Deployment resources

With deployment fast approaching, I’ve been trying to gather resources to prepare myself for this big change. Though I’m definitely going to miss my wife, I’m more concerned with our 3 year old daughter adapting. This is the first time she will have to be away from her mother for an extended period of time. We weren’t really sure how to explain to her what was going on. Stumbling through the Military OneSource website, I found a DVD called “Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes”. I was able to order a copy for free and it arrived in less than a week. It is geared towards military families and their kids between the ages of 2 and 5. Our daughter’s eyes were glued to the television as she listened to the story of Elmo and his father, as they prepared for him to leave and “go help some people”. Throughout the DVD there are clips of military families discussing, with their children, how they dealt with deployment. The thing I was most pleased with was that there were male and female soldiers shown, so it was relevant to our family. Our daughter fully understood what was going on and this allowed us to easily explain that her mommy had to “go help some people” like Elmo’s dad. She even asked to watch it again when we finished!

For me, the best things I have stumbled upon for myself are avenues of support for male spouses. On Facebook, there is a group called MANing the Homefront- Military Style. Through this group, I was able to meet another male spouse (or MANspouse as they refer to them). He turned out to be a pretty cool guy and a great barber, so you could say I killed two birds with one stone by joining this group! They are also starting chapters at various installations, so we look forward to adding other guys to our local chapter. In the week I have been a part of this group, I have seen men turning to each other for advice, sharing their experiences, and enjoying socializing with others that they can relate to.

I also found an organization called Macho Spouse that has a Facebook page and website. They provide educational videos and links to other resources. The video series on communication is great and is geared towards the male spouse, unlike most other videos I’ve seen.  I also enjoyed the interviews with other male spouses, as they discussed their experiences with deployments, understanding your importance in your spouse’s career, and meeting other spouses.

One of the goals that many families have during the deployment is to save money or pay off bills. I found out that the majority of creditors will reduce the interest rate, on accounts in which the Soldier is the primary, for the duration of the deployment. Most will reduce it to around 6%, but some drop it even lower. It can be quite time consuming getting in touch with the correct department, gathering the required documentation, and sending it off, but it will be well worth it in the long run. This saving spree even prompted me to call my cable and internet companies. While they don’t offer anything special for deployments, they were very helpful with offering me promotions that saved me additional money.

I’ve had a very productive week and though I’m saddened by the fact that my wife’s deployment date was moved up, I am feeling more prepared. And it is easier for a prepared spouse to be a supportive spouse.

What tips do you have for a spouse dealing with deployment?