I think I can help out with this one!
Before my BF goes out on patrol I usually make him a CD with his favorite songs or songs that are very special to us. In addition to that I make cute (but not TOO cute...after all, they are military!) calendar with special events...birthdays, anniversaries, first day of school, etc. In the last month of that calendar I also add a "countdown" of how many days are left until he comes home and he usually crosses the days off as they go bye. It's better to include the days that are left on the last leg of the deployment because if you start at the beginning it gets kinda depressing.
Do you know any of the wives and girlfriends of the men on board? Your post said that he's stationed somewhere far from your home, but try and get in touch with the ombudsman (usually a wife) because she'll know exact dates of their ports of call so you can know when to expect a phone call.
When Brady and I first started dating we kept journals. Usually they had a mail drop twice during their patrol (it's only for two months) so he'd send it then. I usually had a clue on when they'd be in port somewhere so I'd send mine maybe a week and a half before they got there so he'd get it in time. Those journals are great because you can't really get those mushy gushy feelings out on their email since they're read by the TCs.
Email was and is still my best friend, and I'm hoping that the email on his ship is better than the ones in the Coast Guard! I tried to send him at least one email a day or two or three on a very good day. The guys love it when they get something from home!
Of the year and a half that Brady and I have been together, he's probably been gone 6-7 months of that time. It's very hard, and I don't know how anyone can get "used to it". Oftentimes it gets scary because you worry about your BF getting drunk in some weird bar in a foreign country. He's missed out on so many semi-formals and formals, but this is the life and career that he's chosen for now (he'll decide to get out or re-enlist in 2003) and so I reluctantly choose to take a back seat to the military.
While he's gone I drown myself in school, work, and the sorority. Once a week I go to Pearl Harbor with some of my sisters and we take kickboxing classes there. It's so great to have an instructor who's so into your face about letting it all out. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my sorority sisters. It helps that one of them is married to someone on Brady's boat!
I don't know how it's like to have him gone for 6 months, and I have to say that I admire you and the thousands of military wives and girlfriends that go through this all the time. I hope that this post has helped you somewhat...but if you ever need to vent or chat feel free to email me!
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We have kept in touch at least once a week through the entire time he has been enlisted, so we are still very close to each other. Here's the deal...we aren't officially back together, mostly b/c he still has 9 more months left 
He leaves soon for a 6 month deployment...any advice/ideas of special/creative things to send, etc. to let him know that I'm still here for him. I've seen on some posts that OhTeenieWahine has a bf that's gone a lot (any advice ? 
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