For her, it was a marriage of convenience. He prayed she’d grow to love him. But their tragic pasts threaten to destroy any hope for their future together.
A tragic accident changed Rusty Sava’s life, and he battles daily with the consequences. Love wasn’t something he bargained for, but once he met Jane his heart was lost, and her little boy was an unexpected blessing.
The last thing Army Captain Jane Adams was looking for was a second chance at love. She wants to be wooed and desired—something entirely missing from her disastrous first marriage.
Can Jane’s love for Russ blossom with her in Korea and him in Colorado? But their tragic pasts threaten to destroy any hope for their future together.
Buy Operation: Reconnaissance, a sweet military romance, today.
We are honored to inform you that book 2 in our Rules of Engagement series released this week! Operation: Allegiance is available now!
Injured Alexos Sava wants nothing more than to get back to his Army helicopter unit in South Korea. At home to convalesce on his family’s ranch in Colorado, his faith has been as battered as his ankle. The last thing he expected during his recovery was to fall head over wounded heels for a lovely redhead.
Kobbe Cooper-Sanchez has vowed to never marry a military man. When her father is seriously injured in a military helicopter accident, she returns home to help her mother. Alexos catches her eye but when she discovers his career, all bets are off.
How can love bridge the obstacles between this stubborn redhead and determined Army helicopter pilot?
I was raised as a military brat and become a service member in both the Air Force and then the Army. I served from July 1979 – Aug 2021 and achieved the rank of E8 – Master Sergeant. I’m currently retired.
Why did you join?
I joined, because I felt a calling to serve. My father was military from when I was born up until I was about 12. You could say it was ‘in my blood’.
What did you do in the Military?
In the Air Force I did the following jobs: Titan II missile facility electrician, Communication / Navigation Systems repair on B-52 and KC-135 aircraft, Flight line Maintenance Control, Instructor for Maintenance on Comm/Nav sys for B-52 and KC-135 aircraft
In the Army: TOW Anti-tank missile launchers repair, Heavy Tracked vehicle maintenance, Satellite communications systems operator, Platoon Sergeant, Division level Signal operations control, Battalion level Senior Signal Non Commissioned Officer (NCO)
Were you ever deployed?
Deployments: 2 Both to Germany. The first I was flying supplies into Sarajevo during the Yugoslavian split (3 months) a nd the second was post 9/11 security for several US military facilities in Germany (9 months).
Thank you Jeffrey for sharing! Stay tuned for part 2!
What Branch of the service were you connected to, how, and what years?
I was born in Atlanta, Ga January 1969 as an Army brat as my father was serving. In total my father served 20 years, 17 in Army and last 3 in Navy.
Where have you lived?
When I was 3 months old we were stationed in Germany. We lived in Karlsruhe and Rusheim for 8 years.
What was your favorite tour of duty and why?
My favorite tour of duty was there in Germany. My Oma (landlady, as we lived off base until I started school) treated me like her own. She didn’t speak English and I learned German from her. I got to experience early in life another culture & history.
How do you answer when people ask, “Where are you from?”
We lived mostly on the East Coast when we were in the USA. When asked where I’m from I always say Atlanta, GA but I’ve called South Carolina home since 1984.
How has being a military brat influenced your life?
I’m definitely a traveler and travel domestically and internationally when ever I get the chance. I’m not a typical tourist as I immerse myself in the culture I’m visiting. My husband of 25+ years doesn’t understand my desire, no need to travel as he’s a homebody but he’s learned that’s just part of my makeup and travels with me.
How are you connected to the Military, and what branch?
My dad is a drill sergeant currently serving overseas. I’m now in Officer Candidate School to become a Psychiatric Physician’s Assistant.
What did you like and/or dislike about being a military brat?
My father was strict and life changed dramatically when he was around. Life was easier when he was gone. He didn’t show a lot of emotion. It was hard too when bad things happened that he wasn’t always there for us.
I didn’t mind moving around because I met interesting people and I guess the discipline my dad instilled in me helped me through college and hopefully through officer training.
What do you say when people ask, “Where are you from?”
I usually tell them I’m an American. I don’t belong to any one place.
Where is home for you?
Home is wherever my mom is. Someday I hope it will be wherever my wife is.
Why should someone read Operation: Camouflage Christmas?
Well, if you want bad poetry, by all means go ahead. I’m just happy my plan to woo Brooke worked. You’d need to read it to find out just how. I think God covered a multitude of my own weaknesses in the process.
I don’t really have any regrets. It was a different time.
Were you ever in combat?
Not officially.
What advice would you give someone who is planning to join the service?
Know what you want to achieve and have an idea of what your next thing after service is going to be.
What branch of the service would you advise them to join? Why?
