Semi-Finalist #9: Martha Chavarin

Five minutes 'till midnight and I'm wide awake. It's almost noon in Afghanistan, and as always, I wonder what my husband is up to. I wonder if he's eaten, if he got a good night's sleep, whether he got my weekly care package already, and of course, I mostly wonder when I'll be hearing from him again. This is our third deployment together, and our first as a married couple. This one is definitely the hardest.


My husband is SFC Jose A. Chavarin. Pronounced Chaw-va-reen, not Chevron. I met my husband almost 20 years ago, and we've been best friends ever since. He joined the military right out of high school. While I got ready to go out for my first 18 and over club , he was getting yelled at by his Drill SGT. When I graduated from college, and got ready to go into the "real world", he had already been to war and back. My husband's courage inspires me, his will to serve brings out the best in me. I'm trying my darn hardest to stay positive during this deployment, but sometimes sitting here rocking back and forth in his recliner, wearing his favorite vanilla scent makes it very easy for me to shed a tear. As I wait for my husband's return, I can't help to think of the day when I get to tell our children how their father is a three-time war veteran, a bronze star recipient, and the best friend God could have ever blessed me with.


Past midnight now. Past noon in Afghanistan... What do you know, time does pass by. Except that when you're waiting for the one man who you were destined for since you were 12 years old, it couldn't possibly pass by fast enough. Still, it's at these times when true love prevails, and something tells me that my husband and I-- we got that kind of love.


Sincerely,
Martha Chavarin

** Many thanks to Martha for sharing her beautiful story with us. I have to admit that this one tugged at my heartstrings in a big way. I'll be posting one more semi-finalist today and then tomorrow I will be announcing the three finalists.**