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The Labor Of Love

Cassidy Pazyniak

The love of their country brought them together but their love for each other can't keep them apart.

Yet for Miami University seniors and Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) members Jennifer Johnson and Zach Hegedish, this Valentine's Day will be their last before their wedding in March and before they could possibly be sent overseas.

"We know (we're going to be separated after graduation) so we can prepare ourselves for it now," Johnson said. "It's not something a newlywed couple wants to do, it's nerve-racking, but it's not a surprise."

To make sure active duty didn't conflict with their wedding date or honeymoon, the couple decided to marry before they graduate May 5 and become true Miami Mergers. And, by getting married now the two can file for "joint spouse" in the Air Force which helps assign officers to the same location as their spouses.

As of now the two are scheduled to be stationed in Texas after graduation, each specializing in different fields.

Yet according to Hegedish, after two or three years there's about a 90 to 100 percent chance that either will be deployed to hostile territory.

"It comes with the job," Hegedish said. "It's not like we're going to be carrying a rifle through the streets of an occupied city, but the threat is still there."

Johnson and Hegedish met on a base visit in Washington, D.C. during their sophomore year, where they two spent a few days learning about life and active duty in the Air Force. They started as friends, but it was only about a month until their relationship began.

Each had separate reasons for joining the AFROTC. Hegedish, for example, joined the second semester of his first year when he was a pre-med major to pay for school. Soon after joining the Air Force however, he dropped pre-med and is now a political science major working toward becoming a pilot.

Johnson, on the other hand, joined late as a junior but will still be able to graduate with her fiancé. To Johnson, ROTC was the perfect choice.

"The first people I met (while at Miami) were in the Air Force and they seemed like great people," Johnson said. "It produces the type of people I want to be around - good, honest, hardworking people. (After joining ROTC) I ended up loving it."

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After graduation Hegedish will enter active duty doing navigator training in San Antonio, Texas. Johnson hopes to become an intelligence officer and will be located somewhere in Texas as well.

Yet although Hegedish and Johnson had a commitment to their country, they also wanted to commit to each other. During last year's spring break the two traveled to Walt Disney World. Beneath Cinderella's Castle, Hegedish dropped to one knee and proposed to Johnson.

Upon their return to school, the couple found being young and engaged didn't affect their college experience.

"We do the same things - go out with friends, party together, nothing stops us from being completely normal besides the fact (that we're) getting married," Johnson said. "I don't stay at home balancing a checkbook."

Despite what's ahead the couple is simply enjoying their time together now.

"If you hang out (with the couple), you'll never see two people so in love, its kind of cliché, but it's true," said the couple's good friend, senior Mike Walther.

The two will be married March 5 in Columbus and plan to take their honeymoon during spring break to Jamaica.

"I just really am excited to have (all our friends and family) together in one place - my whole life in one place," Johnson said.

So far the only obstacle they've experienced is planning the wedding while at school. The couple did most of their planning over breaks and Johnson's mother helped out by visiting reception halls.

Although Johnson and Hegedish are the only engaged members of the AFROTC at the moment, in years past there have been an average amount of couples that married from the program.

Lt. Col. Steve Doub and other officers of the AFROTC try to help married members.

"We really don't discourage or encourage cadets in AFROTC regarding marriage," Doub said. "It is a personal decision. We give them as much information as possible about what to expect regarding being married to other military members and on what to expect regarding being assigned together when they are on active duty."

The couple is aware of what they are getting into and are also prepared for anything that comes their way. And, both comprehend what their partner could encounter.

"I think there are a high number of marriages amongst younger couples in the military because they do it before they ship off somewhere," Hegedish said. "I think two people in ROTC getting married to each other is still kind of unique, it's because they understand the commitment."

Yet Walther feels the couple's Valentine's Day may not be celebrated as extravagantly as it could be.

"I think it might be more low key than usual," Walther said. "But (Johnson and Hegedish) will (probably spend Valentine's Day) looking back on where they've come and appreciate where they're going to go."

Come Feb. 14, perhaps no giant celebration will ensue, but Johnson doesn't mind.

"I guess we can go to dinner; I don't care," Johnson said. "I'm getting married two weeks after it."


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