Photo By Sgt. Jessica Etheridge | Staff Sgt. Anthony K. Marsh and his wife Ayumi Marsh share insight on the ups and...... read more read more
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CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, Japan – During his first deployment to Okinawa in 2013, Staff Sgt. Anthony K. Marsh met the love of his life, a cashier at the Camp Schwab Exchange.
“I love Ayumi. She is my happiness, and I cannot wait to see what the world has in store for us,” said Marsh, a platoon sergeant with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.
Marsh was in Okinawa for a six month deployment. He didn’t have long with Ayumi. He had to return to the states before being stationed in Okinawa five months later.
“It was the longest time we’ve spent apart,” she said.
Her husband agrees. It was a difficult time.
“Being apart was absolutely the hardest part of our relationship so far,” said Marsh, from Camp Pendleton, California. “For me, I understand being a Marine we leave for long periods of time, but to have to explain that to my long distance girlfriend at the time … why I have to be gone for so long is very difficult. Not only that, the 14 hour time difference between California and Okinawa made having the availability to talk even more of a struggle.”
Marsh came back to Okinawa September 2015 and married Ayumi one month later.
“Two weeks after we got married, I was sent to the field for another two weeks,” said Marsh. “We ended up having to spend all of this time apart, but when I thought about it, I was given the chance to spend the Holidays with the woman I loved, which made the lonely nights not seem so bad.”
The couple struggled with distance, time zones and five months of paperwork to receive their entitlements, which included a house.
“They have many programs for spouses to get together and relate with each other and help provide the information and support someone might need to get through a struggling time” said Marsh.
Ayumi, being from Okinawa, does not know many military wives. These programs give her a chance to connect with military spouses who can relate to her struggles. The Marine and Family Programs Division gives commanders support and resources to provide such assistance as religious, life skills, family advocacy, family life counseling, new parent and youth programs.
Marsh’s command, III MEF, is a forward deployed unit with a high deployment tempo. He said this will require him to be away from his family and take advantage of these programs.
The couple has an optimistic view despite the separations.
“There are struggles yes, but any good love story is going to have its struggles,” said Marsh. “I travel the world with my wife, and I love her for all the happiness she brings me.”
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.23.2016 02:38 |
| Story ID: | 193215 |
| Location: | CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, JP |
| Hometown: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,037 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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