Skip to Content

We Ran Away and Married in Secret. I Fell in Love Before Her Name Right Then, I Confessed, ‘I’d Marry You in a Heartbeat.’ Veteran Recounts Whirlwind Romance

We Ran Away and Married in Secret. I Fell in Love Before Her Name Right Then, I Confessed, ‘I’d Marry You in a Heartbeat.’ Veteran Recounts Whirlwind Romance

August 7, 2000, I joined the Marine Corps. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, I knew I had made the right choice. I wanted to travel and learn to use weapons, but I soon settled at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. I helped with more than my old technician job. I also became a gun skill coach.  One day, I met some Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) techs working nearby and was fascinated by their work. I felt like this was the job for me, so I started the process to join their school. It was perfect timing because the Marine Corps really needed EOD techs. I went to NAVSCOLEOD in Niceville, Florida.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

EOD students had to transfer from other jobs, so we were usually older and knew we wanted something better. The training was hard, and most of the study material was secret. So, we had to be very careful. We needed to be smart, good with our hands, and we could not make mistakes during the tests.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

The training was hard, and most of the study material was secret, so we had to be careful. We needed to be smart, good with our hands, and we could not make any mistakes during tests.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

School kept me on edge, and the free time I had did not really feel relaxing because there was not much to fill it. I was new, didn’t drink, and was going through a divorce, which made things harder. I found comfort in a church group with people like me, on a budget.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

That is where I met Christina, the most beautiful woman i have ever seen. I fell in love with her at first sight in 2005, but she had a boyfriend, and I was still married, so I did not act on my feelings.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

After I graduated in 2006, I was sent to Okinawa, Japan. My divorce was finalized, and in 2007, I deployed to Iraq, where we ran over 300 dangerous missions. Our vehicle was hit by bombs several times, and I helped disarm huge explosives. It was a tough but proud time in my life.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

When I returned, I reconnected with Christina online. I told her how I felt, though she still had a boyfriend. We talked for a while but lost contact because of complicated feelings.

I married someone else and deployed to Afghanistan. On March 14, 2011, while disarming a bomb, it exploded. I lost my right hand, part of my right leg, and some fingers on my left hand. Even with these injuries, I recovered quickly and was proud of my strength.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

After a difficult divorce, I searched for Christina for years. In 2018, I finally found her on social media. She did not recognize me at first, but we started talking again. We connected deeply and got married after just 40 days of dating.

Courtesy of Christina Meyer

Now, I am happily married to Christina. I am also a stepdad of her 4 years old cute daughter; her name is Eden. It feels like everything has fallen into place; life with them makes me complete and happy.