Reply #2: His wife and children essentially did not have him, except as a paycheck

[TwilightGardener]

and benefits, for the last 10 years--and then he got unlucky. Very sad. I wonder if he was really willing to do this, with his family's blessing and understanding, or if he just hadn't found a way out of this situation yet by the time he died. It's hard to know what motivates a person to spend this much time away from family, and in danger. Edit to add: Even as the wife of a military member, I don't think I could have put up with the extreme sacrifices this family endured.