Ms Smiley reports an incident where strangers meet, share a little time together, and stipulates that one of the pair created the seperation because he did not want (his other half) alone in Hawaii while he was away on cruises. Responses have been cited that during the war (WWII) people met, fell in love, married, and waited for each other faithfully, and have been happily married since. I don't know the statistics of the divorce rates during WWII, but I am sure the death rate caused a few seperations. I believe our forefathers married out of desperation, to share the time they had with one another, regardless of the consequences before war seperated them. Today, our society seems more permissive, marriages start and stop at a rate that makes the marriage merely a union to prevent society from condeming a couple for living together. Perhaps the seperation would have cemented their relationship, and perhaps it was the answer or excuse for a couple to seperate whom were not destined to be together, forever. My qualifications: I met my girl on a blind date, it lasted a year, I was sent overseas for a year. We had become engaged before I left, and we married when I returned, only to haveme go back for six more months. During the next nine years Uncle Sam sent me to war three more times, each seperation a year or more. We rejoiced at our reunions, we were blessed with a healthy girl and boy, and spent 20 wonderful years in the Marines, together. We now are coming up on our 41st Anniversary. Bob & Joy

I completely agree that the military seperates the weak from the strong alot faster than living day to day life, without it being a factor. In our case, the Navy has given us both good and bad. I met my hubby his first night home off his first deplyment ever. We have been together ever since. We dated 18 mo and got married. Over the last 8 years we have moved 7 times and had two beautiful girls. My limits have been tested on so many occassions that I can no longer count them. However, of all these hapening have solidified the union I have and the committment that we have to make our life together the best we can, every day. It is not an easy life but it has rewards beyond civilian knowledge. I mean let's be real... How many folks get to fall in love all over again just by getting to looking into each others eyes after not seeing one another for 6 or more months? Talk about true romance.. if we all had to rely on faith and love a little more, more folks would take time to make it work and try to stay together. It is not easy but it is worth it at the end of day when you have pride that you are part of something SO much bigger than you ever realized you could be. Plus, I sleep safe knowing it is my sailor on watch tonight! I am not saying it is always a fairytale at homecoming beacuse with kids, there are more urgent things to tend to and romance sits on the nightstand while you deal with everything else, but when you are content and resolved to making the military part of your life, you have to be resolved to making it work through the good, the bad and the DITY move...ha ha. I know we are a "young" married couple but if it's working, don't try to fix a good thing. Time does enough as is, throw in a few deployments, kids and a good dose of reality, you are in for one wild ride. It is a ride that I would not have missed for the world. I miss my sailor and my kids miss thier Dad but because of that, I know it is worth the wait. To be on that pier to one day and see him walk off, knowing that he is ours and he is finally home after 2 deployments in 13 months.