An Iowa couple is taking a unique approach to starting their life together. Matt and Jodie Roesler were attending a concert last May when a recruiting booth for the Army set up outside caught their eye. The two University of Northern Iowa graduates had been married just nine months and decided to seriously consider the military as an alternative to settling down. She says they stopped by and talked to the Army recruiter and got a free t-shirt and asked him to mail them some information. After three months of discussion — they both decided to join up — and will go on active duty in January. 25-year-old Jodie, a Carroll native, says they checked into it and found out they wouldn’t have to be separated during their four-year hitch. She says it won’t be the typical home life, but she says they’ll still have the opportunity to see each other and be around each other. She says the most important thing is they’ll be doing it together, and it’s something they’re looking forward to. 28-year-old Matt, who’s originally from Marengo, says the possibility of being deployed in a war zone was a concern, too. He says they talked about it a lot and were nervouse about. He says they are worried about it, but he says it’s part of being in the Army. She says they can asked to be deployed together if one of them is deployed, so they wouldn’t have to worry about one person being deployed and gone for a year, and then the other being deployed and gone. They say family and friends may’ve been surprised, but are supportive. She says her parents were pretty supportive and her mom says she wishes she was 20 years younger. He says the friends are a little disappointed that they’re aren’t going to be around to throw parties and things, as they’ve been kind of the hub of their college friends. New couples often think about starting a family — but they say that was not a big consideration in joining the Army.She says they didn’t give it a lot of thought as they aren’t really ready to settle down yet. Jodie says they won’t let the Army stop them if they do decide to have a family, and he says there’s no regulation that says you can’t have children while you’re in the Army. The Roeslers are in the Signal Support Corps and will work on computer and radio communications equipment once they’re deployed. They’ve signed up for a four-year hitch.
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