Wow, you think you will cheat. Maybe you aren't mature enough to handle this then. I say this as a military wife. Being with someone in the military is hard and most people cannot handle the pressure/stress. Even among the married couples I know most cheat. It baffles me, simple fact if you love him and want to be with only him you will be fine. Surround yourself with school work (I to am in college) and friends and don't put yourself in compromising situations (drunken frat parties). It will suck and it will seem to drag on but writing letters actually makes things better. I feel in even more in love with my husband while he was in basic and we were just friends, you can really connect through letters. I do wish you guys the best, so far no long deployments on this end but it will all happen eventually. 

I am in a very similar situation, although we never officially became boyfriend and girlfriend since he left for Afghanistan so soon after we started seeing each other. If you really care about this person, you won't be tempted to cheat at all. You'll just want him to come sooner. You must keep yourself busy, which is very important. Hang out with friends, write him letters, send him care packages, and try not to worry too much. However, if you think it won't last or that you'll cheat, then chances are, that might happen, so you have to be committed or it won't work.

Just understand that you might have to adapt to the changes he has developed overseas. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder pinches nerves on soldiers that went through hell. Before you guys might have not got into fights but even little things can easily trigger a hot temper. Expect change, thats all i have for advice.

awww. My husband is already over there and we are going on five months of seperation. I got some tips for ya. Don't worry so much. I know its almost like impossible to not worry but you will make yourself sick with the questions of how is he doing, is he ok, is he alive, and all those what ifs. I stay away from them because I can't stand to think of the father of my child being in a horrible situation.

Your relationship will only get stronger during the deployment if you so chose for it to be that way. So its ten months, how many people can say they survived that? There is a certain amount of pride that comes with a deployment. You and your boyfriend are doing something that comes with sadness, lonliness, tears, hope, joy, fear, and believe me its not easy. That is why you need to be able to say that you are going to make it no matter what happens. You won't cheat if unless you make the choice too. Just don't put yourself in that situation. You seem like a faithful girl and I can tell just from the way you are talking about your relationship. Yes you prolly will go into a slight depression but everyone does. Its ok to not be strong all the time. Just spend the next year together and live it to the fullest. :)

You need to make sure you realize what you are getting yourself into beforehand. If you think you'll cheat, you're not strong enough, plain and simple. If you really want to do this, you need to try as hard as you can to make it work. Unless you guys decide on having a less serious relationship, or something.
It really isn't an easy thing, but it's not impossible if you do love him, and if you're determined to do it. I was 16 when I met my boyfriend and when he was deployed for 8 months, we were only official for a few weeks by then. It's not forever, and while the communication does suck sometimes, for the most part it's not too bad. Just try to keep your mind and heart in the right place.

I understand, my boyfriend has been deployed for 7 months now, and it is hard not to cheat, but im in school now so that keeps my mind occupied, and i make plans with friends. i just do whatever i can not to think about where he is, but rather to think about him coming back. that may sound confusing, but its really not. i've been with my boyfriedn for over a year and i've been faithfull the whole time, its not as hard as it may seem, you just have to stay strong for him

By the look of your profile photo you look about 14, so why don't you ask yourself "what would Hannah Montana do in this situation"

you also say "he's in Afghanistan while I'll be safe and sound on Campus"  well from what I've heard about American schools you're maybe just as likely to get shot by the Trenchcoat Mafia, as he is stepping on an IAD.

Good luck..

i was recently involved with someone who is a marine, and he once talked about what would happen if he got shipped to Afghanistan. We were not in an "official" relationship, but it was all that without the title. his base is in a different city, but we'd see eachother everyweekend for about 3 or 4 months that it lasted..

When we talked about this, my first thought was not that i would cheat, but that something might happen to him, cause like you said they're getting shot at everyday.. obviously you are going to miss him, there is nothing you can do about that.

You shold stop thinking about the possibility of you cheating though because that is just asking for trouble. if you love him then yes you might be lonely for the time he is away but, you will survive! spend time with your friends, and focus on school as much as you can, and you and him can always Skype, write letters, or he might even call when he gets the chance! stay strong im sure things will work out :)

I was with someone in the Army for 4 years, it was some of the best and worst times of my life. In the end, I regretted having been involved with him for so long, but I definitely learned alot throughout the course of the relationship. I don't agree with relationships with military men when you're young and a freshman in college. You're going to want to do all the things that regular  freshmen do at your age, and you will end up resenting him, even if it was your  choice to stay committed and faithful to him. Lots of girls are in relationships with military guys and stay faithful, but lots of others aren't and I blame cheating on age and maturity level as well as perhaps some alcohol. I think that when you're growing up, you're learning who you are and what you stand for, if you're not all that set on all that, being single while you're in college (or at least a freshman) is probably the best option. For me, I always wondered what it was like to be a regular teenager/young adult.....and when our relationship was over, I sought to find out what that was like.....it led me to a lot of partying and drunken soul searching, it was a mess. I could have just avoided all that if I had done it earlier in life, instead of trying so hard to be an adult and be strong for him, when I was barely strong enough for myself. We were both barely old enough to really grasp the severity of a mature, grown up relationship, and we ended up hurting each other way beyond our years. I'm only telling you all this because I want you to understand that this isn't just about him going through danger and you leading your life here in the states like the title of your blog describes, this is about your mental well-being as well as your maturity. This will test you in every way possible. Perhaps some will think that I'm being dramatic about all this, but I lived this in flesh and blood for four years, and it ended between us very bitterly. He wants me back but I know that I will always resent and feel disdain for him.

