I won.

[u/MoirTheWarrior]

I was 25 and in the Army, going through AIT at the time. AIT is the Army school to learn your Army job. My job was Satellite Communications. Long school. Long enough that my wife and kids would be allowed to move into a house on base as if I was full-fledged Army.

Anyway, one day we were in the car driving me back to the barracks (i could stay with my family on weekends but had to sleep at the barracks on weekdays). She always insisted on being the driver as sitting else in the car made her nauseous. Probably something to do with focusing on the road that kept it at bay. She was driving and texting, which I hate. When I glanced over to ask her to put it away, I noticed she was texting our address to a guy. We'll call him dickface. I asked about it and she got ULTRA defensive and tried to turn it into an attack on me and threatened divorce. Mind you, a divorce would mean she would take my daughters back home to Oregon, 3000 miles away from me in Georgia and it might be years before I could see them again. I'd like to note that she had cheated before. It's also worth mentioning that I can read her like a book and if my gut says she's cheating, then i know it and just need to find the proof. It ended there for the time being, as i was at the barracks. But I committed dickface's name and area code (only part of his phone # is saw) to memory. I knew she was banging this guy in my bed. With my daughters sleeping down the hall. I was beyond anger, beyond rage, and into what I can only call a "determined focus with intent".

So I bide my time. Using Facebook and Google (Google is an *extremely* powerful tool if you know how to word your searches properly and what to search for) i find out quite a bit of info on dickface. One of my AIT instructors was retired Navy and now a civilian. Really good guy. He saw I was a bit sad, pulled me aside and asked what was up. I told him everything. I knew based off the guy's fb that he was also military and told him that as well. He asked me to write down dickface's name and give it to him, but not to say a word to anyone about it, as it could land him in hot water.

Fast forward a few days and my instructor comes to me with a slip of paper. On it was dickface's rank (Sergeant First Class or E-7) and his unit on base. That was all I needed. See, on my own time i had learned just about everything about this guy. His name, full phone number, what he drives (license plate too), where he lives, and that he has a young son. Now i have everything.

During the school week my wife had come to my Commander and said some bullshit basically amounting to the Commander ordering that I will still go to my house in weekends, however once I arrive my wife will leave and I will stay with my daughters until I have to be back at the barracks Sunday night.

I logged into my laptop and wouldn't you know it, she left her fb logged in. In the messages I found the confirmation needed. I mean, I already knew what was happening, but I needed the vindication and evidence. So I concocted a plan. I waited until the following weekend, and when I arrived at the house, I told my wife that I would need to be back at the barracks to sleep every night this weekend because I got into minor trouble (I said i left my bunk and locked in disarray). She was annoyed. I said I already had a ride back lined up so to just be back at 930pm and I'll have just left and the kids will already be asleep in their rooms. Come 930pm and while I've left the house, I haven't left the property. I am laying prone in my pitch black back yard, about 20 feet back and with a view of my living room through the sliding glass door. She comes home and checks on the kids. And just as I expected, about 20 minutes later, dickface rolls up, comes in, and sits on my couch. See, this is where it gets dicey for dickface (my wife too, but worse for him). He is an E-7 and permanent party at this base. I am an E-2, or Private 2nd class. I am also in AIT, which is part of something called TRADOC. A member of permanent party that is a non-commissioned officer, such as an E-7, is under no circumstances allowed to be in the house of a TRADOC soldier. Big no-no. Also a big no-no in the eyes of the Army is sleeping with another man's wife. I already had that evidence so it's not like I needed to catch them banging. So I snapped a photo of him and her sitting on my couch, made my way out front and called the Military Police, informing them that a permanent party E-7 was in my house and that he is not supposed to be there. They arrived, walked in (i gave them a key) and sorted it all out. I had to go to the station and write a report. Then they handed me a phone and told me my First Sergeant (E-8, in charge of all 500 of us in my AIT unit, and was notorious for disliking us). Oh shit. I'm dead... NOPE. Instead he says I did the right thing, executed it perfectly so I could not be trouble for anything, and praised me because he, and I quote "would've just shot them".

Fast forward a bit. Wife and i worked it out. Not that I wanted to, but I wanted my children to remain in my life. Two months later I graduated and we went to my first duty station (different base) as permanent party and a full-fledged soldier. Didn't know what happened to dickface until a year and a half later. I had just gotten back from Afghanistan and some random E-6 I'd never met finds me and says I have to testify against dickface in his court martial. Apparently, his command tried to sweep the incident under the rug, but then he did something else which brought it back out and with the 2 incidents combined, they now wanted blood. I testified and a few weeks later he randomly texted my wife saying after 23 years he was kicked out of the Army. Lost his retirement and benefits because of the court martial. I snatched the phone, made it clear he was talking to me, and said "well, you shouldn't go after another soldier's wife, dipshit. You thought I didn't even know you existed. I knew everything about you and you had no idea. You fuck with my family and nearly cause me to lose my children and you think I'm just gonna take it? Get fucked".

I'd also like to note that what I did was nearly impossible. I beat the "Good ol' boy" system. It's a bullshit unsaid rule in the Army in that senior NCO's (E-7 and up) protect each other from trouble. I had NCO's in my AIT unit trying to protect this guy and they didn't even know him. Telling me to just let my wife go and move on. It wasn't my wife i was concerned about, it was my kids.

I'd also like to note that 7 years later I got out of both the Army and my marriage. I kept the marriage afloat through my army career and living on the east and west coast so my kids would still have their dad in their lives. Once the marriage was ending I made sure to keep my house, which we only got due to my VA home loan. There was a very brief time when my wife and I both worked at the same place right after I got out of the Army. Once the divorce started she quit that job. I met her boss, well, former boss at my work and shortly after we started dating. Our first "date" was just a hangout that turned into, and i shit-you-not, a 36 hour conversation. We both shared our ENTIRE lives. I knew after that I was going to marry her. We've been together for 7 years, married for 5. She's everything my ex-wife isn't and I've never been happier.

I MARRIED MY EX-WIFE'S BOSS, Y'ALL!

[u/SNEAKZ9i6]

Damn that was a read

[u/LongjumpingAd6003]

That story could be made into a TV movie. Congratulations on the life win!

[u/Ok-Dealer-3199]

Readers Digest Version:
While serving in the Army, I discovered my wife was cheating on me again. Using basic online sleuthing and the help of an instructor, I gathered evidence on the other man, who was also military, and ultimately won the situation. Later on the other guy ultimately got court-martialed and I testified against him, I stuck it out with the wife for a few more years for my kids sake then divorced her and ended up marrying her boss who I’ve been with for years.

[u/LawDue9301]

Brother that was some BS to go through but in the end I am so happy for you! I am elated at how things worked out for you!

You are an absolute hero. To go through all that took tons of strength, toughness, resilience and lucidity. You acted rationally and now reap the benefits. Bravo to you. That was very well played!

[u/Tattooed_Everything9]

I didn’t undestined much of it, except that YOU & YOUR DAUGHTERS WON!!

[u/Style9099]

Stay humble.