It is a scary time in someone’s life when a friend or someone you love is in the military and is deployed or about to deploy. As a former soldier I know what you or your fiend is going through. Over 1.7 million military personnel have deployed since the Iraq and Afghanistan war in 2001. Each of those 1.7 million have family and friends that have to support them thousands of miles away. Many Americans do not know how to support them in their efforts.
There are many way in which you can prepare for a loved one to deploy months before they get on the plane. One way to prepare is to connect spiritually. This kind of connection is vital to a service man or woman because they feel that they are fighting for a cause and the have something great to come back home to. Most wars are won by psychological warfare. Maintaining the morale of a soldier is as important as feeding him or her. Setting your friend or loved one's mind and heart at ease will help him or her to stay focused and ready.
Financial support is a big problem for many families. It can break a relationship and keep the soldiers focus away from the fight. Make sure you sit down together to look over your budget carefully to ensure you will not overdraft or be in debt. A great tool to use is automatic payments and allotments. This is when bills and other payments go from your bank account to someone else without having to write a check. It is fast, easy and most banks do it. The use of automatic payments and allotments will keep your friend or loved one from worrying about bill and focus on the mission at hand. Speak to your financial adviser first and visit military My pay for more information.
Keeping yourself busy through a deployment is hard to do for most people. Many deployed soldiers have a spouse and children waiting back at home. One way to keep yourself busy is to do activities that involve just yourself. By doing this you can focus on your own self-improvement. Starting a workout routine or getting involved in sports will past the time and make you healthier as well. Another way to past the time is to join in any community activities. Getting to know other people will help you meet other families and friends that are going through the same thing as you. If so, share your experience with them and learn how they are getting through a deployment. The last way is to write letters to him or her. It kept me up-to-date with what is going on in my community and family. A single supportive letter can boost the morale of the soldier and your morale as well. Keeping yourself busy is one of the best ways to get through a deployment and to make the time go by faster.
Seeking help from outside sources is important as well. There are many organizations that help family members and friends. Some of these organizations are the military Morale Welfare and Recreation, USO, and the Family Readiness Group. The Morale Welfare and Recreation is an organization that help families and soldiers with child care, youth programs, libraries, sports, financial counseling, spouse employment programs, in-theater support to deployed Soldiers. The USO is a Non-Profit organization that sends books, letters, boxes for goods, and other care packages to troops overseas. They also have free centers that you can go to to use the computer, eat lunch, play games and watch shows.The Family Readiness Group is a group of military spouses that hold meeting and get together to support each other. They host weekly meeting to get to know the family members of the troops. The soldier relies on the family to hold things down back at home as they fight overseas. The families are the hero's in the shadows. We own the families just as much as we do the soldiers. There are many different ways to get support with military and non military organizations. Talking to your friends, family, or members of the community can help you get in touch with these. For more information go to ArmyMWR.com or USO.org.
It's not easy having a friend or loved one that is deployed overseas. There are many ways to get through a deployment. One way to prepare is to connect spiritually. This kind of connection is vital to a service man or woman because they feel that they are fighting for a cause and the have something great to come back home to. Financial support can help you and your soldier focus on the mission at hand and relieve some of the stress of a deployment. Keeping yourself busy is one of the best ways to get through a deployment and to make the time go by faster. You can do this by starting a workout or getting involved in community activities. Seeking help from outside sources is important. There are many organizations that help family members and friends. Talk to your friends, family and community to find these organizations that are here to serve you. The more we connect and work together to support the troops overseas the easier they can focus on their mission and come home safe.