Being someone who is currently going through an 18 month deployment (my boyfriend is in Kosovo) I found this article interesting. I think its a sad shame that anyone cheats (male or female). I don't know about other military wives, girlfriends or fiances, but I can firmly say to my wonderful boyfriend ... baby you have nothing to worry about. I support you 100% and will be here waiting for you upon your return.

Plenty of the soldiers cheat or WOULD cheat if they had the chance. Just so happens in this war there aren't the "comfort girls". Let's just call them PROSTITUTES, no need to sugar coat.

In the back of every serviceman/woman's mind is the possibility that someone they care about at home is with Jody while they're gone. It's there every time they think to themselves "wonder what she/he and the kids are doing right now?" As long as there are servicemen/women away from home, there will be Jodys, and loved ones who stray - it's human nature. That said, the WORST thing that can happen to a soldier is to find out that there's a real Jody when they get their "Dear John" or "Dear Jane" letter (probably by e-mail these days). I was a military policeman in Vietnam, and I've seen it happen. Consider it another uncounted casualty of war.

Whatever the statistics say, this is a reality of human nature. It happens more today because of the level of acceptability of single parent homes and multiple marriages in our society. Lets face it we all have been affected by or know more than one person that has been affected by infidelity. We have become a selfish nation of non-committers, and deployments of committed partners creates opportunity for Jody and for those left alone.

I was in the first Desert Storm. Came Home to meet Jody. Had a daughter who was one when I was deployed. Had alot of money when I left for deployment. When Jody came into my life, no money, massive credit card debt, no wife, thought I lost my daughter as well. Destroyed me. Thought life was over. Became an alcholic.
Turned it around. Remarried the perfect wife, two more beautiful kids. Great relationship with my daughter. I'm now a CEO of a large company and have an incredible life.
Jody's the best thing that happened to me. I thank God for Jody.
If Jody's in your life, there's much better women out there. Semper Fi.

I can't fathom why any spouse participate in such selfish, immoral behavior while their husband is in a strange country risking his life daily. My husband went thru this with his x-wife at his last trip to Iraq. Even worse- she was at another camp in Iraq and had many jody's. He's going to Afghanistan early next year and there will be no jody's coming to my house. I want my husband and no one else.. what's the point of being married if you're going to play while the cat's away? I'd be disgusted with myself if I were to participate in such behavior. LOVE YOU STAN!!

Ex-Marine here. I was stationed with a base unit my whole time so I never deployed. But Jody is real and there are plenty of wives who go fishing for Jody at the E-Club. It's a shame, but it's real.

We speak of Jody, but living in a military town as a military brat so to speak you deal with the same battle on both sides. You have several young jarheads that try to steal your loved one while they are out and about and have no respect for the fact that they are married women. It goes both ways. It's sad that the percentages that have been stated are probably true, but after my first early marriage that we weren't obvioulsy ready for fell to pieces I have a lot of trust in my present wife. She's great to me and our kids. Another problem in this town Jacksonville/Camp Lejuene is you also get these women that just want to get married to Marines before they get deployed for obvious reasons. I know of one inparticular that was separated from her Marine to get a divorce and ended up banking on his death. He was one of the first to die in Iraq, now she's livin the good life off his life insurance and she didn't even love him. People like to go after the ones taking your loved one, but they have no obligation to you,,,it's your wife or husband that must repect you enough not to go that route. I feel sorry for the Marines that have been done wrong but I hate the ones that have no repect for other married couples. It's a double edged sword, but cheating is cheating,,,it happens even when people aren't deployed it just makes it easier to get away with that why a lot of people take advantage of it, reducing their chances of getting caught and still be able to bank on their husbands money. In other words being able to have their cake and eat it too.

Every Marine is introduced to the name "Jody" in boot camp; one can only hope to never meet him. Jody is the nice guy that takes good care of your wife or girlfriend while you are away at boot camp or deployed half way around the globe. The drill instructors always talk about Jody and tell everyone not to worry about him because he is always taking good care of everything and everyone and that by the time you return he will be gone. I believe that every service member that leaves a wife or girlfriend at home while on deployment or in boot camp worry about being the next victim of Jody. Jody does a good job at breaking up relationships. He normally meets your wife or girlfriend while at the grocery store or at the night club. He then starts filtering things into your wife or girlfriend's heads; leading them to distrust you and the next thing you know you no longer have a wife or girlfriend. That is why every service member should treat their significant other as they would like to be treated with respect and dignity and remember that good communication is the key to a healthy relationship. Be faithful at all times don’t do something that you would not like for other to do to you.

