THE HOME FRONT
Army wife comforted by weekly calls
| • | Read Spc. Brian Stark's postcard from Iraq |
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Rochelle Stark will spend today — her first wedding anniversary — studying in Wahiawa while her husband, Spc. Brian Stark, is cooking for his Army unit in Iraq.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
She is taking history classes on the Internet at an Arizona-based community college and living in the apartment they share near Schofield Barracks, where her husband is stationed with the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. She's focusing on her studies at Phoenix College and relying on 15-minute phone calls from Brian about once a week to help her cope with the loneliness of the separation.
Rochelle Stark has plenty of stuffed animals to keep her company, including her favorites, "Chip and Dale" that she and her husband, Army Spc. Brian Stark, bought during a trip to Disneyland in 2002.
Rochelle, 20, feels the stress of Brian serving in a war zone for a year, but she keeps busy with school and spends time with friends and relies on calls from family. He has been gone almost a month and she was happy to get his postcard home.
"I worry, but I can't worry too much or else I'll just go crazy," she said.
The two got to know each other on the Internet when Brian was stationed in South Korea and she was living at home in Arizona, exchanging life stories and photos for months before they met in person. When he got to meet her in Arizona, they hit if off in person, too. He transferred to Hawai'i in August 2002, she followed in December and they married on Feb. 18, 2003.
Rochelle said Brian was able to phone home and e-mail quite a bit during his first few days in Kuwait, reassuring her that he got there safely.
When they're together, they've got a routine night out: dinner at Chili's Grill & Bar in Mililani, then catch the latest movie. While Brian's away, she has been going to the movies with friends on the weekends. And she has made a scrapbook of their whole relationship.
Still, the phone calls probably help the most. "It's hard to be without the one you love," Rochelle said. "It's a lot easier when I get to talk to him."
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.
