To Whom It May Concern

Time Is Drawing Close

Our unit is rapidly approaching our departure date, and interestingly enough, belly's graduation date looks to be very shortly following the date in which we hop on the big plane. This is unfortunate, for if things would have worked out, she was going to stop by here on her way from Omaha to Phoenix (to see her parents for a few days) then onwards to San Diego and Camp Pendleton.

It looks like we'll be under a two week 'communication blackout' once we leave Ft. Riley. As I understand it, this isn't even because of security measures (although that's a little part of it), but there just aren't phones or other ways to communicate with your loves ones from the first place we go to.

We've done a lot this past couple of months, so much training, gotten a lot of new gear that will help us complete our mission (or cause me to collapse from even trying to carry it on the airplane) and we've bonded together fairly well (there are still a few rough spots but they seem to be working out.

The last 3 or 4 days have been rough, with a series of nasty surprises, financial, housing, etc. I was able to work through all of them, stressed but plugging away non the less because time is short, but on this last one I think we are simply shit out of luck. The Marines aren't going to let belly have married housing, not just NO upper NCO housing that recognizes my rank, but NO married housing at all. Either she has to live in the barracks or she has to find an apartment. Long story, but basically the Marines have rules that state if the couple are both in the active military and one is not stationed at Pendleton, they can't allow the spouse to live in married housing. I'm not really sure I understood why this is, but it's something to do with my not being there, and oddly enough, if I were not in the military it would not be a problem at all *GRRRR*

I called out to Pendleton to see what the story is, and I'm still not completely sure I understand it. So now belly is stuck finding an apartment completely on her own. I don't like this, but there isn't anything I can do now. It's incredibly frustrating to be unable to help out more. I just don't want her to be stuck in some craphole of an apartment in a really bad area of town. I imagine when I get back we will move on post and get housing there to save money and also have more living space.

Today we have our final financial, medical, and legal checks, and the next couple of days before we leave are pretty much locked down, including the last day we are here, where we are completely locked down in the barracks. Internet service ends on Thursday night, after that it's going to be awfully damn boring around here. I'll still have the cell phone though, so that will be okay.

I know that belly will do fine without me, but I also know there are probably a few things I have forgotten to set up so they will be taken care of while I'm gone. She's going to be responsible for getting all of the little necessities set up in the apartment/condo (whichever it may be) once she gets to San Diego sometime in the middle of November.

She's been on her own before so I know she'll do just fine. I just hope she gets in with a good group of people to work with and gets a decent placement within her air wing, if that's what it's called? Not sure heh, but I have a lot of time to find out more about the Marines once I get back. Still doesn't help though that I'm not there now to experience it with her, it's like I'm missing out on 1 year of our life together because she was unable to be with me, and now I'm about to miss out on another year of our life because I am unable to be with her : (

This is the choice we made though, so we are dealing with it. I know in the long run that we will become stronger for it, and look back on these days as part of what made the foundation of our marriage even more fortified.

Current Lyrical Ramblings

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield