My Journey Begins...

Becoming a military spouse was never thought of for myself.  I had planned myself to go into the Marines, but broke my ankle right before boot camp.  Little did I know, I would be married to a Marine six years later.  My husband had been in the Corps for four years before we met.  He got out in 1999 and went back in July 2004.  Our first duty station was 29 Palms.  He was assigned to 3/7 Weapons Company and that unit was just returning from Iraq.  He would deploy with them in September 2005 and I would experience life on my own, in the isolated desert, and would keep myself occupied with work and school.  

When we first arrived in 29 Palms, I was clueless.  My first marriage was to a Sailor, but it was not during war time.  I went through a lot of trauma during my first marriage and was terrified of getting married again.  When 9/11 happened, my whole world changed and I knew that if he got recalled, I wanted to have his last name.  Three years later, he chose to re-enlist to the Corps and we were off.  Starting a military marriage in 29 Palms was challenging.  Although there were thousands of Marines and families there, it was almost impossible to get away from the military life because the town was so small.  The nearest mall was in Palm Desert which was nearly 80 miles away.  The people in Palm Desert didn't even realize the Marine Base was there or where 29 Palms was.  I went from living in Texas (Houston, then Tyler) and ended up in a town with not even a Walmart.  How was I going to adjust to such a change?

The base became home and the friends became my saving grace.  You relied on one another, cherished the time you had with your spouse, and learned to cope with the "part-time marriage" that I'd become accustomed to.  Nothing in my life could have prepared me for this new lifestyle.