Husbands, wives headed to Iraq together

FORT DRUM — Capt. Preston E. and Capt. Elizabeth L. Lopez met at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team couple married in 2006 before being assigned to Fort Drum and both are now getting ready to deploy to Iraq for the second time. They are just one of about 21,000 dual-military couples in the Army, according to a study conducted in 2006.

"We'll be separated over there, but it'll be better than if I were back here and he was there," Mrs. Lopez said. "For me, what complicates and makes things harder this time around is for me to leave our 11-month-old daughter."

Mr. Lopez is a logistics officer for the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team and Mrs. Lopez is the 2nd Brigade medical operations officer. They were deployed together for several months during the 2nd Brigade's last rotation to Iraq from 2006 to 2007.

She was there for nine months before he arrived. They were able to see each other about once a week while deployed because they were stationed at different outposts, several hours apart.

This time, they don't think weekly visits will be possible. They will e-mail frequently and talk to each other using Skype, the Internet-based phone system.

But, they said, there are benefits to being married to another soldier, especially since their spouse is someone who understands and has the same mission.

"Being dual military makes military life better," Mr. Lopez said.

Dual-military couples have been a part of military life since women began to take a significant role during World War II. With the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and the expanded role of women in combat theaters, more couples have been thrown into the constant deployment cycle. That can make it harder to maintain professional careers and marriages.

In January 2007, the Army tried to made it easier for military couples by allowing them to request simultaneous deployment schedules. The Army also has special living quarters for married couples stationed at the same bases in Iraq — instead of living with another soldier, the spouses can opt to live with each other.

The Lopezes aren't the only couple in the 2nd Brigade getting ready for a joint deployment. Staff Sgt. Shawn C. Sandiford and his wife of a month, Staff Sgt. Arays Cruz, will experience their third deployment together. They met in 2006 and are in different companies of the 210th Brigade Support Battalion. He is a small-arms mechanic and she is a career counselor.

They got married July 28, after returning from training at Fort Polk, La. The wedding was scheduled for the end of August, but those plans were pushed forward when the 2nd Brigade was told to prepare for an October deployment to Iraq earlier this summer.

"It'll be great to have my husband there for support. He'll be there to help relieve some stress," Sgt. Cruz said. "We are trying to get used to the dual-military thing, but we understand each other. I know he has to make sure the weapons are fixed and he knows that I need to be in my office."

They both have two previous deployments with different units. They also embarked on those deployments with civilian spouses on the home front, instead of in the war zone.

"It has its pros and cons. Having my spouse and my support system there with me will be an absolute pro," Sgt. Sandiford said. "But — I don't want to sound like the alpha male here — the con is having your spouse in a hostile environment. But the pros outweigh the cons because I know the situation on the ground and I need to just learn how to control that worry."

Sgt. Sandiford and Sgt. Cruz do not know if they will be at the same location in Iraq, but expect to be able to see each other more often than if they were on opposite sides of the world.

"It'll be different having my spouse there while I'm working," Sgt. Sandiford said.

"That is a challenge, but it'll be a challenge I'll adapt to. We're both noncommissioned officers and leaders and we're ready to expect the unexpected."