Short Tour vs. Long Tour

"My sister, who is also in the service is married to a serviceman. She recently returned from a TDY (temporary duty) assignment, and while there, engaged in an extramarital affair with another married serviceman. These things happen a lot." female age 25

Deployments in the military are often categorized as "short tour" or "long tour." If you are married and you are on a long tour, they will often move your family with you. If it's a short tour (under a year), your family usually stays behind. There are plenty of exceptions, especially if you are going into combat.

The Impact of Your Status

"The base where I recieved the bulk of my training after basic, Sheppard, is where most of the people are young, first time away from home, and have just undergone an enormous life-changing experience. There's a sudden freedom after basic training. Everyone's hormones are raging. One piece of common wisdom is, 'Don't get married at tech school!' I guess that's because lots of people jump the gun. There are lots of random hookups, some racy stuff going on at the dance clubs, and lots of alcohol. Another base I spent some time at recently, in Florida, has a greater population of 'adult' service members, so there's less of a panicky, gotta-have-it-now attitude." female age 25

Members of the armed forces usually fall into two groups: first termers, and lifers:

First termers are often younger and unmarried. They usually have high sex drives, and they are eager to be accepted into the military's macho culture.

Lifers are a different story. The have made the military a career, and they have often sampled many different customs and cultures. Lifers tend to be married and have families, but it is also not unusual for them to spend a good deal time away from home.