I can remember my 5th grade teacher telling my class that time flies by no matter what. I didn't believe her. How could time go by so fast when I'm in school? There were days when i would deeply miss my summer fun whilst sitting in school, but now I look back at my teacher's words as a High School grad and a current college student. She was right. That was more than 8 years ago.
Basically what I'm getting at is, some days you may miss your family soo much that you just want to leave ( analogy to summer) and go back to them, but time does fly. Granted that grade school and the military are nearly incomparable, but over 8 years of schooling went by in a flash for me.
Good luck man! Nursing is a excellent career. You should be able to live where ever you want when you get done.
I feel for you leaving your family. That will be tough. But at least your being proactive. Moving forward for their sake as much if not more than yours. It is tough being the daddy. Sometimes doing for them means sacrificing time with them. I believe in quality time first and quanity time if you can. Make the most of the little time before you go.