I figured Air Force right away when you put Great Falls and Alaska in the same thread. It will be tough being away from family when you're overseas. My late wife and I made it work when I was gone building a career with US National Park Service while she continued with hers here at the university in Canada. Boy, those phone bills were bad! So much better now with Skype. Back when I was in US Army I was able to make one phone call home during 13 months in Korea and that was via ham radio: "Merry Christmas Mom and Dad ... over."