“‘Paul didn’t show up to work today. This isn’t good Mom. I need you to pray,’ I said. I hadn’t spoken to my husband in 48 hours and was really worried. Every text sent went unanswered. I called a fellow Marine. He asked me, ‘What do you know?’”
‘Two men in uniform showed up at her door. ‘They’re coming. The Marines are coming.’ I looked at my mom. ‘I have to go,’ I said, and hung up immediately.’
‘He thought I was drunk, but after hearing me slam my head several times due to seizing, he approached the stall and witnessed me convulsing on the floor.’
“I was rushed to the hospital with several Marines holding me down. My consciousness was fading. The first 4 hospitals turned me away. I awoke to a half-paralyzed body.”
‘It stopped my heart. I landed on a glass I was carrying, and a chunk of it punctured my jugular. A voice came to me and told me I was dying. Oh God no! I didn’t want to die.’
“I suddenly felt nauseous. I was standing at the kitchen counter – and my next memory is opening my eyes, and I’m lying on something red. I felt shattered glass falling from my face. I ran my hand down my chin, where I felt something snag my finger.”
‘I’ve been hiding our family’s ‘secret’ for years. I have been silent. Masking our smiles. Faking OK. A complete nightmare. I am so sick of living in fear.’
“The officer had actually committed suicide and faked his own murder. This brought out things in Ty I had never seen before. Our family has been in nonstop crisis.”
‘It was love at first sight. 3 days later, we were engaged. His symptoms of PTSD began to show. I would wear makeup to cover the bruises on my cheek.’
“His grandmother grabbed me and said, ‘You marry that boy. You don’t worry about anything anyone else has to say. They will get over it. Make him happy.’”
‘Oh God. I am about to puke.’ All of a sudden, I see a white van and someone whispers, ‘There he is.’
“I couldn’t wait any longer so I drove myself to the hospital. They told me there was nothing they could do to stop this baby from coming today. Alex was set to leave for deployment in 17 days.”
‘We eloped on August 31, 2018, after dating just 40 days. She is my wife from another life and now that I have her, I am complete.’
“I joined the Marine Corps and after September 11, 2001, I knew I made the right choice. I saw my wife for the first time in 2005 – it was love at first sight. But life had different plans for us. If photos speak 1,000 words, this one speaks 10,000.”
‘As the contractions grew closer together, with each ring I was nervous his Wi-Fi had gone out.’
“My first pregnancy ended in an induction that lasted 3 days. I was terrified that was going to happen again. I knew John would not be able to sit at his computer for 3 days, and the longer labor was, the less likely he would be able to stay by the computer.”
‘I did not have my biological parents growing up and if there is one thing I can give her, it will be to be present’: Why this Marine mom decided to ‘fold up my uniform’
“I’m trying to give our little girl the best life and gift I can give her — a Momma and Daddy she can be proud of.”
‘The post-deployment story I have yet to tell.’
“Because, If you rip the band-aid off, you will find it is still raw underneath.”