Negative Effects Of Military Relationships

“Will it be worth it in the end?” “Are those couple of days together worth the months apart?” These are commonly asked questions when regarding military relationships. No one really knows the answer. The strain that the military puts on relationships is very large. While yes, it can be romantic, it is definitely not the fairy tale it is portrayed as in movies. Reunions are amazing and letter writing has its romantic side, but it is definitely not a fairytale. Having a significant other in the military can have many negative effects on the relationship as a whole. The most common negative effects are trust issues, lack of communication, and the feeling that something is always missing.

The first major strain that the military can have on relationships is trust issues. The main cause of this is that there is great distance between the two people. But also, at boot camp the recruits, future Marines, are constantly being told that their significant other is at home cheating or will leave them for someone else. Although this is not the case, the feeling of not knowing is still present. There may not be any factors before this to cause trust issues, but the lack of communication can cause stress to the person in boot camp.

However, it causes many problems on its own. For example, military personnel many times are not able to share private information regarding where they are stationed or being deployed. Although this is a necessary safety factor, it still has the potential to put strain on a relationship. Another way the lack of communication has a negative effect on a relationship is the fear of the unknown. Even if it is a simple question such as, “How was your day?” there is no way of knowing the answer. This is not always the case regarding military relationships. Many times communication, although not constant, is