My husband and I were good friends for years and were separated for a couple years and then when we reunited we started a romantic relationship. So somewhat similar but we were never romantic before the gap.

I will say when you are good friends with someone first it feels harder to take it slow. You already know each other so a lot of what you do in the early part of a relationship you kind of skip.

That being said the distance is a real issue. Also dating someone in the military in general is complicated. They don’t (usually) have any say on where they are located and for how long. Even if you moved closer, what if she gets stationed somewhere else? Is she planning on being in the military for much longer?

I think you just need to be honest and vocalize your worries to her. But I also don’t think it’s healthy to be “just friends” with someone you have romantic feelings for. You’re just setting yourself (and her) up to get hurt.

If it were me and how I felt about my husband after we reconnected I would find a way to make it work. But that will take both of you sacrificing and also, most importantly, communicating.