Don't make a decision based off of you not wanting to "lose him" or feeling like you will "hurt him" if you leave. You will hurt him more later on down the road if you mess things up and cheat or emotionally can't be there for him. He deserves a fair shot, and you do too. Right now, I'm with a Marine (can't seem to get away from the military guys either, lol) and I'm mature enough to know that I can handle it. I can be self-less if it came down to it because I understand what this relationship requires of me.The circumstances are different and I'm in a better place. Think about all these things and really do some soul searching. No one is going to judge you if you aren't tough enough to do this and decide to break it off. Thinking about cheating, in my opinion, is normal, all kinds of thoughts swarm your head and it will creep into your head sometime, but as long as you're really determined to make it work, you can do it. Being with a military man takes more than just being faithful, it's more about knowing how to keep your love alive despite the thousands of miles between you two.
 Anywho, enough rambling. Good luck.

*sigh*

I'm 19, almost 20. I've been married to my husband, who's a US Marine, for a year and a half now, though we were together almost 3 years before that. Twenty-two days after we got married and moved across the country to where he's stationed, he got orders to Afghanistan. Not only that, but his orders took him out of his unit and put him in one where he'd be sitting on top of a moving humvee with a grenade launcher and being shot at for half of the deployment, and the other half he was on a QRF (Quick Response Force) that went out in a humvee looking for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device). Usually, they'd find them and call in the bomb guys to detonate them. Sometimes, they wouldn't know they were there until they exploded as they drove over them..

i've known my Boyfriend for about 6 years, and we've been dateing for almost 6 months... he left last sunday for basic training. he's in the army, and his training will last about 4 months or so. i'm writing to him every day. it really helps. don't try to stop thinking about him... when i woke up monday morning, i didn't want to get out of bed... i felt so lazy and i was having a really hard time knowing i wouldn't see him for so long...(granted it's not as long as 10 months). but... i got out of bed and just cleaned house for like 3 hours. lol, i wiped myself out. i went to two different extremes in one day and i realized that i can't keep doing that, so i found a happy medium. i think of him often, but not every second. i wouldn't be able to handle anything if i did. so i pick up a pen and write a little at a time through out the day, ya know, just as i think of him, and i tell him that i love him and i'm thinking of him. i know every one says "well mine will last, because we're different." but ours will last because it's a real relationship. we're in this for the long haul, it's not a fling. thats why i feel it will last. love is like a sword, "Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it." ~unknown wiseman~ . oh, and if you write letters, it's a good idea to keep a copy of all the ones you send as well as receive.

 when i go back to college in the fall, i think the best thing i'll be able to do is keep up with my studies, and do as much as i can handle, so there will be less i have to finish when he's back. as for being worried my attention will go elsewhere? i'm not at all. i wouldn't be able to find another like him if i searched all my life!♥ anyhow, i don't know if this helped at all, but the basic points are:

     * don't think about him all the time, but find something productive to do for him when he does fill your mind.

     * don't worry about him too much. it wouldn't be a good thing if you were never worried about him, but don't sit taround just wondering about his safety all day.

     * remember that 10 months is nothing compared to the rest of your lives.

     * and if you do start to think of other guys(and you write to your SO) just look back at the letters you've written to your boyfriend. that will help you remember why you're waiting. but it shouldn't require much at all if he's worth waiting for♥!

@freeeker@xanga - I don't deserve him. But that doesn't mean I can't try my best to be that girl he can count on to come home to. Just because I said the temptation is there doesn't mean I'm contemplating on if I'll cheat or not. Everyone has temptations and I'm not one less. The negative responses from people narrow minded like this are actually making me happy. It makes me know for sure I can prove you people wrong with every second I'm with him. So, thank you for your negative, narrow minded thoughts. :)

@lil_tinker_bell3232002@xanga - I found this reply and one other very uplifting and encouraging. I know when I say the temptation is there people go stir crazy and think I'm a bad person without even knowing me. I appreciate the fact you didn't jump the gun and judge me. Others have said I don't deserve, and truthfully I don't because he is so much more than I could ever ask in any man, and I have made so many mistakes before I met him. But, to think that there are people or are willing to help make those negative thoughts go away makes me feel so much better about this whole situation.

@shawtylette@xanga - Thank you so much for you thoughts and suggestions. I'm already trying to figure out what I'm going to do to keep my mind busy with him away lol.