That depends on what you want to get from it. If you want quicker promotions – join the Army. If you want shorter deployments – join the Air Force.
Seth and his wife DeeDee enjoying a treat after a wedding. They now live their happily-ever-after in Colorado.
Would you want your kids to join the military?
It’s not something that I would want to recommend but I would support their decision.
Have any of your kids joined the military? If so, what branch?
No, but our daughter married an Army Master Sergeant.
Do you have any family members in the service or have served?
Yes. My oldest brother, Bob, served 20 years in the Air Force. My middle brother, Rick, served 4 years in the Navy. My dad, John, served in the Army Air Corps.
Do you think the Army is better now than when you joined? Why or why not?
It is not better now. Because the quality of life; increased deployments, and long-term combat requirements on the soldier and their family’s life.
I am a retired Army pilot. I achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. I served 21 years Active Army and 9 years Army National Gard and Reserve.
Why did you join the military?
I was frustrated with civilian employment.
What types of helicopters have you flown?
TH-55 (training helicopter we only flew in flight school. (red helicopter shown)
UH-1 (later in flight school and later on for approx. 3 years);
Ch-47 B/C model and then transitioned to the CH-47 D model for the remainder of my career.
Deployments or Duty Stations
I was never deployed. I did have duty stations in the following places:
PA Army National Guard
Fort Sill, OK
Fort Rucker, AL
Camp Humpries, South Korea
Fort Kobbe, Panama
CA National Guard – Stockton
National Guard Bureau, Washington, DC
Best and Worst Duty Assignments and Why?
Best was Panama. Getting to fly in paradise. Hottest and wettest I’ve ever been My favorite memory is flying over the ocean in Panama. Fort Clayton, Panama, was my favorite place to live
Worst was Korea. Difficult staff. Coldest I’ve ever been.
What foods did you learn to eat that you didn’t eat before joining the military?
Kimchi. Squid ceviche. Tofu. Curry. Chicken Bog. Sushi (real sushi). And MRE’s (meals ready to eat – an oxymoron)
What customs or habits did you learn in the military that you still do?
Watching, reading, reading and predicting the weather like any good pilot does. Measure distance based on dopler sound when I hear artillery. Short hair cuts. But…I don’t shave every day.
Any friends you remember? Do you keep in touch?
1Lt Dennis Wiebe – nope. Not since I retired.
Cpt Bob Barrett – yes. Through FB.
Why did you leave?
It was time to go.
Stay tuned for some more of Seth’s military life memories!
Welcome back Eddie Mingus as he shares his experiences in the Army.
Tell Us About Yourself
I was a Specialist (SP4) in the United States Army from 1984-1989 and served as a military policeman.
Why Did You Join?
I was old enough and needed to get out of the house and get a job. Our family has a long history of Military service.
Where Were You Deployed?
I went to Rock Island Arsenal in 1986. I was assigned to an Ordnance company in Cakmakli, Turkey.
Where Were Your Duty Stations?
I was at Ft McClellan, AL; Seneca Army Depot, NY; Ft. Leonard Wood, MO; Cakmakli, Turkey; and Ft. Knox, KY.
Me in the Army – far left.
What Was Your Best Assignment, and Why?
I was always partial to Ft. Leonard Wood. I had many great assignments and met several people whom I’m still friends with to this day.
Worst Assignment?
Turkey. The unit I was assigned to seemed to hate MP’s.
How Did Military Life Change You?
I’m proud of my service. It was a good decision for me.
Where Was Home Before You Joined the Service and Where is Home Now?
I never had an attachment to my dad’s hometown since he was in the Navy and I traveled around a lot as a kid. I currently live in Tampa, Florida.
Were You Ever In Combat?
I never did while I was in service. Back in 2008 I retired from my job and did some private contracting work for the Department of State in Afghanistan.
What Did You Learn to Eat that You Didn’t Eat before Joining the Military?
For me it was Turkish foods. I have come to really like a lot of their food such as doner kebap.
Advice for Those Planning to Join the Service
See the world and live your life. Take chances. Meet new cultures. Take lots of pictures. Get out of your comfort zone. Jump from airplanes. Test your limits.
Love in the Military
When I was in the service I had not dated much. I went overseas to Turkey and met someone who I thought had good family values. It wasn’t so. After about eight years we got divorced. From that relationship I became the father to a little girl. Best thing that ever happened.
Eddie now – in Tampa Florida
Thank you for your service Eddie! And thank you for sharing your story! God bless!
My dad didn’t go out to sea much the second half of his twenty-year career. I remember he went out when I was about ten years old and I don’t think he did again after that. I was so sad since I was supposed to take care of his fish and they died. I cried that I had let him down. When he returned he understood and we went to a store that only sold fish. It was in the Spanish town with cobbled streets and centuries of history on display wherever we went.
Did Any of My Siblings Join the Armed Forces?
My brother, John joined the Navy became an Air Traffic Controller. It wasn’t a good fit. Then they sent him to nursing school. That was good for him. He married a sweetie from MN who didn’t understand the military lifestyle, so he got out. He loved his time on active duty. As for my sister, she did not want to live her life as a military member or spouse. She took root in the south and is glad she did.
My brother Johnny, rocking that 80’s mustache. 2nd on the left, front row.
Did I Say Mam and Sir?
Yes Sir I did. Still do. I don’t think it was because my dad was Navy. I think it was because I had super, uber southern parents that believed a child had a role to live and it wasn’t as an adult in the family. We were taught that polite children use their manners and southern polite children better say mam or sir. Lol
Are Do Still have Contact with your Brat Friends?
Tammy and Me
Yes. Absolutely yes. I met, Tammy, one of my best gal pals when I was in 7th grade. She married her high school sweetheart (Jay is a brat too) and our husbands are friends too. Here’s where I visited her in FL.
Me, my hubby (the beardless one) and our friend Jayson.Me and GenaWow, we look just the same as we did in 1990!
Gena, my bestie in high school in Rota, was in my wedding. I was in hers. We live states away from each other but still keep in touch. Here’s a pic from when she came out to CO.
I still connect with our maid/nanny we had during my dad’s first tour to Spain. Here is a couple of pics from out times with Juani. She is a blessing in our lives. Like a big sister.
THANK YOU DEEDEE Lake for sharing your military brat experiences! We will be hearing more about her real life military romance in the future. I’m thrilled to be part of helping bring DeeDee’s military romance novel ideas to the page. Stay tuned! First book releases November 1st! Camouflage Christmas!
There are misconceptions about military families. When we see movies portraying service men as hard-core drill sergeants with their family, we know it is rarely true. And I can’t imagine a family member chewing out their sponsor’s commander. Yeah. I can’t even picture that.
Sacrifices
Also, a Brat sacrifices daily in ways that the world will never witness. Often, we grow up too fast as we stand in the gap as a pseudo parent. We put other’s first as we long to be seen and heard. We know the pain of loss and the joy of celebration on a level unheard of in the halls of civilian schools. We celebrate our friends and strangers as they are reunited with their military member, while we long for our own reunions. We hold and support the Brats who are lonely as they miss their mom or dad who have been gone too long, or perhaps gone forever.
Us three kids in matching sweatshirts.
Measuring A Life
We measure our young lives not by years but by “tours”. You’ll hear as the Brats gather how they start speaking about an event like this: “When we lived in Germany, ….” Or “When Dad was stationed in Japan, we …”. We choose not to measure the years, I suppose because we have to watch a calendar far too often before we PCS, before we see or talk to our loved ones again, or before we live under the same roof again with all of our family.
Me at a Bullfight in Spain
Instant Connection
We connect immediately with other Brats and soon find commonality in the places we’ve lived, people we know, or things we’ve done. It brings us to a place almost like “home”. We don’t grow up with a permanent address other than our point of contact person, usually a grandparent. Our home we carry in our hearts. Our home is where we are planted for the season. We make places better because we connect quickly and understand life is fleeting and we try not to waste today longing for yesterday.
Me and my siblings washing the Pig
We believe the last place we lived was the best place ever until it is time to leave the installation we currently live. We see the beauty in the future and in what we’ve left behind.
We live with hope that the next place will hold amazing moments we can share with new friends in new places. Often, we graduate from a high school that may have been our third or fourth one. So instead of celebrating a school, we celebrate the people we’ve gathered in our lives over the years.
Prom 1979
My Feelings About Being a Brat
It’s a privilege. I’ve been introduced to cultures I would never have experienced had I lived in one place my entire childhood. I learned skills like being able to unpack or pack a house lickety-split. I never meet a stranger and I’m blessed with a world view. Connecting and being empathetic come easy when you’ve grown up everywhere. When I hear our national anthem my heart is full of love for the commitment and sacrifices of our people.
I’ve left a part of my heart in every place I’ve lived. However, I’ve grown and learned to love more than I could have ever imagined. Social media opened the door to re-connect with friends that may have been temporarily misplaced, like luggage or household goods. Lol Truly, I can say I have friends all over the world. Because I do, it makes me care more for what happens near and far. I’ve experienced sunsets in four continents, flown over two oceans, swam in the Mediterranean Sea, watched a bullfight, and made a lifetime of amazing memories. I wouldn’t change one thing about the way I grew up.
I’m proud to be a military Brat!
Stay tuned. DeeDee continues her story on September 15, 2022.
Rules of Engagement 