On a forum such as this one, you must really consider the source of the advice you receive.  Misinformation is commonly dealt out from guys that have failed miserably or just plain do not have the experience.  Travis seems to blame his plight on the young age of his wife for example.  There are others here who post daily that have made one quick trip to Russia (and failed) or even some that believe themselves to be experts without ever actually going to Russia at all.  Be careful who's advice you listen to.
KenC
(My qualifications: strong 4 year marriage to a woman 25 years my junior)

Red flags? I thought the term applied to things that needed to be puzzled out, signs that weren't quite clear...clues as it were. These were not red flags, how much clearer could it have been? What more did he need? He had every chance to bail and he chose not to. This wasn't normal behavior, even for the typical MOB desperado. While I regret his plight, it's difficult to have lots of sympathy for a guy who ignores a loaded gun openly pointed at his heart while helping to pull the trigger.

It's been suggested that other guys may meet women who will treat them this way and need to remember this experience?!? Do others really need to recall his experience to make the right decision if this happens to them? Does anyone here need this kind of "help"? Yikes!

At least he accepts he was an idiot but, based on what I've read thus far, I find it difficult to place much blame on her or to sauve his ego when he really ought to be slapped silly. What he did hurts all MOB guys, it makes them look like the losers most outsiders believe them to be. His story is yet another example of why the public's perception of MOB men has more than a ring of truth to it.

I take no pleasure in the demise of his marriage but I see nothing noble in his confessing to the world his amazing lack of self control. In fact, I see it as more faulty decision making on his part. And to stroke a grown man who should have known better (while shaking your heads over how bad she was)...well, it simply makes those who do it look like birds of his feather.

Travis, I mean you no harm and I hope you don't take too much offense but lets face it: You screwed the pooch big time. You acted the fool more than most and aren't even remotely entitled to the "men do strange things when in love" defense. The signs you ignored *easily* disqualifies you from receiving that kind of slack. Your story is a new high is MOB irrationality, besting even our lovable David SD's. (The fact you seem sane makes it all the more amazing.)

If there is anything to be learned from your experience, it's that *you* were responsible. Some might even say deserving. Seems to me you worked at earning it. This was not a scam on her part, just plain lunacy on your's. You married a woman after staggeringly obvious signs (not "red flags") that not only didn't she love you but was not a quality human being in the first place. Signs that have *no* valid reason for ignoring. To say you loved her all the while she was giving you these clear signs only makes you look more a fool.

It's not my intent to discourage any man from coming here and telling how he was tricked, scammed, or manipulated in some fashion but in this case I don't see that. Why anyone would fess up to this kinda stuff is, at least to me, mind boggling.

Doesn't anyone else see it this way? If it turns out I'm the only one, well, I won't be too surprised.

Lol, I hear ya about old Bill, they broke the mold when they made him. You know that feeling you get when you lean back in a chair and almost go over? That few seconds of imbalance? Me thinks he feels like that all the time. ;-)

Perhaps Travis overstated his point on age. However, I think it is a safe bet to say that there is more risk with younger women. Let me re-phrase that - it is my impression that such is the case.

There have been posts from FSU women in their late 30's who comment that the younger women are changing. They are not like what they were like when they were younger. There is a trend to be materialistic, the values the we associate these women with are not as intrenched in the younger women.

Is this true?  How would I know. Those who know are the ones over there living in and seeing it. Just because of few women tell us this is what they see ---- it is still only that --- a few women telling us such.  If there is a trend of such is it everywhere?  I sure would doubt it. But still it is all speculation.

I think that if he had stated that was his impression that one should have a bit more  caution when courting younger women versus sounding as though he was blaming things on the age issue feathers would not have been so easily ruffled. Just my perspective

The point I was tryin to make is no one should need to know your story to avoid what happened to you. And now that we hear know more details I feel it's even more true. People do some pretty strange sheet when they're in love but there has to be a limit. No matter what, a man needs to be true to himself first and you did not.

Fwiw, you made one of the all time classic MOB mistakes: The "Knight in Shining Armor", the "I'll save her", was the first thing you needed to lose. Take heart however, you're not the first (or last) man to tread that delusional path. Even your's truly suffered from it in the beginning, what seems now like a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I wised up quick on that issue however....

Still love her? Just wait a few months. Then you'll be even more angry at yourself for feeling that way. I'll give ya one thing, if it was me I wouldn't be brushing it off so easily. I only say that because my own past has been enough to prevent me from ever getting into your situation. In that respect, many of us simply have the jump on you. When you pay to learn, you learn.

Because we're dealing with another culture we don't know much about, and the numbers of willing women wanting to get out, it's easy to fool ourselves into believing, rationalizing, any fantasy we want to tell ourselves.  Even LP admits to having needed to "correct" himself.  Look inwards from now on, young man.