Updated timeline of Henry and Elizabeth McCord’s relationship-2nd edition
There are definite inconsistencies with this timeline, starting with how long they’ve been married, what division of the Marines Henry was with, and how long Elizabeth worked at the CIA. I’m sure there are others, but we tried to make as many of the statements from the show work as possible. There is a link at the end of this that will take you to the full timeline, complete with our rationale for why we placed events in the order we did. This was researched by @laineyvb131 and I, with strategic assistance by @fsulinz, who would wake up in the morning to find her Messenger chat had 800 new messages. She dutifully read through all of our craziness and either agreed or pointed out our flaws (and always gave us accurate episode information so we could find what we were looking for). This is definitely a labor of love.
Late fall 1964: Henry is born
Spring 1968: Elizabeth is born
1983: Elizabeth’s parents killed in a car accident when she was 15
Fall 1982: Henry enters UVA on ROTC scholarship
May 1986: Henry graduates UVA with his bachelor’s degree
Summer 1986: Henry completes basic training through ROTC
Fall 1986: Elizabeth enters UVA
Fall 1986: Henry starts masters degree at UVA
November 1986: Henry and Elizabeth start dating
December 1988: Henry completes master’s program through UVA
A date in December 1988: Henry and Elizabeth realize at 8:22 that they are meant to be together
January 1989-June 1989: Henry goes to SOI (School of Infantry) and preliminary flight training in Quantico
July 1989-September 1989: Henry is stationed at US Naval Flight Training Center in Pensacola, FL; Henry drives an unknown number of times to Danville to see Elizabeth
May 1989-August 1989: Elizabeth lives at home in Danville, VA the summer before her senior year
September 1989: Henry’s flight training ends and he is stationed in Miramar, CA with the 3rd MAW
May 1990: Elizabeth graduates UVA and moves to Miramar to be with Henry before she starts grad school
Summer 1990: (sometime while they’re living together)-Henry has freak out over their relationship, breaks up with Elizabeth and disappears for 3 days before returning, pledging his love, and asking her to marry him
August 1990: Elizabeth returns to UVA for grad school
December 1990: Henry receives orders for deployment and goes to Great Lakes in Chicago for training.
December 1990: Elizabeth goes to Chicago for winter break. They marry on the courthouse steps
December 1990- January 1991: Henry and Elizabeth live as newlyweds in Great Lakes; Elizabeth returns to school at the end of her winter break which coincides with Henry’s deployment.
January 1991-January 1992: Henry deployed for Desert Storm in official “war” capacity; made 1st Lieutenant during this time.
January 1991-May 1992: Elizabeth completes her master’s program, earning an MA in Foreign Affairs from Woodrow Wilson School of Politics at UVA
May 1992: Elizabeth begins employment with CIA at Langley
February 1992-November 1992: Henry is still in the military on shore duty (unsure where, but not near Elizabeth)
December 1992: Henry finds out he’s deploying again
Late January 1993-January 1994: Henry does his second tour-theoretically in Iraq if he is still in the 3rd MAW; makes rank of Captain
January 1994-Summer 1995: Henry is on inactive duty to complete his ROTC scholarship requirements, works for NSA
January 1994: Elizabeth becomes pregnant with Stevie
Late October 1994: Stevie is born
October-December 1995: Elizabeth on maternity leave
January 1995: Henry quits NSA and starts his doctorate while remaining on inactive reserve. Henry stays at home when he can and Miss Janie nannies for them when Henry has to be at school.
June 1995: Henry retires from military.
April 1998-Elizabeth pregnant with Allison.
January 1999: Allison born, followed by maternity leave
May 2000: Henry finishes his doctorate, gets tenure track position at UVA.
September 2000: Elizabeth pregnant with Jason
May 2001: Jason is born, Elizabeth on maternity leave until August 2001
September 12, 2001: Elizabeth is present when Conrad makes his speech to the CIA in the aftermath of 9/11
Fall 2003: Elizabeth is sent to Iraq to interrogate members of Al-Qaeda that she has been gathering intelligence on. We don’t know how long she was stationed there, but the guess is 3-6 months.
March 2004: Elizabeth returns and writes report on the ineffectiveness of using torture, and coaches Stevie’s soccer team.
March 2005: Dalton offers Elizabeth Station Chief job in Baghdad. Henry throws ultimatum and Elizabeth quits.
Late Summer 2005: Elizabeth and Henry buy a horse farm and move out of DC area, closer to Charlottesville.
Fall 2005: Henry and Elizabeth are both at UVA; he is teaching and she has started her doctorate.
Spring 2006: Elizabeth starts teaching classes at either a local community college or UVA (probably as an adjunct or assistant professor since she doesn’t have her doctorate yet)
Fall 2008: Elizabeth finishes her doctorate and becomes full professor at UVA
Spring 2014: Vincent Marsh’s plane crashes and Conrad shows up at the horse farm to offer Elizabeth SOS position.
Full timeline with rationale as to why we made the decisions we did.
H/E Timeline with Rationale
