Afghanistan calls…


View Larger Map


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.

•UPDATE•BeSt UsE oF mOrSe CoDe JeWeLrY® eVeR•UPDATE•


Step into the wayback machine! Last Christmas (2008) I sold a “marry me” bracelet to a young Marine about to ship out. He wanted to give it to his girl, who is in the Navy (stateside) but NOT tell her what the code of the bracelet meant until AFTER he was home safely. He is now home safely, they are engaged, and their identities can now be revealed! Here they are, with excerpts from his emails below. Meet Patrick and Ingrid!



From an email from Patrick’s mom to morse code jewelry
“Patrick carried the card with the Morse code “translation” of the bracelet with him while on deployment knowing Ingrid was wearing the bracelet everyday! That sparkling circle has provided a story for them to tell for years to come!”

From emails from Captain Patrick Mahoney to morse code jewelry
Been back for a few months from my deployment…sailed from San Diego to Hawaii to Guam to Malaysia to Oman to Qatar to Bahrain to Djibouti to Thailand to Japan to Hawaii and back to San Diego, got hit by a American Nuclear Submarine http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/21/navy.vessels.collide/index.html , had an outbreak of swing flu on the ships, and fought some pirates.

I proposed to Ingrid on Sept 8th on the beach in Carlsbad, CA. She said “yes”.


Ingrid wore the bracelet the entire deployment and when I had her meet me down at the beach I explained what meaning behind the bracelet.

We’ll be getting married next fall as long as Ingrid doesn’t get selected for deployment to Afghanistan, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Here is our “Knot site” http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/PatrickMahoney&IngridGarrett

I am humbled, honored, and tickled pink (!) to be a (small!) part of the story of these exemplary young Americans. May they stay safe and unharmed and secure in the knowledge that there are millions of people just like me who are grateful beyond words for their sacrifice.


Annie Fields, Founder, morse code jewelry