Balancing life, classes and daily requirements is something that many college students struggle with, but Michelle Bowers has to add in another factor.
Bowers has been married to her husband, Pfc. Micah Bowers, since Dec. 18, 2012. Their marriage has its challenges as he is currently serving a deployment in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, which is located in eastern Afghanistan.
Pfc. Bowers is a 19D Cavalry Scout stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. However, on deployment, he is serving as a driver in 4-9 Cav’s Personal Security Detachment.
“It is a platoon designed to ensure the safety of the top personnel of our unit,” Pfc. Bowers said.
His deployment began on July 15 and has presented its challenges for the couple.
“Before he left, we actually got to spend a month and a half together, which was awesome,” Bowers said.
When he first left, Bowers says it was easier than she thought it would be and previously prepared for.
“The first night [of deployment] was pretty hard because I didn’t know where he was going or anything, but other than that, it really wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” Bowers said.
Bowers says though it is difficult with him being gone; she was used to only getting to see him for a couple weeks at a time.
“He’s stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, and obviously I live in Martin; so, I don’t really get to see him, but when I do, it’s usually for about two weeks,” Bowers said.
Bowers says communication is a challenge that they have to overcome. The couple utilizes Facebook as a main form of communication.
“Facebook has been like our best friend in communication; I can send him like five messages and he can just read them when he gets them,” Bowers said. “We can talk on the phone, but we don’t really get to often because of our schedules. He is nine hours ahead there.”
While Facebook does allow them to communicate and helps to ease the difficulty of the situation, communication is certainly still a challenge. Bowers says that while communicating is difficult, that isn’t the biggest challenge they face.
“A bigger challenge than communicating is remembering what a relationship is like. We spend months away from each other and when you don’t see your husband every day and your two main forms of communication is Facebook and a quick phone call, it’s easy to forget what it’s like to go on a date, cuddle on a rainy day or even just run errands together. So, sometimes, I have to take a step back, and think about the memories we have together, and recollect what it’s like to have him around and actually be a couple,” Bowers said.
He says he believes the deployment strengthened their marriage, but also has made it difficult.
“It’s hard to explain, but things become difficult,” Pfc. Bowers said.
For Pfc. Bowers, the most difficult thing about being gone is the loneliness he feels.
“The hardest part is really just the loneliness I feel when I’m not around her. Being so far apart makes us lose appreciation sometimes of each other and not remember what all we do for each other,” Pfc. Bowers said.
Even though the couple has spent most of their marriage apart, Bowers says that hasn’t stopped them from doing things for each other.
“One of the things we do is surprise each other with little things. He sent me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and he loves to fish, so I sent him a care package all about fishing,” Bowers said.
Bowers says she tries not to think about what he is doing while on deployment. She says she tries not to watch the news, because she doesn’t want to know everything.
“I don’t think about [him being on the front lines.] I don’t really want to know what goes on over there; I just want to know what he tells me,” Bowers said. “You learn a lot about each other during deployment. I’ve learned that he can do so much more than I thought he could and I’ve also learned that I have a lot more responsibility now that he’s gone.”
Bowers says she trusts that he can handle whatever he faces, but still occasionally worries about him.
“The time I was most scared was when he told me we wouldn’t be able to talk for a week. Whatever it was they were going to go do didn’t happen, and I got to talk to him, but it was nerve wracking,” she said. “Another time was when we were talking on Facebook and he just got off without saying anything. He came back about three hours later and I asked him, ‘What just happened?’ and he said, ‘a little girl just got blown up; so, we had to medivac her to a hospital.’”
Pfc. Bowers recently received the Combat Action Badge after a drone went off 50 feet from where he was located.
Although their marriage presents its difficulties, the couple is happily married. Bowers says the two met playing church league soccer when they were seven and then met each other again during their sophomore years of high school.
Currently, it is uncertain when Pfc. Bowers will return home; however, it is expected to be several more months.
Go to the photo gallery “Relationship flourishes despite distance” to view more photos of Michelle Bowers and Pfc. Micah Bowers.
