Oswego War Vet Writes Book Detailing Her 'Honeymoon In Baghdad'

OSWEGO, IL — After getting married in late 2002, Heidi Radkiewicz and her husband, Jake, had no plans for a honeymoon and were focusing instead on settling down and building a life together. But the Oswego couple did get to travel to someplace warm and exotic, where they slept under the stars and toured the countryside.

The destination was Iraq, where the two National Guardsmen were deployed weeks after getting married. The deployment threw a huge wrinkle in their life plans, but a decision by the National Guard to let the newlyweds serve together made the trip easier, and perhaps a bit more memorable.

The event also serves as the basis for Heidi's memoir, "Honeymoon in Baghdad," published in summer 2018 by Business Ghost. Heidi's debut book describes the terror of war, the boredom of deployment, and the trials —and romantic entanglements — of her and her husband's unique deployment.

"We got married, and we finally got steady jobs, got a house. Then we got word we were getting shipped out," Heidi, 39, recalls of learning of the deployment. "So that was our honeymoon."

Heidi and Jake met in the aftermath of 9/11, when the attacks led both National Guardsmen to be called into training. After that training, they moved in together in New Mexico. Soon enough, they learned of their shared deployment. (The couple having met in the National Guard helped let the Armed Forces approve of their deployment together, Heidi said.)

The couple were deployed to Baghdad, were they helped transport supply trucks between U.S. bases. Heidi said the work was fairly routine, until one day when the trucks in front of and behind her were hit with rocket-propelled grenades.

In such situations, adrenaline and training kicks in, Heidi said. But there were situations where she and Jake would see each other in combat, and quickly think of the other one's safety, she said. (The couple were usually in different sections of the large convoys, Heidi said.)

"One attack, we got out and laid down fire," Heidi recalled. "My husband saw me and said 'She'll be fine.'"

There was plenty of down time in the war zone, too. That allowed Heidi and Jake to make some memorable moments, like sleeping under the stars. The couple also found time to be intimate, in some cases in near proximity to their fellow service members, according to some media report's colorful excerpts from the book.

"We found those moments," Heidi said with a laugh. "You have to make the best of it in a horrible situation."

Heidi got pregnant while deployed, a development that cut her deployment short. Leaving Jake behind was tough, especially since the couple knew how beneficial the mutual support was to their deployment. Heidi served for about seven months, while Jake was deployed for 18 months, she said.

"That's probably the hardest thing I've had to go through," she said. "I felt bad because I felt I didn't fulfill my mission. But it felt worse to leave him."

When Jake returned, the couple eventually moved to Oswego, which is closer to Jake's native Villa Park. The family has lived in Oswego for a decade, primarily raising their 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter in town.

Heidi and Jake have retold their story over the years, with many saying that it would make a good book. So one day, Heidi — at that point a stay-at-home mom — decided to start writing.

"Everyone says, 'I don't know how you could be at war with your spouse,'" she said. "I don't know any other way. You can support each other, and it has formed this awesome bond between us."

"Honeymoon in Baghdad," has been out for over a year and has already , garnered the author some buzz. Their story has been picked up by the New York Post, The Times of London and the Daily Mail. Heidi said she has even been approached by film production companies who are interested in her story.

When asked which actress she would like to depict her on screen, Heidi said it's a hard choice. Most of her favorite actresses — like Reese Witherspoon — are closer to Heidi's current age, and not her deployment age.

"I don't know any 20-something actresses," Heidi said with a laugh. "But it's fun to think about."

For more information about "Honeymoon in Baghdad," click here.