Amber and John in New York

I have been with my fiance John Beyer since September 20, 2003. I knew that day I had met the man of my dreams. My brother was killed earlier that year and now God had sent me my angel to bring happiness back into my life. Throughout our dating period we would discuss our future together. In April 2005 I received a phone call from my Army Reserve unit informing me I was being deployed to Iraq. John was also in the Reserves with me however his name was not chosen to be activated. I was scared and cried when I got the news that I would be leaving my home, my family and him for over a year. Without hesitation John looked me in the eyes and said I'm going with you, I will volunteer to go. The man of my dreams, my angel would now put his life on the line and go to war with me, literally. The process of him volunteering was not as easy as we hoped but in time John had orders for mobilization. Unfortunately we were separated into different units but still training together for most of the duration at Fort McCoy Wisconsin. There John and I were throwing grenades together on the range. I didn't mind a day of briefings, army chow or sitting in the grass if I had John there with me. His command tried to establish a rule that we must be 75 feet apart from each other for the rest of our training. They felt our relationship could have an impact on our ability to train properly. This frustrated us extremely however we would not let them break us apart. John and I snuck kisses behind military vehicles. We communicated with hand held radios and made plans to sneak out of our barracks at night.
During my training in the field I hurt my knee and had been given quarters. I was told to stay in the barracks and rest. At the same time John was on his four day pass that is given to soldiers prior to leaving the country. He chose to stay in Wisconsin so he would still be close to me. On October 16, 2005 John came by my barracks in his rental car and asked if I wanted to leave base with him. Obviously I was supposed to be resting my knee but I jumped into his car and took full advantage of the situation. We drove to the city of Lacrosse and had dinner at the Olive Garden. After filling our stomachs with what would be one of Johns last decent meals before going to Iraq, we drove down to a park along side of the Mississippi River. I asked John to hold me as the breeze sent chills through my body. As we embraced one another John began to express his never ending Love for me. He then got on his knee, pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen and asked me to marry him. With the biggest smile on my face I more than willingly said YES!!!
John is now in Kuwait and I am in Iraq. We have about 3 months left in completing our year overseas. Missing each other has been the hardest thing to deal with. I have witnessed relationships end because of the distance and time apart. Our love has only grown stronger. Although we are not together overseas the time has been so much easier for me knowing my fiance is going through the same things as me. I do not feel alone and scared anymore. John and I can relate to our experiences and communicate on the same time zones. We have begun planning our wedding and it is scheduled for May 11, 2007. As two deployed soldiers in love there's nothing we look forward to more than starting our lives together at home.