desertvixen: (feminine intuition)
desertvixen ([personal profile] desertvixen) wrote2008-03-31 08:07 pm

[livejournal.com profile] tepintzin brought it to my attention

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23884819/

In a historic but little-noticed change in policy, the Army is allowing scores of husband-and-wife soldiers to live and sleep together in the war zone — a move aimed at preserving marriages, boosting morale and perhaps bolstering re-enlistment rates at a time when the military is struggling to fill its ranks five years into the fighting.

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Opinions?

Personally, for myself, I'd rather we deployed separately so that someone is here, providing stability for MV. Also, I think I would spend a lot of time worrying about whether or not we were presenting an image that would make people jealous. I also think the no-PDA rule would be very hard.

DV

[identity profile] mukhtar.livejournal.com 2008-04-02 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, I'm deployed to Afghanistan right now, and we have more than one couple in the BN that are here together. They really tend to get left alone as long as they don't flaunt the fact that they get to sleep with their spouse while everyone else is suffering with "Rosey Palm" and her sisters.

The way it works here is, there are B huts for everyone, couple's B huts, and then senior ranking B huts. The common B huts are divided up into 8 "rooms" (we call them hooches) and are separated amongst male and female B huts. The command B huts are usually 1/4 to 1/2 of a B hut for BN commanders and higher or Sergeants Major. The married B huts are divided in half, with 2 couples to a B hut, divided by a wall. Decent amount of living space for a couple with all of their gear. This also provides room for a double bed (instead of the single beds in the other huts)

I think it's a good idea for those couples who are forced to deploy together. They get the chance to work out some of the stress of being deployed by being with each other, and don't have to deal with added stress of having a spouse right there and never being allowed to touch them. That's just assinine. But I agree with DV that it is better to have the couple deploy at different times if there are kids involved.