Who out there found the LASTING love of your life while in the military?

I was divorced from my 1st wife with 2 small children to take care of as I received custody of them while stationed at Fairchild AFB, Washington. My wife was stationed there also when we met. She saw my need and took a discharge to marry me. 47+ years later and father or 4, grandfather of 10, and great-grandfather of 5 with #6 on the way we are still going strong, her at 71, me at 76. I thank God every day for allowing me to be a part of her life as she is a part of mine.

My first marriage started out with both of us in the Navy. It only lasted 13 years. It was another 5 years before I found my Marine. I knew we had something special. We've been together 17 years now. So, I didn't really find him while in "active duty" military. But we both came from the veteran pool! :D

I met my wife via snail mail when I was with the Second Marine Division. (My future brother-in-law was a Marine, need I say more?) After several letters I went up north to meet her. Her father was a Navy man, so we always had the Marine-Navy rivalry going on. Anyways, we hit it off. I went and stayed at her house when I took leave. We continued to correspond for two years. Two months before I got out, I popped the question, and she said yes. We got married the next summer. That was forty-two years ago no. She wanted to get married long before the question, but I didn't want to while on active duty. I saw too many guys get divorced or lose girlfriends (I lost one when I was overseas). I figured if she walked on me she wasn't the one. She waited for me.

Here. 40 years or so ago. Quantico VA.

41 years ago...I tried to stay stationed in Hawaii. I even told the General I would re-up for eight years if he let me stay in Hawaii. Nope. Five years at one Duty Station was long enough he felt. So off to Ft. Hood, Texas I went. After a few weeks there, I found out my brother had moved from Ohio to Austin, Texas. I went to visit him that weekend.

I got invited to a party at the Apartment Complex, walked the door and met my Kathy. I proposed that night. A year later we were married. I hated Ft. Hood, but it gave me my Kathy. I got sent TDY for six months, and when I got back from that, SHE got sent to the other side of Texas for her Church...so almost that whole year before we got married...we saw each only one time. Christmas Day.

Then we had to fight with Immigration (My Kathy is Canadian). Thru it all, we just hung in there. Civilians don't have TDY, Deployment, or (as in the case of Ft. Hood) three to five week stints in the Field, but sometimes they are separated by Jobs in different cities, different shifts, or for family reasons. But the Military is probably the most difficult profession to start a marriage out in.

But she loved me. I loved her. We are both stubborn, and so it goes...forty years of marriage, two kids, two grandkids (so far) and about a bazillion good times, and a dozen or so great times, here we are. Still the best team. Still the best decision I ever made. Still together. As my Kathy says:

"Kevin, you will either die in my arms, or at the end of them." LOL