SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Finding the proper balance between the military and marriage can be difficult, which is one reason why a husband and wife who serve at Camp Pendleton just won a dream honeymoon to Hawaii.
Christian and Kirsten Perry met in Afghanistan. Christian's a Marine, Kirsten a soldier. Somehow they fell in love in a war zone.
"His first question was, 'Can I get your email?' Kirsten said.
"It was actually kind of like a dare… it was like, I bet you can't get her number," Christian said.
Christian proposed on Valentine's Day last year, and wasn't sure if Kirsten would say yes.
"Imagine you're about to go on stage in front of 1,000 fans or something. She's the biggest fan I've ever had," Christian said.
Kirsten accepted the offer and the bling. In order to get stationed together at Camp Pendleton, they got married in a rush two months later.
"It was a great day. Happiest day of my life," Christian said.
Unable to go on a honeymoon because the military came calling, Kirsten and Christian entered an online contest held by travel website DreamPlanGo.com and Starwood Resorts Hawaii, on a whim.
Eight-thousand votes poured in, and despite competing against another contestant in the military, a cancer survivor and a social worker, there was just something about Kirsten and Christian's story that struck a chord.
"It was overwhelming, the support we got," Kirsten said.
Call it America's way of thanking two 22-year-olds for serving and sacrificing for their country. Hawaii, here they come.
"It's just going to be really nice to chill and relax and have some legitimate alone time. We never got the change to have a honeymoon. We're going to have the honeymoon we wanted," Christian said.