Military homecoming isn’t always sunshine and rainbows — sometimes it can shake your marriage to the core.
This is the plot of the new movie INDIVISIBLE, based on the true story of the Turner family. This is the first film ever made about an active-duty soldier, and stars Sarah Drew and Justin Bruening, both from Grey’s Anatomy. To learn more about the film INDIVISIBLE, please click here.
Army Wife 101 recently had the pleasure of interviewing the real-life Heather Turner about what happened when Darren returned from his deployment, how their marriage nearly ended, and why they ultimately decided to save it.
Meet the Real Heather Turner
Army wife Heather Turner quickly learned that military homecomings as portrayed in the movies, aren’t always the case in real life.
She and her husband Darren were married with three young children by the time he joined the military. Early into his career, the Army Chaplain deployed to Iraq with an infantry regiment. Darren was eager to make a difference in the lives of his soldiers during his 15-month tour.
While Darren was deployed, Heather quickly learned how to hold down the homefront, raise three children alone, and became actively involved as an FRG leader. She learned the true value of a supportive military spouse community.
Although Skype communications were available, there were often technical glitches and lags, but the couple remained in touch. They created an online blog of stories and photos for family, and found that their most successful communications were through email.
Everything seemed as normal as it could be, given the distance and circumstances.
Relationship Red Flags
When Darren returned home, Heather quickly realized that something was wrong. He was often angry and would snap at her for “doing things wrong” but he couldn’t quite describe what the problem was.
He made impulse purchases such as a new car and a motorcycle that only he could ride, and Heather was feeling angry, frustrated and alone.
Darren would often leave the house, escaping to spend time with the men from his regiment, feeling that they needed and understood him without explanation. Heather, desperate to have her husband and the father of her children back, started to panic. She constantly nagged Darren, which seemed to have the opposite effect. They fought more and connected less.
Heather finally reached the point where she determined that she couldn’t stay like this any longer. She feared that this would be representative of the rest of her life if she stayed married to Darren. Heather opened her own checking account, her own credit card, and the two became separated for several months.
A Hollywood Ending in Real Life
Darren and Heather both received divine messages that this relationship was not to end. In a beautiful story that focuses around their faith, they discovered that they could once again rejoin, and eventually have a happier and stronger marriage as a result.
To learn more about INDIVISIBLE please visit: http://www.indivisiblemovie.com.
Missed the live Facebook interview? Watch it here.
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Jackie Toops
A self-described “Jackie of All Trades,” former Army wife Jackie Toops enjoys exploring the various facets of her personality by chronicling military life, world travels, family, her love of the arts and more. Her academic background is in the fields of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management, and she has overseen public relations for museums, galleries and universities. Jackie’s articles have been featured on Army Wife 101, Wall Street International Magazine, SoFluential, HomeAway, Military Biz Connection and FamiliesGo. While stationed in Germany, she regularly discussed her articles on-air with the Armed Forces Network in Wiesbaden. A mother of two, Jackie enjoys coffee, freelance writing, languages and discovering new ways to express herself. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
A self-described “Jackie of All Trades,” former Army wife Jackie Toops enjoys exploring the various facets of her personality by chronicling military life, world travels, family, her love of the arts and more. Her academic background is in the fields of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management, and she has overseen public relations for museums, galleries and universities. Jackie’s articles have been featured on Army Wife 101, Wall Street International Magazine, SoFluential, HomeAway, Military Biz Connection and FamiliesGo. While stationed in Germany, she regularly discussed her articles on-air with the Armed Forces Network in Wiesbaden. A mother of two, Jackie enjoys coffee, freelance writing, languages and discovering new ways to express herself. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.