Yes, it is cheating. Emotional cheating is just as damaging as physical cheating, actually, and with skype you can talk via web-cam if you have one. So there is that whole thing, too.... It is understandable that you went to stay with your family while he's deployed, that doesn't mean you left him. Being deployed is hard on everyone. Surely you could still go to where he is during his leave.

I feel similarly to you. My husband isn't deployed but he spends all day on skype with his friends. Even when I'm in the room talking to him he has his headphones on. Some of his friends are college age girls.... he doesn't seem to talk to them much from what I can tell but there is one girl in particular I wish would just disappear from his life. He had a picture of her in her underware that was supposedly photoshopped to be funny, which he only told me about after it was deleted. I just struggle getting past that. And I know he was talking to her on his birthday.....

Anyway, I hate skype and I really feel for you. I'm so sorry this is happening. It isn't your fault!