What advice do you have for being in a long distance relationship, especially being a member of the Armed Forces?

Relationships within the military are difficult enough as it is. At any instant, we could find ourselves in a warzone, deployed overseas, or in a forgein country, and the stress of that alone is enough to drive away significant others. The amount of strength needed to love someone, albeit be with someone, who chooses to serve and risk everything, is to be commended, which is why I have a deep respect for loyal spouses. Looking for general advice, and advice for my own personal situation below, if you wish to help.

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I am in a long distance "relationship" with a graduate student in Great Britain, and she is honestly the most amazing woman I have ever met. She is American, and from Texas. Regardless of everyone else I've dated, she is absolutely and fundamentally different from any other girl I've been with, and it feels different. She's 24 and I'm 26. We've connected on fundamental beleifs and ideas that we both share, and put simply, we just have fun together. At least, we did for a while.

Its complicated. I put "relationship" in quotations because we're not "official" but it has definitely been a relationship for some time. For the majoirty of our relationship, it has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. She is over there with no oversight, free do to do what she wants. When we started talking, she told me explicitly that she was not looking for a boyfriend, but as time progressed, that is exactly what I became without the title or committment. The majority of our time has been spent on Skype, for hours on end, usually into the early mornings for the both of us because of the five hour time zone difference. When I say hours, I mean a lot, sometimes even 8-10 some days. We got close. When I was working a minimum wage job, I saved up for months to go visit her for the first time, when I had no real money to my name. We've met three times, and intorduced each other to each other's parents. Time and time again, I demonstrated my loyalty. I trusted her fully. We'd get into arguments from time to time, but nothing serious. She'd always promise we were working towards a relationship, always a promise for tomorrow, but never delivering on that promise.

She slept with someone over there, during a period of us not talking, and during a period when she was upset. Her choice entirely. Completely cut me out. It felt like a betrayal of my trust, because I had been faithful to her since the beginning. Was she within her right? Even though it screwed me over and I got my feelings hurt? If it were up to me, I'd have wanted to talk to her about it, but she gave me no shot at that.

We shared mutual friends, friends I have known all my life. She was an online video game friend to my real life friends here. I trust their judgement, so I went to them and sought counsel. Is that not a normal reaction to do when you're hurting, seek advice from trusted friends? I told her I told these people, these mutual friends, and they cut her out completely because they knew I genuinely liked her, and they could not beleive that she'd do that to me. She viewed it as a betrayal of trust with her "personal information" that she entrsuted to me in telling me that she did sleep with someone else, and that she lost two really good friends out of it. I know there is resentment there.

I've never been promiscuous. I save intimate relations like that for people that I love, not go around to random girls for hookups. I've been told I'm very mature for my age, a lot due to the position I hold as an officer and a leader. I set the example. I live by the Army Values, an honor code, where it seems like people now adays don't know what that is. Honor used to be a big deal - if you lost it, you were shamed, and basically a nobody. Am I old fashioned in this belief? Am I right, and she's wrong? I try so hard to see her side of things, that she was single and well within her right to do that if she pleased. But it hurt me to my core, and yet I still love the girl. Now, we're not talking, our communication has been very piecemeal, limited back and forth, and I torture myself with thoughts that she's sleeping around. And I try so hard to drop my anger and hurt, but it comes stemming back. Any advice here? Do I hold out and wait for her to be done in England in 8 months when she finishes her degree? I don't want to let her go. This situation has tortured me for quite some time.