| Hi Mike,
You know, my young friend, many take the word sacrifice and toss it around with no true meaning as to its real implications in regards to military life. It sounds like you've thought this through quite a bit, and I applaud your intelligence for doing so.
Yes, it is VERY hard to leave friends, family and loved ones behind. Hard on us, and equally hard on them.
I was Infantry, so there were no, err, female temptations for me when deployed (we don't allow women to serve in the Infantry in any capacity) - in the rear, of course, was another story.
But in the Navy, you'll be serving sea duty with lots of women that prefer pregnancy over deployment. So step one is making certain that your moral fortitude and personal integrity is ingrained in a manner that will present a professional face. You WILL miss your loved ones, and you'll be very tempted to replace that longing with intimate contact. If you are attached to another, this is unacceptable and is one of the biggest bruises on the otherwise stellar reputation of the US Navy.
Does the homesickness subside? Well, yes and no. When you're on duty, fulfilling a mission, there is no time to think about family and friends and home. You're just go, go, go. But in your downtime, you'll think of them and miss them. As your tour goes on, you'll not think of them any less, but that kick-in-the-gut feeling will eventually go away for the most part.
Leaving this world is only one part of the sacrifice we endure as soldiers (err, seamen - sorry, but us Army pukes have difficulty relating to other branches' terms). |