All Is Fair In Love In War

Sometimes things just work out, right? The perfect parking spot might open up or, once in a great while, its the magical intersection of two hearts. That’s the story of two Wilson County residents, Earl and Carole Kennedy.

Both retired career Army Officers, over the years they’d briefly met several times as their paths crossed in places far and wide. They considered each other friends but the Army isn’t terribly focused on making sure people are posted together…until…

One early morning well before dawn, Earl boarded an Air Force cargo plane headed back “over there.” The planes are loud and uncomfortable so, once airborne, he unbuckled from the web seat, shed his gear, climbed atop a huge cargo pallet, tucked his Kevlar helmet under his head and went to sleep.

Just before landing, he dangled his feet over the edge of the cargo and stretched. Looking at the long line of camouflaged soldiers still strapped in their jump seats, one face caught his eye. It was Carole, blonde hair hidden under her helmet, tiny body wrapped in layers of body armor and web gear. Too loud to talk, he motioned, got her attention and they both laughed. Who would have guessed?

For the next several months, as romantic as one can be in 40 pounds of full “battle rattle”, carrying a rifle everywhere you go, showering once a week, eating Army rations and praying everyone gets safely home, they served on the same firebase. When the missions would allow, they ate their rations sitting perched on a bunker as the sun went down, talked about anything and everything and fell in love.

Today, Carole and Earl’s Army days are long past. People often ask Earl if he misses the Army. He says he doesn’t miss the long deployments and the constant threat of loss. But if you look closely, you just might see a faraway look in his eyes and the memory of sitting on a bunker at dusk with the woman he loves.