"We went through deployment pretty soon after we started dating," she said.
Her husband, Sgt. Maj. Bryan Purcell, is now on his fifth deployment. He serves as operations sergeant major for the 109th Military Police Battalion with the North Carolina National Guard.
Bryan has previously deployed to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq. About a month ago, he left for a yearlong assignment in Europe.
"We've had previous deployments where it's been a couple of months' notice and then he's gone," Fiona said. "But for this one, we had time to prepare. We also had time to prepare our daughter."
As conflict escalates in the Middle East and more U.S. service members are placed on standby, Fiona sat down with her 9-year-old daughter, Cassie, to talk about how their family is navigating another year apart.
Fiona said she wants other military families facing deployment to know they are not alone.
"The fear and the uncertainty are normal," she said. "You live with that; you process it and talk about it. And I'm not going to say that everything's going to be okay because we can't guarantee that."
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During deployments, Fiona says her faith becomes an anchor.
"We just pray that something's not going to happen. We pray for their safety," she said.
Still, she balances the worry of a military spouse with the responsibilities of motherhood.
"Whatever we're feeling, we discuss it as a family and we're very open about it," she said. "I don't try to put on a strong front because I think that it doesn't set her up for success. So, I allow myself to feel the emotions in front of her and explain them."
For Cassie, a third grader, comfort comes in the form of a personalized teddy bear that plays a recording of her dad's voice.
"It's been a bit hard," she said. "I've just been missing him."
She's learning life lessons through this deployment - patience, resilience and hope. She's already planning how she'll celebrate when her dad returns.
"We probably will get ice cream and build some Legos," she said.
In the meantime, mother and daughter say they're finding strength in each other.
"I'm trying not to wish this year away," Fiona said. "Just embracing every day and every opportunity that this is a time for us, him and I, to grow."
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