Afghanistan calls...

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If you haven't met Ingrid & Patrick, they are the Navy/Marine couple that became engaged using morse code jewelry's "Marry me" bracelet. Click here if you missed it. Below is an email I just received from Patrick. They had hoped to marry in the fall of 2010 unless Ingrid got called up to serve in Afghanistan.

The call came.

Here's his unedited email:

Annie,

Some bad news....

Ingrid got a call last Tuesday morning from her command at her hospital. She has orders to augment an Army medical unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The US Navy often sends their personnel as Individual Augmentees (IAs) to Army or Marine Corps units engaged in the Global War on Terrorism in both Iraq and Afghanistan. She'll start a month of training in January and then deploy for about 6 months as nurse a trauma hospital in Kandahar. It's pretty intense work, but Ingrid has experience with traumatic cases working in the OIF/OEF ward on the east coast. This will just be a different part experience as she cares for soldiers and Marines a bit earlier in their road to recovery.

We have to delay our wedding a bit and push it back to January 2011 instead of October 2010. This will be a bit of a role reversal as I'll be home in California and Ingrid will be deployed to a combat zone. Ingrid has made it through 2 of my deployments, so making it through one of hers shouldn't be that bad.

Just thought we'd keep you updated. Ingrid's going to keep the bracelet on through this deployment too. It fits over her latex gloves well...her engagement ring might stay home for the deployment though.

Best Use of morse code jewelry Ever...

I am bound by a covenant of secrecy, so I cannot reveal any details that might reveal this young man's identity, but this is such a good story, I have to share it.

In short, a soldier bought a "marry me" bracelet to give to his girl before he ships out, but it's even better than that... Read on.

Sovereign Bank of Marshfield, MA (my local branch, here south of Boston where I do my personal & business banking) was kind enough to invite me to be their business of the month during December, and let me set up a table by the fireplace in the lobby to sell my jewelry.  I sent out some press releases last fall when this was arranged and The Patriot Ledger and South Shore Living Magazine both published mention that morse code jewelry would be there.  This soldier's mom, a South Shore native, saw the story in the Ledger.  She called him where he was stationed (like his Mom's location, I will keep his location secret-though both are in the lower 48) and told him that there was a company that made coded jewelry and that "marry me" was mentioned in the story and that might be a neat idea for proposing to his girlfriend.

So I get a call, from this other far away city, inquiring as to whether or not I could do a "marry me" bracelet.  I said that I had one ready to go (see it above) and it was made of solid gold and Swarovski crystal and solid sterling and was very sparkly and pretty.  He said he would be coming in to the area just before Christmas and would like to pick it up to give to his girlfriend before he ships overseas (again, his destination will remain secret for now).  

Swoon.

So I go running around the bank telling all the bank ladies the story.  Swoon x8.

So the agreed upon day arrives and in he walks with his Mom.  They look at the bracelet and gasp in approval and we take care of business, all the while, talking and chatting while his Mom is trying not to dissolve into a puddle of tears.  

Then the surprise:

He asks me if I have a different box.  I ask why.  (This is a NICE box.  They're brand new to the line so I haven't photographed them yet, but they're a luxurious grey suede with a curved lid). He says, "I don't want her to know what it says until I get back."

For those of you who haven't purchased recently (or ever! - tsk tsk) it comes with a box that has the morse code jewelry brand name on it, and a laminated card delineating the code.  The card was easy enough to hide, but the box... Well, I explained to him that it was just a sticker and he could just peel it right off.

He will be gone for six months.  When he returns, he will tell her that the bracelet that he gave her, that she thought was just a really pretty bracelet, in fact spelled, "marry me."

What I wouldn't give to see the look on her face!