22-year-old Wayne Whipple has served the military for four years. the U.S. Army sergeant was stationed in Washington D.C. and Korea. For the past 6 months Whipple has been stationed in Iraq. The multiple stations and his recent deployment to Iraq have strained his relationship with 19-year-old Jonee Winnick.
Winnick says as many times as she has had to say goodbye to whipple, its never easy. Still, Winnick says as hard as it may be, she values the long distance relationship.
Twenty year-old Ryan Hoefer's deployment to Iraq in March last year was originally scheduled for six months. But he stayed nearly a year.
Hoefer says he was elated to talk to 19-year-old girlfriend Elizabeth Diblasio during their first phone conversation from iraq, three months after his deployment.
With few phone conversations possible, hoefer says he found comfort talking to the married soldiers.