When David Schmidt graduated from Lake Orion High School in 2004, he knew what the next step in his life was going to be.
‘I had always wanted to be in the military, even as a little kid,? said Schmidt. ‘As I got a little older, I started looking at which service I wanted to go into.?
Schmidt was between the Marine Corps and the Army, and had a best friend that was a Marine, who helped him make the decision between the two.
On September 19, 2004, he left for boot camp in Parris Island, S.C. Little did he know, this would also be the site of his future wife’s training, about a year later.
‘We met many months later at Camp Pendleton in California, where we are both stationed now,? said Schmidt.
Schmidt and his wife, Elizabeth, met through a mutual acquaintance in November 2005. They didn’t know it then, but wedding bells were in their near future. The couple got married on January 14, 2006 in a small courthouse wedding off the base.
‘It was kind of spur of the moment,? David said. ‘We were both getting ready to deploy in a couple of months. She was leaving in February and I was leaving in March, so we knew we needed to do it pretty quick.?
Elizabeth, a lance corporal trained as an intelligence analyst, was deployed to Iraq in February 2006. David, a corporal who is a systems administrator for computers, followed a month later.
Over in Iraq, the two were in different locations. David was at Camp Fallujah, while Elizabeth was stationed at Taquddum Air Base. The couple was only able to see each other four times during their deployment.
‘It is a 15-minute helicopter ride, but it might as well been 15-hours,? David said.
‘We would fight to see each other as much as we could, but really that’s actually more than a lot of people see their spouses that are back in the United States,? Elizabeth added.
First years of marriage are always an adjustment period for any new couple, and when you add in military life, it is definitely a learning process for all involved.
‘It’s hard either way, whether you are in the military or you’re not. It’s something we have learned that it’s not always an easy experience,? said Elizabeth.
‘You have to have a lot of understanding, too,? she added. ‘There are points in which, yes, there is the marriage, but the military sometimes has to come first. No matter what, you have that obligation.?
The couple was in town for a week visiting David’s family, will stop in Colorado to see Elizabeth’s family and then will head back to Camp Pendleton. David and Elizabeth both have deployment plans to head back to Iraq next February, but in the meantime, they will spend whatever time they can together in California.
While they are happy to be home, they want to thank everyone for their support, which made their tour in Iraq a little easier.
‘We were both recipients of care packages throughout that year we were out there and we definitely appreciate everyone’s help and their support,? David said. ‘Thank you for the socks and candy and nice messages.?