I try not to post twice in 1 day, but I had something on my mind. (And since both posts are uncharacteristically brief, I hope you won’t roll your eyes and move along to the next blog in your reader!)
I know a lot of my readers are military spouses, and I was wondering….
How many of you are currently enduring a deployment?
How many of you are gearing up for a deployment?
How many of you know where to go for help?
How many of you are finishing up a deployment and wish you had known where to go for help?
Gearing up for a deployment and I know where to get help. I was also a school counselor so I know resources for kids too!
We just finished our second deployment and we are almost certain of another one in the next year or so.
I know of several sources for help but I haven't really ever needed any of it.
I am nearly four months in to our first deployment and although I have moved away I feel like I knew where to go for help if I had stayed BUT I feel like the FRG for my husbands unit in particular wasn't going to be the best support throughout the year
We are 2 months into our second deployment. I do know where to get help. Even though we live off base I try to go to as many family base functions as possible. They also have a deployed spouses newsletter that is sent out once a month with lots of information.
We did our first deployment last year.
For help..not sure. Would it be Airmen and Family Resource center? They emailed me the "hearts apart" newsletter when dh was gone, but I found it didn't help.
It was ALL geared towards those with children, which was annoying to me.
I am currently handling a deployment, the first for me, the 2nd for him. I do know where to get help, but I haven't really needed much. My husband joined his unit late, so I didn't get the normal low-down on deployment stuff. I was pretty much aware of the situation we were getting into, I was decently educated of what he went through during his first one (I met him RIGHT after his 1st one). I always find fellow spouses being the best inspiration and help for myself. That's one reason I got into this blogging world, and I'm involved with the FRG as much as I can be.
We finished our first deployment last year & are gearing up for our second. I know where to find resources but like Jen, I've been getting stuff from our FRG that is geared toward those that have children which I find annoying as well. I find support and resources through PWOC, our FRG (when they actually send some out), and ACS.
Gearing up for our 3rd deployment very soon…
As far as where to go for help…yea…sorta…we are Reserves so I do not get the benefits of living near a base. I do find a lot of answers on line for questions pertaining to deployment stuff. For support I have one friend near by who is also mil wife so she understands this side of life.
We don't have any more deployments. Hubby changed MOS to recruiting to stay home since Colby's stroke. The only reason I know who to talk to for help is because she helped us when Colby was in the hospital for three months.
I am an Army Wife and my hus is currently deployed. He just left about two weeks ago. I know that the Army has some sort of family support programs but I haven't really looked into them yet…
None of those apply for me really. We have no idea what's happening after the end of June. But when we did go through our 12 month Iraq tour (actually 14 months altogether) I tried to get help. Our FRG was absolute garbage. It was hell. I was 19-20 years old, a newlywed and had no military knowledge whatsoever.
I can't wait to be an FRG leader one day. All wives should know where to get help and no one should be intentionally left out of support meetings.
Enduring a deployment and am currently a mentor in a program that teaches spouses all about our branch of service, plus a volunteer for the family readiness program. 🙂
Now for my plug…. militaryonesource.com is flipping awesome! They can point you in the right direction no matter what military situation (or any other situation)you are facing and no matter what your branch of service is. 🙂
I'm not a spouse, so I don't know if I count or not. I'm currently a few months into my boyfriend's first deployment, and thankfully his is ending in the near future.
Definitely wish I could have had access to some of the resources. I had the FRG and signed up for the FRG website but I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten any truly valuable information from either of them. Most of the information that I got, I got directly from P or from his former roommate who works in the same BN.
I know most information is geared toward spouses/families, but it would be nice to have a resource or some source of information for unmarried significant others. Obviously I can't take advantage of the spouse benefits, but it'd help (especially on future deployments) to know I have a place to go for assistance.
I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to comment today. Whether you're currently dealing with a deployment, you're getting ready for one, or you don't have to worry about one, I hope all of you know what a wonderful mil spouse or mil-significant other blogging community we have. Let's use each other, lean on each other, and offer support. We are a unique group of women, and we gotta stick together!
I think it's awesome that you're doing this. We had our first deployment last year & I had no clue. Zero. And of course – when it rains, it pours. One month into his deployment was when my son was given his comorbid diagnosis (his autism in addition to Down Syndrome). Hubby's shop could've given a crap about helping me. The short version is that it was a very long road going from new behavior to new diagnosis to having to move houses with zero help from his shirt – the medical commander & I got to know each other well. If it weren't for my neighbors I don't think I would've survived the deployment with my sanity intact.
Thank you everyone for your comments! Whether you're knee-deep in a deployment, just starting or just finished a deployment, or deployments have passed you by, I hope you all know what a wonderful mil spouse/ mil-significant other blogging community we have going. Let's continue to lean on each other and offer support that we may not be getting elsewhere. We are a unique group of women and we gotta stick together!
I don't have anyone in the military but I do pray for those who are in it. Bless you!