Military wives/girlfriends

So my lovely military wives and girlfriends...

So how do you guys do it? My ex, who was also my very first boyfriend and the first guy I ever had sex with, and someone I've been friends with for years, is back in town for two weeks before going to North Carolina for Combat Medic training (he's in the Navy). Anyways we've been hanging out since he's been back and we haven't really talked about it, but we've been going on dates, holding hands, kissing, etc. Hes told me he dates college girls in the cities he's in and always breaks it off with them (mutually) before leaving again. He's loved me the entire four years we've known each other, but my feelings hadn't been there and I rejected him a year and a half ago when he wanted to get back together, he started drinking and doing drugs and having lots of sex and stopped talking to me after I told him I just wanted to be friends, all his friends blamed me for his behavior and said he always drunk cries about me. And then he enlisted in the Navy  after three months of going crazy, and his friends believe I was a part of that decision. Anyways we haven't talked since then, until he came back to town a week ago and my feelings have come back and all. ANYWAYS, I don't know how to bring up to him that I want to get back together, because he told me about dating and breaking up with girls everywhere he's stationed, I don't know if he's just doing the same thing with me or not, and if he isn't and he wants to have something with me, how do you ladies handle the distance and constant being away from each other for months at a time? How often do you see each other? He wants to be stationed in the Middle East and wants to be in the thick of the action, which when he told me that made me sick to my stomach. How do you guys handle the constant fear and anxiety of that? I really don't want a Dear John situation either 😩😂