Marriages become casualties of Iraq war

[kskiska]

BAGHDAD -- Spc. David Deckert's Dear John letter came in an e-mail, a simple message his wife had tapped out in shorthand on her cell phone: "I dont want to be with u im leaving you im sorry."

Deckert, 22, of Albany, stared at the message in disbelief.

The note forecast a far different end to his marriage than the mechanic could have guessed when he left home 13 months ago -- but one increasingly common among the more than 700 soldiers deployed as part of the Oregon Army National Guard's longest overseas mission since World War II.

Nobody is officially tallying the number of divorces and estrangements among the Oregon Guard's 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry in Iraq, although soldiers estimate that dozens may fall into that category. The broken relationships stand as some of the hidden costs of fighting a war on foreign soil and of an 18-month-long mobilization for citizen soldiers who are normally husbands, fathers and employees rather than warriors.

Stationed in Iraq, soldiers of the Oregon Guard's 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry are missing the milestones upon which relationships are built -- a baby's first steps, a father-in-law's death. Their spouses are often faced with single-handedly raising families and coping with the financial, logistical and emotional demands normally shouldered by two.

more…
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1100350564219690.xml

[Pale_Rider]

1. Unfortunately ...

... some will come home and commit murder.

[George_S]

2. War is Family Values

It's probably because the spouses are back here watching those hellbent Hollywood movies alone.

[Divernan]

3. Spouses realize that under Bush, little hope for return of soldiers.

If Kerry was coming into office, there would be hope that the National Guards would be returned to their intended purpose of safeguarding the "nation" here at home. Under Bush, they will be kept on duty overseas.

[DeadManInc]

4. marriage

Ouch. That is pretty cold hearted thing to do.

[hatrack]

5. But at least they're not GAY marriages!

:puke:

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Gotta love irony

While I feel badly for this guy and think his wife is a shit for doing it (or at least for doing it this way .... cell phone text message???), isn't it ironic that the party/pres of "family values" and the ones who so vociferously foment support for the "defense of marriage" steadfastly move to more and more war and its fallout on the very families they claim to want to support and defend?

This cabal is lower than whale shit.

[bleedingheart]

7. I had a friend who had that happen

he was stationed in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War when his wife left him, they were barely married two years.

It is very hard to be married to someone who travels or who is away a lot. Salespeople, consultants suffer from the same problems.

[llmart]

8. At one time I think I read somewhere that.......

VietNam Veterans had the highest divorce rate. So, here we go again. How hypocritical of the Repugs to talk about family values, and "marriage between a man and a woman" when they could give two shits about family values.

[Cocoa]

9. this is Rosie O'Donnell's fault n/t

[JudyM]

10. LOL. Of course.