After retiring from the U.S. military, two ex-combat personnel who met in Iraq swapped army duties for a life on the open road, converting a 200-square-foot school bus into a home on wheels for themselves and their seven children. Together, they have been exploring the United States since 2018, “roadschooling” as they go.
Texas natives JD, 37, and Britney Lott, 34, met on deployment in Iraq in 2008.
JD was on his second deployment to Forward Operating Base Warrior for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Britney was reassigned from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and was underprepared.
Britney’s chief lent her his XXL uniform, four sizes too big. She was also missing sunglasses and had to be led around for three days after suffering sun blindness in Qatar, but she still made a moving first impression on her future husband. JD remembers turning a corner after landing his C-130 to see “this beautiful girl sitting on top of some pallets full of gear.”…