I have things I need to accomplish, and sitting around feeling sorry for myself is not one of them.
(Btw, I never take the necklace he gave me off. It makes me feel closer to him. I hold it in my hand all the time because it gives me comfort. Look at the picture! You can sorta see it...)
One piece of advice that always helps me is this....
Never give up. If he's worth it, then stick through the hard times. Distance only makes the heart grow fonder, and it makes the next time you see your loved one worth the wait.
-Emily.
By:
eoakley
Age:
22-25
,
Female
3
responses
