Dual-military couples share experience of deploying together

By Sgt. Anna PongoFebruary 10, 2017

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1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Rosie Rivera (right), executive administrative noncommissioned officer for the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command -- Operation Inherent Resolve commanding general, and her husband, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Alberto Rivera, air mobilit... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Capt. Cody Hennelly (left), maneuver advisor to Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command -- Operation Inherent Resolve, and his wife, Capt. Jessica Deason, plans and operations officer in charge for the headquarters per... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Noel Hunter (right), medical operations noncommissioned officer, Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command -- Operation Inherent Resolve, and Sgt. 1st Class John Bryan Hunter, strike cell noncommissioned officer in charge, CJFLCC-OI... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Couples where both partners are in the military have many experiences most civilian couples do not share. Being a dual-military couple is one of the few instances where a military member has the chance to deploy with their spouse.

With the Married Army Couples Program, which helps place married service members in proximal units, some couples have the chance to spend their time overseas together.

The 1st Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion has several pairs with this unique status. Three dual-military couples within the "Big Red One" are at Union III together.

The 1st Inf. Div. is part of Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command -- Operation Inherent Resolve. CJFLCC-OIR is a global Coalition of more than 60 regional and international nations have joined together to enable partnered forces to defeat ISIL and restore stability and security.

Families of deployed servicemembers understand only too well the challenge that communication can pose. From bad phone and internet connections to night and day time differences, keeping up communication can be difficult.

Currently on their third deployment since being married, Sgt. 1st Class Noel Hunter, medical operations noncommissioned officer, CJFLCC -- OIR, and Sgt. 1st Class John Bryan Hunter, strike cell noncommissioned officer in charge, CJFLCC-OIR, know these difficulties all too well.

But there is something different about this deployment. For the first time in the Hunters' combined nine deployments, they are in the same country, in the same place, at the same time.

For their two previous deployments, one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, the couple was in different parts of the respective country. While this meant they spent more time home together because of deployment cycles, it made communication difficult.

In that situation, not only do Soldiers have to deal with the communication difficulty of bad service, like between Iraq and the states, but they are also dealing with calling bad connection to bad connection.

"There were times that you just couldn't communicate and you didn't know if the other one was OK," John said. "So you'd have that added worry as well."

This deployment "is a lot easier because we can actually talk face to face," Noel said, "unlike when he was on one end of the country and I was on the other."

Another bonus of the dual deployment is being able to both be there when calling home to their 4-year-old daughter, Chloe.

"If one of us calls and the other isn't there, she's asking, 'Where's mommy? Where's daddy?'" Noel said. "She knows we are supposed to be together, so that is a security blanket for her. Knowing that we're taken care of."

The Hunters were able to take several months before their deployment to prepare their daughter for when they were gone.

"We'd tell her every day that we were leaving to help fight the bad guys," Noel said.

Because of deployment cycles, deploying together also means that instead of only having one parent home alternating for two years in a row, the whole family can be in one place together for twice as long.

"So rather than high-fiving in the sky when we get back from a deployment, we're on the same cycle," Noel said. "So even if we weren't together in the same place, we could know that in a year we are going to go home and be together again."

Being deployed together also helps the Hunters survive the day-to-day stressors that come with serving long hours in a war zone.

"You can share things and talk about things that you probably wouldn't be able to with somebody else," John said. "And you're able to get things off your chest without having to worry about anything else."

Being away from family or friends for a long time can be hard, especially when that means being away from children. This is a struggle that deployed servicemembers know all too well.

For Staff Sgt. Rosie Rivera, executive administrative noncommissioned officer for the CJFLCC-OIR commanding general, and her husband, Staff Sgt. Alberto Rivera, air mobility and division schools noncommissioned officer, this struggle was felt deeply when they left together for Iraq and left their 9-year-old daughter, Ariana, back home in Michigan with her godmother.

The Riveras have been married for nine years and this isn't their first time serving in a combat zone. In 2014 they deployed with the 1st Inf. Div. to Iraq together. This previous experience made this trip a bit easier for both parents and daughter.

"Because she's older than she was on our last deployment, she's used to it," Rosie said. "She knows what to expect and how to react."

Previous experiences taught them how important communication is. Rosie said that they realized that even if it's a 1 a.m. phone call, they need to be there for Ariana.

One of the things that the Riveras did to prepare their daughter for the deployment was to let her live with her godmother for the summer leading up to them leaving. This gave her the opportunity to adjust to that environment as her parents traveled back and forth from Fort Riley to Michigan to visit her, Rosie said.

Experiencing the separation once already didn't help with missing one another, and missing the little things in Ariana's life.

"It's extremely hard on her now that she's growing up," Rosie said. "She lost another baby tooth. And it's been really stressful on us because we're here and missing out on it."

In their deployment, the Riveras say they are focused on the mission so that Ariana can focus on being a kid. As she crosses the holidays off on her calendar while she waits for them to come home, Ariana's parents said she practices her gymnastics and talks about wanting to get into cheerleading.

"We are both in this only for her," Rosie said. "We want to make sure that she can go to college. We hope that she can do what she wants in life without being in debt at a young age. We make these sacrifices for her."

Sometimes it's the little things in life that mean the most. Having face-to face conversations over dinner each evening is something that deployed service members don't have the luxury of taking for granted.

For Capt. Cody Hennelly, maneuver advisor to Iraqi Ministry of Defense, CJFLCC-OIR, and his wife, Capt. Jessica Deason, plans and operations officer in charge for the headquarters personnel section, being deployed together means that they can share those meaningful times with each other.

"It's not lost on us how lucky we are," Deason said. "Everyone else here has to wait until the wee hours of the morning to call and talk to their spouses, and I just get to see mine every day for lunch and dinner."

Deason and Hennelly met in Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, several years ago where she was one of three females in a class of 130 students. Through mutual friends, they became friends and later fell in love. This began an interesting life together as the military took them to other continents.

After they met, Deason ended up in Korea with as a platoon leader and battery executive officer for a year, while Hennelly's service with the National Guard took him to Alaska for two years. So separation isn't new for them in their relationship. But on this deployment, they can be together.

Hennelly is assigned to the Main Command Post -- Operational Detachment out of Lincoln, Nebraska. The MCP-OD is a new type of National Guard unit designed to augment and enhance an active Army division or corps headquarters staff during deployments. Hennelly is one of 95 Soldiers attached to the 1st Inf. Div. Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion.

"It just was by chance that I joined the Nebraska National Guard and she was already in the 1st Infantry Division," Hennelly said.

Deason served with the 1st Brigade, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., before transferring to the DHHB, 1st Inf. Div., so she could deploy with her husband.

"My previous battalion commander found out that Cody was deploying with the division headquarters, and he pulled some strings and was able to get me into this position so that I would be able to deploy with him," Deason said. "It was a prime example of leaders taking care of Soldiers."

Hennelly agreed with his wife about how much they valued the ability to deploy together.

"It sort of reaffirmed our faith in the Army, that they really did look out for the families," Hennelly said. "Even before we just got here, we were working for a good couple months to get Jess on the deployment. It's great being together."

The experiences they are sharing as a couple are bringing them together more each day.

"Our marriage has grown because of this experience," Hennelly said. "Just like it did from being separated for the two years. And now being deployed together in a combat zone, it just helps it grow… We will be able to look back in years to come and say 'We shared that whole nine months together and everything that came with it.'"

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