Joint effort makes Web wedding reality

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kristin Mack
  • 301st Fighter Wing
Fort Worth, TEXAS --  They grew up in nearby communities, attended the same church, and their parents went on mission trips together -- Dr. Heather Cox knew she would marry Staff Sgt. Erik Mortenson. But timing and circumstances did not allow the wedding to occur before this Marine Reservist departed for the desert in July. 

Their 20-year friendship led to a courtship that began a year ago when they reunited at a local event. Sergeant Mortenson works on Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., as a civilian in sheet metal as a Reservist in ammunitions; Doctor Cox is a dentist in a nearby town. After a few months of dating they became engaged and were notified in January of Sergeant Mortenson's deployment to the desert. 

There were many preparations to be made: family and financial arrangements, wills drawn up, multiple deployment briefings and training courses among many other necessary tasks. With all of these steps combined, along with their family's discouragements to wed after only a few months of courtship, the couple prudently decided to save the wedding for a later date when he returned back home from his deployment. 

However, when Sergeant Mortenson's plane departed July 13 for his six-month deployment, the powers of love and the heart took charge. Doctor Cox immediately found it unbearable to cope with the absence of Sergeant Mortenson as her formalized partner in life. 

"I had a really hard time dealing with Erik being gone and having no military rights as a spouse," said Doctor Cox. "We would talk and I kept thinking, what if something happened and I needed to care for matters at home ... how would I handle it with no spousal rights?" 

Despite the distance, their relationship continued to deepen as the months drifted by. They maintained their ties with one another through e-mail, phone and instant messenger. After many conversations, they confirmed they wanted to marry and were anxious to begin the ceremony as soon as possible, regardless of the obstacles that may lie ahead. 

"The longer we were apart, the closer we became to each other and thought about marriage," said Doctor Cox. "We were already engaged and knew we wanted to be married before his six-month tour was completed." 

Sergeant Mortenson got to work on the notion and began to research on the process to determine if they could make the wedding possible. From his research, he learned that Texas and California were the only two states in the country that allowed weddings by proxy. 

"When I mentioned to some people about a video conference wedding, they looked at me like I was crazy," said Sergeant Mortenson. "But, that didn't stop me from finding the details to make this happen." 

As he searched for bases in Texas that had the ability to perform the ceremony online, he found Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. He also found Natalie Herndon who coordinates base events at the Desert Storm Conference Center as director. She was able to efficiently guide him through all of the steps leading to that special day. 

By the time he firmed up the details and got the paperwork over to Doctor Cox, she packed up the car and headed to NAS JRB with a military spouse to be her witness and gain military access on the base. 

When Doctor Cox arrived here, she had the power of attorney, her fiancé' s driver's license and a list of other required forms to initiate the process. She began the process on Friday, Nov. 2 by arriving at the courthouse before they opened at 8 a.m. Unfortunately, they would not acknowledge her paper work without a certain stamp. So, Doctor Cox notified Natalie to get her feedback on this situation. 

"I was determined to help Heather with everything she needed," said Ms. Herndon. "When the courts were being difficult, I got on the phone and spoke with Congresswoman Kay Granger's office to get a resolution. If they wouldn't help, President Bush's office was the next number I was going to call." 

The individual at the congresswoman's office responded favorably and convinced the records office to give them information to proceed. Doctor Cox learned she needed a stamp on her marriage license and went to the Navy legal office to get it. They ran into another hurdle when the office was closed, but fortunately found someone who could help them. After getting the required stamp she needed, she headed back to the court office to complete the steps necessary to have the ceremony. 

"With all of the time that passed and conversations I had, I knew, beyond a doubt, I wanted to marry this man, said Doctor Cox. "This process confirmed our marriage."
Meanwhile, Mr. Louis Siefert, civilian base operation for NAS JRB Fort Worth, was setting up the video teleconference for the ceremony. When performing test runs he discovered the connection wouldn't work due to a firewall block coming from the desert and made a last minute switch to a web camera. 

The ceremony took place in the Desert Storm Conference Center foyer with Chaplain Mark McDaniel from the 301st Fighter Wing presiding over the ceremony. A civilian minister, who was hired by Doctor Cox through the local clergy service, was originally scheduled to perform the wedding ceremony but did not arrive on time. Chaplain McDaniel, who happened to be working a manday before the Unit Training Assembly weekend, was happy to perform their ceremony when the bride requested. 

After the couple said their vows, Chaplain McDaniel read the closing and said, "You may now kiss the bride ... sorry I'm married and can't help you with this." Sergeant Mortenson laughed, then kissed the Web cam and asked to see his new wife in her wedding dress. She stood back so he can look at her in full length. 

When the ceremony concluded, Master Sergeant Ross Wood of the 301st honor guard presented the new bride with a coin, as did 810th Civil Engineer Flight's Chief David Bullock. The bride said she was thrilled to get her first coins here. 

"I felt 100 percent supported when I left," said Doctor Cox. "Everything about the whole day was just a miracle." 

As the wedding concluded, Doctor Cox went to customer service to get the identification cards made for her family and then headed back home to Oklahoma. 

"It was the working parts of all branches that made this ceremony happen," said Ms. Herndon. "The Navy hosted the facility and the Air Force provided a minister when a Marine got married -- this is the paramount model of a Joint Reserve Base."