thedrifter
03-18-08, 09:58 AM
Newlyweds will serve in Iraq together
By Kari Petrie kpetrie@stcloudtimes.com
March 18, 2008
WAITE PARK — Many couples spend their honeymoon in Hawaii or the Caribbean.
Richard and Jen Deering will spend it in Iraq. The couple serve in the Minnesota National Guard and leave this summer. They were married earlier this month in Las Vegas.
"We'll make Iraq our honeymoon," Richard Deering said.
Going to Iraq is just another chapter in a relationship that's been anything but ordinary.
The couple first met in 2005 in Kuwait when Richard Deering, 28, was with the Marines and Jen Deering, 22, was with the National Guard.
A common interest brought them together: They both had the last name Deering.
"We figured out right away that we were not related," Jen said with a laugh.
The couple say they found that their families had different names when they came to the U.S., but both changed it upon arrival.
The two became friends during a Charlie Daniels Band concert but lost touch when they left Kuwait. Richard lived in Arizona and contacted Jen in Minnesota to see if she would visit.
She did. The two went camping and a romance blossomed. Two weeks later she was living in Arizona.
"I turned in my car for a truck and quit my job," she said.
Jen transferred her guard membership to Arizona National Guard. Richard also had a one-year contract with the Arizona National Guard.
The couple eventually returned to Central Minnesota, where Jen's family lives. She found out in August that she was being deployed to Iraq, and the next month Richard signed up to go with her.
A lot of questions remain about what their married life will be like in Iraq. It's up to each unit's commander on whether couples can live together.
"Either way we're fine," Jen said.
They say they'll worry about each other just like any loved one would. But they both know they are there for the mission, and they'll be focused on the task at hand, they said.
The couple's bond over their love for serving their country and a pending deployment means Iraq is a typical topic of conversation.
"I like the serving part," Richard said. "But I like the helping part more."
Jen is a former dancer and comes from a long line of Marines. She entered the National Guard while a senior in high school. She spent weekdays dancing and weekends at National Guard drills.
"I'm proud to carry on the tradition," she said. "At 19 I was a veteran. I think that's pretty cool."
Although proud, the couple sees an end to their active status. They both want a family. Richard has seen fathers trying to maintain relationships with their children while serving in a distant land.
"I don't want that for my family," he said.
The couple is looking forward to their duty. And romance, well, that will have to wait, Jen said.
"Romance can be put on hold," she said. "We'll be fine."
Ellie
By Kari Petrie kpetrie@stcloudtimes.com
March 18, 2008
WAITE PARK — Many couples spend their honeymoon in Hawaii or the Caribbean.
Richard and Jen Deering will spend it in Iraq. The couple serve in the Minnesota National Guard and leave this summer. They were married earlier this month in Las Vegas.
"We'll make Iraq our honeymoon," Richard Deering said.
Going to Iraq is just another chapter in a relationship that's been anything but ordinary.
The couple first met in 2005 in Kuwait when Richard Deering, 28, was with the Marines and Jen Deering, 22, was with the National Guard.
A common interest brought them together: They both had the last name Deering.
"We figured out right away that we were not related," Jen said with a laugh.
The couple say they found that their families had different names when they came to the U.S., but both changed it upon arrival.
The two became friends during a Charlie Daniels Band concert but lost touch when they left Kuwait. Richard lived in Arizona and contacted Jen in Minnesota to see if she would visit.
She did. The two went camping and a romance blossomed. Two weeks later she was living in Arizona.
"I turned in my car for a truck and quit my job," she said.
Jen transferred her guard membership to Arizona National Guard. Richard also had a one-year contract with the Arizona National Guard.
The couple eventually returned to Central Minnesota, where Jen's family lives. She found out in August that she was being deployed to Iraq, and the next month Richard signed up to go with her.
A lot of questions remain about what their married life will be like in Iraq. It's up to each unit's commander on whether couples can live together.
"Either way we're fine," Jen said.
They say they'll worry about each other just like any loved one would. But they both know they are there for the mission, and they'll be focused on the task at hand, they said.
The couple's bond over their love for serving their country and a pending deployment means Iraq is a typical topic of conversation.
"I like the serving part," Richard said. "But I like the helping part more."
Jen is a former dancer and comes from a long line of Marines. She entered the National Guard while a senior in high school. She spent weekdays dancing and weekends at National Guard drills.
"I'm proud to carry on the tradition," she said. "At 19 I was a veteran. I think that's pretty cool."
Although proud, the couple sees an end to their active status. They both want a family. Richard has seen fathers trying to maintain relationships with their children while serving in a distant land.
"I don't want that for my family," he said.
The couple is looking forward to their duty. And romance, well, that will have to wait, Jen said.
"Romance can be put on hold," she said. "We'll be fine."
Ellie