Military Girlfriend Handbook

1. Don't count on anything
2. Don't listen to anyone on the outside. All you will get is negative remarks, which will make things harder for you to deal with.
3. When he becomes stubborn and a royal pain in the butt, just remind yourself he's probably had a bad day. Let him rant and don’t take it personal.
4. When you’re down, treat yourself.
5. Learn how to listen if you don’t know how! You are his shoulder to lean on, let him complain! That is what a girlfriend/fiance/wife is for!
6. Love your Marine, be truthful, and reassure him, even if he is deployed he'll have someone to come back too!
7. He will try to pull away at some point. Whether directly telling you to move on, not wait for him or just becoming distant. It's their way of dealing with things, stick with him cause he really does want (and need) you.
8. When he is away for a long time, or even just a couple hours away, write a lot of letters! Communication is key to a relationship.
9. Some of his friends will probably be morons - expect this.
10. You aren’t the only woman in his life (his mom misses and loves him too!) so make sure she is updated on what is going on with him.
11. He needs to feel important so don't hold back on the compliments - remind him how proud you are of what he does.
12. Chances are they won't call when they say they will (that especially applies for deployed!). 13. Don't buy that nonrefundable airplane ticket too early.
14. When eating with a Marine you either finish your "chow" in 15 minutes or less or be stared at until you are finished.
15. Never take one single minute with them for granted. Live each day with them like it’s the last one you'll have for a while, because with the Marine Corps, it just might be...
16. Take lots of pictures, so you can remember what each other looks like!
17. Don't even TRY to compare your Marine to ordinary men. You can no longer complain about broken plans, the phone call that never came, missed birthdays and anniversaries, his snoring (hey, at least he's sleeping BESIDE you), spending more time with "the boys" than you.....
18. Always look on the bright side of things. How many of your friends get their first encounter, first date, first kiss from their men over and over again??
19. Even if he says he will, he probably won't. Maybe really means probably not OR probably not when he said he would (example: "I might be able to call you tomorrow" but he can't find the time to call until a week later or "I might be able to come home next month for a week"...that might turn into 2 weeks)
21. Being a Marine's girlfriend/fiancée/wife is the toughest job in the corps. You have to deal with stress similar to the wives, without the promise of forever or the benefits and support they get.
22. We find ourselves using military lingo. "I'm gonna go get my room squared away", "It's chow time", or using military time
23. Patience is the biggest key to making the relationship work...you have to wait a lot but in the end, waiting is what made it all worthwhile.

(taken from USMC2006Bride at this website)