"Once you have the best you can’t settle for less”

For most of my life as an Army wife I have successfully avoided watching war movies. My theory being that most movies add to the drama by embellishing the intensity of certain situations, especially those that involve patriotic themes. I have a flare for the dramatic and an over active imagination as it is, watching these movies would do nothing for the cause of keeping me calm during one of my husbands inevitable deployments. David has recently convinced me to watch "The Pacific" on HBO with him. We really enjoyed watching the PBS documentary on World War II together, so I figured I would indulge him. (It was also a good opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine or two with him-who can say no to that?)
True to my original assessment, The Pacific is most certainly dramatic... and heart wrenching. If you haven't been watching, it is truly awe inspiring what these Marines went through on these islands. It makes you grateful for modern warfare tactics and as a soldier's wife, I find myself holding him even tighter than I did before. Especially after last nights episode. The focus last night was on Sgt. John Basilone and his life post- Medal of Honor and post-Guadalcanal. He eventually married a woman named Lena Riggi, who was also a Marine. Shortly after they were married he was killed on Iwo Jima.
I didn't sleep very well last night (despite the bottle of red we finished between us). I kept wondering what happened to Lena. If you live anywhere near So Cal you know that Camp Pendleton is covered with references to her famous husband, John. But-what happened to her? I wanted to make sure she recovered from her loss, I wanted to know she went on to have 6 kids and an exceptional life. Yeah, ladies--not so much. If you are a romantic you might love the ending to her Hollywood-like story, I included a link to her obitutary for all the details. But in her later years she summed up her life after John like this-"Once you have the best you can’t settle for less”. I imagine I would feel the same-there is just no topping my husband.