deployment

You Sacrifice Too

May 18, 2022May 16, 2022 LaVaughn Ricci 2 Comments deployment, empowerment, encouragement, military family, military kids, Military Life, military marriage, military spouse, personal growth, resilience

I remember the first time a kind woman came up to my husband in uniform and thanked him for his service and sacrifice, and then turned to thank me too. We were in our second year of marriage, and I hadn’t yet heard that from a stranger. I was caught off guard – – taken aback that someone would turn to recognize me, just a normal woman standing by her serviceman’s side. I felt very undeserving.

I wasn’t the one in uniform.

I wasn’t the one sacrificing.

I wasn’t the one serving.

Podcast

AWTR Show #898: Deployment Prep in 5 Steps

May 12, 2022 AWN Command Team 1 Comment advice, deployment, military spouse, Podcast

Deployment prep, is there such a thing? There are certainly things that you can do to be more prepared for your spouse to deploy and that is what Annie covers in this week’s MEM. Annie provides 5 steps to help you be better prepared. She also warns that things probably won’t go according to plan – so just expect that.

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Experience

How Do I Prepare You, My Child

May 11, 2022May 9, 2022 Annie Pearce 1 Comment caregivers, deployment, military kids, parenting

Your dad and I have been preparing for what we know is coming. But how do we explain it to you? And shame on us for not thinking we should.

How do we prepare you for the days, nights, weeks, and months that you will miss out on time with your dad? What words will soothe your worries? Will it help if I simply hold you a little closer?

Deployment Experience Military Life Relationships

3 Challenges of Reintegration (And 3 Possible Solutions)

April 14, 2022April 15, 2022 Amanda Krieger 1 Comment deployment, Military Life, military marriage, military spouse, reintegration

I’ve been writing about deployment and reintegration a lot. It’s my life right now, and it’s harder than I anticipated. I thought it would be magically easy, since my husband and I had some key conversations to prepare us for the changes that occurred for all of us while he was gone.

Deployment Expert Health & Fitness

Coping Through Deployment

March 26, 2022March 25, 2022 Ohana Homefront Foundation 1 Comment advice, deployment, encouragement, mental health

Sometimes life can be overwhelming. The constant demands of day to day living make it hard to catch our breath. Work, family, sports practices, being at home with small children, sick children and the list goes on and on. This can be especially exhausting when one partner is away training or deployed and “regular stuff” is left to be taken care of day in and day out. The days feel long and, at times, even like there is no end in sight.

Deployment Experience Military Life

7 Things That Changed In 7 Months

March 15, 2022March 9, 2022 Amanda Krieger 1 Comment deployment, Military Life, reintegration

When I wrote my previous post, my husband and I were preparing for homecoming and reintegration.

The homecoming day (that only changed a couple times) has come and gone. We’re now in the trenches of reintegration.

I say “trenches” not because it’s bad, but because there are highs and lows, including some I didn’t expect. (Silly me, thinking I could plan for everything.)

Deployment Experience

It’s the Not Knowing

March 8, 2022March 9, 2022 Annie Pearce 2 Comments deployment, Military Life, military spouse

Lists get made and memories are created. And time is counted down. But it’s the not knowing that’s an invisible guest in your house.

Tears are shed. Promises are made and dreams are discussed. But it’s the not knowing that takes a toll.

Bags get packed and goodbyes get said. And flights take off. But it’s the not knowing that messes with your head.

Not knowing if he’ll be safe. Not knowing the area he’ll be spending so much time in. Not knowing what’s going on because the news terrifies you.

Podcast

AWTR Show #879: Bridge in Babylon

February 28, 2022February 27, 2022 AWN Command Team 1 Comment deployment, Military Life, Podcast

The Army Chaplain life can often be imperfect, messy, and mainly spent outside your office. But there is no set method or place for healing. Owen Chandler wanted people to understand more about military life besides what gets shown on TV, so he wrote A Bridge in Babylon: Stories of a Military Chaplain in Iraq.

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Deployment Experience Military Life

7 Conversations to Help You Prepare For Reintegration

February 16, 2022December 2, 2022 Amanda Krieger 2 Comments deployment, military spouse, reintegration

A few weeks ago, my husband called to give me his anticipated homecoming date. I was ecstatic to hear that; while still a ways off. the date was earlier than I expected. Time to prepare for reintegration

I’m not letting myself write it down until he’s on the plane though… I’m too accustomed to plans changing.

Because…military life.