When I Met The Next Best Thing

After the events of September 11, 2001, my dad was recalled to the military to serve twelve months in Djibouti, Africa. Upon his return, he made the choice to return to the Army, and we were sent to Colorado. In the years that followed, my family was

To summarize (Kaplow, Layne, Saltztman, Cozza & Pynoos, 2013, p. 322-340) this article looks at how grief through exposure to loss due to combat fights, loss of fellow unit members, or the loss of a service member can affect a service member or military family during deployment and reintegration phases. The article goes on to discuss some of the stresses that can increase due to deployments such as martial conflicts, abuse or neglect, and mental health problems stemming from both spouses or children. More military children function equally as well as their civilian counterparts, except during times of deployment where they experience more emotional and behavioral problems. The article looks at three key areas Separation distress characterized as missing the deceased. Existential/Identity Distress finding meaning or fulfillment, or taking on roles left by the deceased. Circumstance-Related Distress characterized as emotional pain brought on by how the deceased passed. The article furthermore looks into how the age of the military children plays into their separation distress. Followed by their existential/identity Distress may be disrupted by new

I grew up and spent most of my life living up north in Waldorf, Maryland, as my mother and step father are employed by the U.S Military. They were stationed on Andrews Air Force Base for eight years, but in 2006 they were both moved to Robins Air Force Base, in Warner Robins, Georgia. During this time I moved to Atlanta to live with my dad for a year, before moving to Warner Robins to live with my mom again. Upon arriving in the small city of Warner Robins, I noticed a big difference in the population, social life, and education.

P., Larson, J. C., & Armstrong, L. M. (2017). Facilitating successful reintegration: Attending to the needs of military families. American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry, 87(2), 176-184. doi:10.1037/ort0000201

“The last American soldier left Vietnam during the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. For 2.4 million who served in Vietnam, there was no official homecoming. In June of 2005, Branson, Missouri held “Operation Welcome Home” for Vietnam Veterans. The parade and events were planned to provide the celebration and recognition they did not receive 30-plus years earlier.” (Vietnam: Homecoming) The veterans were able to see the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall and find the names of men they had known they had dies while serving. These veterans met with men they had formerly served with. Although this event was only a fraction of the welcome the soldiers truly deserved, many veterans were very appreciative of this. “Branson gave me

Families like mother and daughter, Jackie and Simone Ellis. Simone—who was diagnosed with aggressive fibromatosis—was 17 years old when she received an invitation from BASE

One thing that all military installations offer to families is a mock deployment line. A mock deployment line is a wonderful thing for a child to experience. During a mock deployment line, the child will go through all of the steps their parent does when preparing to deploy. It cannot be stressed enough to parents the importance of informing their children’s caregivers and teachers that a parent will be deploying. Doing so is a vital step in helping the child cope with the upcoming separation. The child’s teacher, once informed of an upcoming deployment will help the child cope by incorporating activities such as reading books where a family member is taking a long trip, or talking with all the children about how they feel and why they feel the way they do into their lesson plans. Parents need to make sure they do not put off telling children of the deployment, letting their children know about the deployment as soon as possible will provide them the opportunity to become involved in preparing for the separation. Children will want to have many conversations with their parents about the deployment; parents need to make sure that they keep the discussions honest, straightforward, and factual (Clash, 2008).

War has tremendous effects on the human mind and impacts all parties involved. Remnants of war can dramatically affect relationships with loved ones and create greater problems ranging from financial problems to psychological damage that has more profound effects on the family infrastructure and its operation. The notion of war produces pressures and strains on the family that is not experienced everyday in the routine family life. Family member who experience PTSD from their service in the military also places unforeseen weights and consequences for the family to carry. There are specific effects distinct to a parent, a spouse, and children when a loved one is serving their country. The relationships between a service men and these family members are transformed with the absence and their reintegration.

Both of my parents are in the military. I have experienced the moves every military

Sacrificing their lives serving the United States of America, military personnel at least deserve a worthy home. It is common for military families to move every few years and each time comes with a decision of living in a civilian home of their choice or an assigned family-sized home on the military base to which they are assigned. Both options have their pros and cons: for instance, their differences in privacy, cost effectiveness, and security are all major factors in which home location is the better option.

Deployment and integration are one the greatest challenges military families and children have to face on a daily basis. When a family member deploys or reintegrates within the entire family, it not only affects the service member but it affects the entire family. Deployment can often lead to families and children, experiencing a negative mental health outcomes and compromised wellbeing. Bello (2015) found that most families and children (80.5% required less than one month to adjust to the return of their deployed parent (Bello, 2015). Accordingly, the families and children are often quick to adjust to having their family member back in the home. Interestingly, discoveries are surprising in light of the fact that when contrasted to another family, the discoveries are definitely unique. Boberiene (2014) found that three out of every four families feel that reintegration after the first three months is the most stressful phase of a deployment (Boberiene, 2014). This is because the family experiences many emotions while the member is away.

Before FaceTime, before Skype, before most everyone had the ability to connect with each other at any instant across the globe, we were waiting for a phone call each night to know that we, as a whole family, made it another day. That is how my family’s journey together as a military family began. If I asked you to recall at this moment the outlines of your dearest family member’s faces, could you? I can, but only because I have had to do it so many times before. The last glimpse you get as, in my case, a father – but it could be a brother, sister, mother, friend, anyone – waves goodbye and steps onto a plane. The person that is supposed to protect you in your journey through life and be your own personal hero has gone above and beyond. They

In 2010, my family moved to Derby, Kansas, a quaint town outside of McConnell Air Force Base. My stepdad was transferred there, and with only a few years left until his enlistment was up, we started to think we were going to be in Derby forever. However, a year later, the United States Air Force had honorably discharged him, and with a job lined up in Roanoke, Virginia, we began making plans to move again. The start date for my stepdad’s new job was two days after my baby brother was born, so he left with the rest of my family joining him two months later. My stepdad leaving the military was an eye-opener for my family, but it brought us closer and forced us to work harder to continue life the way we knew it.

I have a story to share with you. Last Friday while I was out on the sales floor in my client's office in the middle of my audit, I was testing an associate on one of our applications. An older gentleman in his early 80s approached us for help. After assisting him he started to tell us his life story. He told us how he was in the military and he met the woman of his dreams at the Army base in Fort Benning in Georgia. I was quickly entranced by him and his story at that point. You see my dad was also in the army and stationed at Fort Benning Georgia as a drill sergeant. The base that he was stationed at was also the base that my dad were stationed way back. . The gentleman even knew the hospital where I was

One way to accomplish this is through answering research questions related to military family life, such as “How do multiple deployments, multiple moves and other military lifestyle factors affect the development of attachment in military children?” and “What is the long-term impact on military children who have experienced multiple deployments, relocations and other life-disrupting events associated with military life?” As America continues to send service members to the Middle East in the midst of the longest military conflict in its history, gaining an understanding of the long-term impact on this generation of military children is crucial to aid in the development of programs and resources with the hope of ameliorating the challenges they have encountered. Additionally, the answers to these research questions may assist in identifying protective and risk factors and increase positive outcomes for these children as they grow into