The rise and fall of political tensions around the world mean Utahns who are members of the U.S. military and their families are preparing for potential deployment into dangerous situations with little notice. Tien and Tyler Lindsay know first-hand what it means to be a military family deployed in a dangerous conflict.
Tyler: “My wife and I actually met in the military. It was her second deployment and my first deployment. After we got married, we deployed a second time, this would have been my second deployment her third deployment, and we deployed as a married couple. So we got to be together during our deployment, which is not always the case for military couples that are married, sometimes they get separated.”
Tien: “The part that was kind of scary, though, as a deployed military couple was that we would go on separate missions. We knew that when there was a black-out with communication, that meant that something bad happened, maybe to a unit or to a soldier. There were times when we were together on a base and there was a mortar attack. Oh, I don’t know why I’m tearing up. And I remember my husband and I, we dropped down to the floor really quickly together, and I kept hearing the blasts come closer and closer. I kept thinking this is a possibility of our last embrace so we just held onto each other very tightly in that moment. I don’t know how you felt, hun.”
Tyler: “Well I remember it being close enough that you could hear the rocks and the rubble from the blast hitting the roof of the building that we were in. I remember that I was covering you, not that it would have done a lot of good, but I guess that’s what you do when you’re…”
Tien: “I think we were wrestling each other because we were trying to get on top of each other to protect one another.”
Tyler: “Oh, you were like I’m going to protect you!”
Tien: “No, I’m going to protect you!”
The couple finished their tour and Tien decided to retire from the military, while Tyler re-enlisted to continue his service.
This is a two-part story. Access the second instalment here.
