VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Sacrifice is defined as surrendering something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable. What are you willing to sacrifice for the good of your country?
Within a marriage between two active-duty military members, there are both positive and negative elements. A positive is that they both understand their commitment to their job and what it entails to be an active duty member, because being in the military is not a part-time gig.
“As an active duty member, my husband is always supportive and understanding because he understands the commitment of the uniform just as much as I do,” said Airman 1st Class Kaycie Eon, 614th Air Operations Center space target analyst, who is a newlywed of a dual military relationship.
Married military members sacrifice pieces of their relationship in order to serve their country.
“I’ve always had the belief of family first, however while being in the military there is also duty always,” said Col. Curtis Hernandez, 30th Operations Group commander, who has been in a dual-mil marriage for over two years.
Sometimes, mil to mil marriages experience additional hardships, outside the normal marriage relationship.
“One of the hardest parts of a mil to mil marriage is trying to make long term plans to maintain join spouse assignments while also trying to progress our careers,” said 1st Lt Amy Rasmussen , 30th Space Wing media operations section chief, who has been married dual mil for over two years. “We understand that there may come a time where we’ll have to be stationed apart in order to meet the needs of the Air Force.”
Distance – one of many hardships a relationship may endure. Although it’s possible, it’s never ideal to put a long-term relationship or marriage through this obstacle, but while in the military it’s not always an option.
“My husband and I are currently living apart due to a change in his Air Force career,” said Rasmussen. “He earned the opportunity to cross-train into a career field that he wanted, so we decided together that he should do it. Although this meant we would be spending a year apart while he completed his training, we agreed it would benefit us long-term and that our marriage could handle the distance.”
With the challenges that come with any marriage, mil to mil marriages can still succeed and lead to a happy life.
“While in a dual mil marriage, my wife and I have learned to communicate better,” said Hernandez. “The time that we have spent apart has made us appreciate what we have and improved our quality of life.”