Today's Officer - Winter 2007 - (Page 19) DO NI LE HETY R U N U BN G D U A D Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Va. Both were assigned to work in public affairs and first met in a professional capacity. Because Joanne had worked in public affairs before and Fred was new to the field, she became his mentor. But the two didn’t really get to know each other until they were at a public affairs conference together in Los Angeles. Fred says it was the first time they had a chance to really sit down and talk. Apparently they like what they learned. out. Fred had children from a previous marriage, and Joanne says she was happy being involved with her nieces and nephews. “Really, hats off to the dual-service couples who raise kids and stay in the military,” says Fred. “I don’t know how they do it. It’s only the two of us, and we waited forever to even get a dog.” But despite the sacrifices of time and proximity, Joanne says their marriage truly thrived under the circumstances. “I think because of the way our relationship started — having to be apart “What wasn’t to like?” jokes Fred. “She was drop-dead gorgeous, supremely confident, and self-assured. She’s exactly what I would have imagined as [the] perfect wife.” When the two returned to Washington, D.C., they went out to lunch, where Fred recalls asking Joanne to give him a chance. She agreed, and three days later Fred left for an assignment in Okinawa, Japan. The two continued their growing courtship through letters, phone calls, and occasional visits. They finally were married in 1984. Both Fred and Joanne knew that in addition to their new marriage, their commitment to the Corps was a top priority. It was a bit easier because they were both in the same field, says Fred, but time and location didn’t always work out. There was a period of time when Joanne was in Okinawa for a year, and then five months after she returned stateside, Fred went to Somalia for six months. In a two-year period, they were only in the same area code for five months, recalls Fred. “But, really, when we say we were stationed together, sometimes that meant we were within a two-hour driving distance from each other,” he laughs. “It’s all relative, I guess.” Being in public affairs was a “grueling” schedule, and the couple decided that bringing children into the mix wouldn’t work and write letters to stay in touch — we were always able to function and survive during the times we were apart,” says Joanne of their thriving marriage. “We were and are very comfortable with ourselves, and I always knew he loved me unconditionally, which was very reassuring.” In 1996, the two had a joint retirement ceremony. Fred says that even though they both enjoyed their careers and were happy to have served, they welcomed the new phase they were entering and were eager to “go get a life.” The couple relocated to Colorado for several years but have since settled in Wisconsin to be closer to Joanne’s family, particularly her twin sister. Among other retirement pursuits, the couple are very involved in their local community theater and are loving every minute of it. Though they recognize they are lucky to have such a strong relationship that has survived for so long, Fred says both of them being in the military at the same time actually helped more than hindered them. “It certainly made some things more easy,” he says. “When you have one spouse who is a civilian or two spouses who are civilians but work at different places, they don’t always understand the unwritten rules. They don’t understand why you have to work for 24 hours straight sometimes. With us, we always knew.” ★ Winter 2007/08 TODAY’S OFFICER 19
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