While You Fight For Our Country, I Promise To Fight For Us

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People say long-distance relationships don’t work out. They say both parties need to put in an equal and significant amount of effort into the relationship, or it would just fall apart. That is what makes military relationships so difficult to maintain. You stay in camp, day and night, and calls are hard to come by. Most of the time, all I get is a few short messages before bedtime. I admit, times are tough.

But darling, I’m here to tell you that I’m not going anywhere.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss you all the time. The truth is I miss you so much it aches. I look at other couples on the street and I feel a pang of jealousy because you’re not there with me too. I cradle my phone every night, fighting the urge to fall asleep because I’m waiting for that moment that you’ll text me goodnight. For someone that’s in a relationship, I feel terribly lonely sometimes.

But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re my hero.

Because I know that while I’m sitting around missing you, you’re out in the field throwing grenades or in the classroom learning about battle strategy and weaponry. While I’m thinking of you, you’re thinking of how to keep me and our country safe. I know that if you could, you would spend as much time with me as possible, but another duty calls for you.

And it’s not so bad to miss you. Every week, I look forward to the day that I get to see you again. I look forward to hearing all the amazing adventures you had with your comrades, be it the jokes that you tell me about your instructors, or a new feat you’ve accomplished that week. Regardless, listening to your stories brings me laughter, awe, and excitement.

And I’m honored that you would share your journey with me.

And when the dark times come rolling, you can be sure I will stand by your side. I will be your cheerleader and encourage you to keep pushing even when the army has knocked you down one too many times. I will send you home when you’ve had too little sleep and can’t make it back by yourself. I will plan our dates to be near or at your house so that you can get as much rest on the weekends as possible. I will refuse your offer to pay for meals and dates, because I know a lot of your earnings needs to go to stocking up on military supplies.

For you, I will give much more than I take.

It doesn’t matter that you can’t spend as much time with me as you used to. What matters is that we are in this together, and whatever you can’t give in the relationship, I will be there to provide enough for the both of us. I want to give you everything I have. Time, love, support. I want to make your military days more bearable, so that you would wear that gorgeous smile on your face more often.

Your happiness is my happiness. We are a team.

You can focus on fighting for our country. Leave the relationship to me.