I have seen this happen to so many of my fellow military service brothers and sisters. They go out and do their deployment just to come home and find out your wife is in her first trimester and she doesnt want to be with you anymore. What you have been looking foward to during your whole deployment comes crashing down on you. What ever happened to good old fashioned trust and love. It seems that everything now-a-days is all about sex, and having no self-control. My wife is serving in Iraq and the last thing I want her to think or worry about is me cheating on her. I trust her and she trusts me becasue our relationship is not all about the sex. That is just the icing on the cake.

Jody does exist! He or she lurks in the dark, hiding behind a shroud of secrecy during our spouse's absence. Jody quietly knows that he/she will be discovered! Secrets have a way of comming out in the end.
Unfortunately, Jody exists in the event of any spouse's absence, regardless of it's reason. The absence can be because of emotional unavailability, work, military deployment, for any reason. Let us not be deceived in thinking that Jody only effects our military men and women during wartime!

As an Army wife who weathered 18 months alone with my children while my husband was deployed in Baghdad, I can tell you that "Jody" is a very real presence for them. It is perpetuated and ingrained from the moment they go to boot camp....some "Jody" is going to come along while you are gone and take your woman. It's mental. And nothing perpetuates it more than the idea that half their country looks down on the job they perform. It is an obvious worry to men on the battlefield, and people who place it simply in the category of, "Too bad they don't have more faith in their spouse" are missing the point. These men and women are fatigued, on alert, and risking their lives so that "Jody" can run wild stateside, doing as he pleases. I believe it is a classic manifestation of civilian versus military, and I am sure there has been some variety of it around as long as brave people have fought for the freedom of their country. Maybe more support from the people who choose to stay home and protest, degrading and embarassing their own government and country, would change the paranoia that easily takes root when you are far from home and away from your loved ones, fighting for the freedom of others. They are the ones who forget where they get their freedoms in the first place...someone fights for that freedom. It is not a right. It is a privilege. God Bless our Soldiers and their Leaders.

I just want to say that there are soldiers cheating on their wives while they are in Iraq. They are cheating with the thousands of female soldiers. It is a two way street. My husband was over there for 13 months (the first time) and he saw it all the time among his soldiers.

Being prior service, I know of Jody well. He is a snake in the grass, and he is always lurking. I've personally tailed Teammates wives while they were down range and disrupted Jody's game, while pulling two on my squad leaders wives out of a Sgt's room. He of course objected and as I threatened the LEG with a severe beating after which I would drag his sorry arse to Battalion HQ (staff duty) he open the door for the ladies to leave. He might have been able to say, "Hey, they're not wearing wedding rings, ehich they weren't, but being an overseas base where on dependents and wives could get on post he knew he was in the wrong.

Military wives are the worst. I would never get married while in the military. I've been groped by wives of men in my company.

This problem existed before the war, and will existed after the war.

Jody...Has no honor, integrity, character. He is a snake in the grass, always plotting on those who are vulnerable.

So I guess you could call me Jody. I have to confess that a couple of years ago when the war first started, we would go out to bars and there were all kinds of un-attached women that we'd never seen before. Turns out most were attached, but their attachment was serving his country overseas. In all my time going to bars, I'd never had such good luck! I met 4 or 5 women who were "alone". Most of the time I didn't know that they were wives/girlfriends of servicemen until later on. So am I to blame because I didn't ask? Maybe. I don't know. I do feel kinda guilty about it. So I guess consider this my public confession.

Bottom Line....Married Women with spouses deployed cheat. Not all of them, but enough to cause fear and anxiety. The cheating doesn't have to start sexual, in most cases it doesn't. The woman looks for a shoulder to cry on and a "friend" that can help her through this tough time...invariably it turns that way when the "friend" wants physical reciprocation. So please stop with all of your self-righteous attitudes that the wives wouldn't do this. You never know what you would do until you are faced with the prospect of never seeing your man again.

