Marine Corps boot camp has been called one of the most difficult13 weeks anyone can endure, but it wasn’t tough enough for twoBrookhaven residents who decided to add a new twist to theexperience.

Pvt. Dennis Odom and Pvt. Victoria Odom have long dreamed of acareer in the Marines, and they didn’t let their love for eachother get in the way of their careers.

The Odoms, who have known each other since elementary school,knew it would be tough as a married couple going through boot camp.Now that they’ve completed the 13 weeks, they believe it has onlymade their relationship stronger.

“I think we both matured a lot,” said Mrs. Odom. “I saw what itwas like to be away from him and how I could handle it, and I thinkI can handle it pretty good.”

The couple, who married on July 2, 2001, believe boot camp wasgood training for them because they will often be separated duringtheir careers.

“All of my training will take about a year, so we’ll beseparated then, but we’ll get to see each other on weekends andwhen we get leave,” Odom said.

They didn’t see each other very often during boot camp eventhough they were stationed on the same base and participated in thesame activities.

The first few days in Parris Island, S.C., the men and women inboot camp were in the same area for processing, so the Odoms passedeach other and spoke a number of times. Once it was time for themale and female squads to separate, that changed.

“We saw each other a good bit, like in the mess hall or when oursquads passed each other, but we couldn’t speak or look at eachother. If we got caught looking at each other, we got in trouble,”said Mrs. Odom, laughing about some of the funny experiences.

The drill instructors were well aware of the marriage, and likedto have fun teasing them.

“One time my drill instructor made me run around her squad whilethey were marching, but we couldn’t laugh about it. We had to havea straight face,” Odom said.

The instructors did give the couple a slight break from time totime, allowing them to use the office phone to talk during theNovember to January camp.

“My drill instructor would say ‘Odom, get in here,’ then hand methe phone. Her drill instructor did the same, and we didn’t knowwho was on the other end at first,” he said.

The Odoms said even though their drill instructors wereextremely stern, disciplined, machine-like people, it was reallynice to see them have a compassionate side.

“It’s not like what you see in the movies,” Odom said. “Theydon’t come in and clang garbage cans and shove you out of bed inthe morning. You want to get up and start a new day.”

Drill instructors also allowed the couple to communicate throughletters, when they had time to stop and write.

“In boot camp you don’t have time to miss anybody. You’re alwaysdoing something,” Odom said.

The Odoms, who are both graduates of Challenge Academy at CampShelby, also were surrounded by new friends — their fellowrecruits — who helped keep their minds preoccupied and off eachother.

“They become like family. I didn’t want to leave my drillinstructor,” Mrs. Odom commented.

Both said the moment they both completed boot camp, following a45-mile, three-day hike, was one of the most rewarding andemotional experiences of their lives.

They weren’t able to experience it side-by-side, but both hadtheir fellow recruits along with them.

After boot camp, the Odoms spent countless hours sharing theirexperiences. They look forward to building a stronger marriagethrough more military time, where hopefully, after completinganother year of training, they will be stationed together.

In two weeks, the Odoms head to North Carolina for Marine CombatTraining, which will last 17 days, then the two will be stationedin different states. Mrs. Odom will go to Red Stone, Ala., forammunition technician training, while her husband spends some timein Pensacola, Fla., to become a helicopter crew chief.

As the Odoms reflect on their boot camp experiences and lookforward to more training, they agree the experience is one theywould recommend to others.

Both are enjoying a life of discipline and respect, along with abetter attitude toward life, plus a special bond created by theirshared experience.