Grow up people, and stop being so judgemental and naive. Whether or not people cheat on their spouses (from either side) is none of your business. I just LOVE the pious responses, "I've know people who have cheated, but I am so incredibly loyal, I would never do that." Give me a break. Sex, love and intimacy are all necessary parts of life. The only thing that bothers me is that these soldiers have to spend all day worrying about whether or not they are going to make it to tomorrow. It's just sad that they have to deal with Jody on top of everything else, but then again, they signed up to go over there. Nobody drafted them.

My son was deployed to Iraq in July 2005. When he came back 8 months later to the total surprise of all of us his wife asked for a devorce the night he returned. Email letters were found on the computer attesting to a relationship that had been ongoing for at least 4 months. If a spouse cannot be faithful it shows a lack of respect and commitment for the marriage. Cheaters in relationships will always have an excuse. Deployed or not. Looking back even though the hurt is still healing, finding out when he did my son is able to go on and find someone to share his life with who believes in the vows spoken. Also we are very grateful that no children were involved in this.

"Your honey is lonely, as lonely can be,
"But Jody is keeping him company.
"Ain't it great to have such a pal,
"Who's doing her best to keep up morale."

I learned that in Navy OCS in 1977. When I sung it for my father, he laughed and said that he learned it in 1942 in Army basic.

I've also been in military base clubs and seen the "deployment widow(er)s" and the men and women that they were hooking up with. The Officer's Club at NAS Oceana in the `80s was a very well known spot for this and, sad to say, most of the Jodies were also in the military.

Nothing has changed, it would seem.

Try being a married female soldier. It's appropriate that Jody is a name that can go to either a male or a female. My ex-husband (also a soldier) cheated on me with the wife of another soldier. When the female soldier is off, their husband has access to all those wives and then there are the single women who work or live near the base. Jody is everywhere. Somehow though, I don't think infidelity is anymore common in military homes than it is in civilian homes.

Jody has been around for years and years. I served from 85-90 , stationed over sea's. At the time I wasn't married or involved. Do to an injury from an Airborne training op, I missed one deployment. Let me tell you, the NCO club was hopp'n with wifes & they wanted to play. No wonder the REMF's were all smiles when they would find out our battalion was deploying for several weeks or months. The troops deployed in Iraq and everywhere else know this, they either "Deal with it" or get over or under it.. Given the average age and lack of maritual maturity of our troops its no surprise. Seasoned troops or "Lifers", whom have under gone the trials and tribulations with their spouse, and the often weeks/months/years away from each other do to there duties, only stay married by trust or open mindedness..

If you are stupid enough to die for the rich man, you shouldn't have a wife.

As a Air Force spouse going through the third six month deployment in my husbands four year career, I can definately state this "Jody" thing is a problem. I see spouses hanging all over these "Jodies" while their husbands are deployed. In the same respect, I have also had the displeasure of seeing spouses devistated over photos of their husbands cheating while deployed. It is hard for both my husband and I when he is deployed, but we made the decision to be married and faithful - until death do us part. We trust each other with all our hearts. Bottom line - it doesn't matter how hard it is - the spouse or military members still has to make a consious decision to cheat. If they can't be faithful, they shouldn't have made that life-time commitment.

As a former female Marine, I am familiar with the term "Jody". It is sad that soldiers have to worry about this when they have more serious things to worry about, but I can tell you from first hand experience that the wives aren't the only ones being unfaithful. I spent a year in Okinawa - during a time of peace, and the stories about the strip clubs, prostitutes and trips to the Philiphines were pretty disgusting. It goes both ways, so don't be so hard on the wives. If these guys had access to women, they'd be cheating.

Well Let's just put this in perspective, not all girlfriends, wives, partners cheat. Now what about the soldiers before they left, most of them were cheater, now that they have to become monks or celibut they have a problem, if they were not doing it before they left then they should not worry about their half that is waiting for their safe return, you get what you give and most of them gave nothing but cheating before they left, and now because they can't get any they are worried that we are doing the same thing they did before this dumb war, well let them worry, they will feel how we felt before they left, so for the ones that are worried, what is your past? Were you FAITHFUL? Yeah I thought so, for the women that left their solider before his return COWARD... tell him to his face that you relized you were worth more than being cheated on...God will help anyone change there ways, just believe. Thanks