About Homeward Deployed
Often, the first casualty of war is a soldier’s family. According to military statistics
- 30% of active duty soldiers deployed in Iraq question whether their marriages will survive
- at least 25,000 military marriages will end in divorce this year alone
…leaving thousands of children to grow up without the benefit of a strong, resilient family.
- 30% of soldiers develop serious mental health problems within four months of returning home…fewer than half receive treatment
…destabilizing families through substance abuse, domestic violence, unemployment, and even suicide.
It doesn’t have to be this way. There are solutions…
Homeward Deployed is a nonprofit that provides free family coaching and support services to military families before, during, and after a parent’s deployment. We understand that service in today’s military is a family affair. Military spouses are often juggling solo-parenthood and jobs while often stepping into voluntary leadership during deployment….and the fear over a spouses safety is never out of mind. Kids, who can be a handful under the best of circumstances, start acting out on their stress, adding to ours.
Return from deployment, or what we call Homeward Deployment, is a joyful event that is anticipated from the day a soldier deploys….until the reality sinks in. Even if your spouse returns uninjured, PTSD affects many returning soldiers. And, even without PTSD, everything has changed during deployment. No on is the same, routines are different, no one feels quite at ease, but no one wants to talk about it.
If any of this feels familiar, please feel free to contact us at info@HomewardDeployed.org. You can also visit our website to learn more about our services (www.HomewardDeployed.org). Our services are 100% free to active duty, Guard, and Reserve families as well as veterans, whether you returned yesterday or years ago. And, they are always completely confidential.
Gretchen Martens, Founder and CEO
Homeward Deployed….where miltary families ARE mission critical
Hey, I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog!…..I”ll be checking in on a regularly now….Keep up the good work!
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Shawanna,
Thanks for the feedback! My friends know me to be a prolific writer but I was a bit nervous about the blog. I wanted to make it real and valuable, but not make it sound like a “oh, my poor sad life” saga. The “story” part is coming to an end, to be followed by “lessons learned,” which I hope will be even more valuable for people in my situation. Hope you have a great week.
warmly, gretchen
Many thanks for the well-thought report. My wife’s calling me for dinner So I have to go off without reading all I’d like. However, I put your blog on my RSS feed so that I can examine far more.
Thanks for the feedback. We really work to be clear and relevant. I hope you keep reading. We appreciate any comments you have. warmly, gretchen
Uh once a cheater, always a cheater. Let her have him…it is just a matter of time before he cheats on her too. I believe they call that karma.
I do agree with you to a point. There are “serial cheaters” who just can’t stop themselves; they are averse to monogamy and fidelity. I also think that there are times when people in marriages cheat, both men and women, where the marriage or relationship can be salvaged. It’s a very personal journey and I never like to pigeon-hole people. Don’t get me wrong, I DO NOT condone infidelity. For example, look at the stresses our military families face….long repeated deployments, loneliness, isolation, caregiver stress….your spouse comes home wounded and you are overwhelmed, scared, highly stressed, looking for escape from the darkness of your new daily life….you may do things that you otherwise would not do. Again, I don’t condone infidelity. I am just saying that human beings are vulnerable, nuanced beings and sometimes our lesser selves get the better of us. Sometimes, a truly bad decision can be overcome and trust rebuilt. It depends on the individuals and their commitment to their family. warmly, gretchen
What is the best way to recover from Substance Abuse ?~-.
Wow! That’s a big question, and an important one. First, it depends on the kind of substance….alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription pain killers, etc. If a person is still addicted, they need help from a medical professional; a good first step would be a primary care doctor. Depending on the nature of the addiction, inpatient or outpatient treatment would be in order. Certainly, some sort of counseling is important. From there, finding a good support system to help stay clean/sober is a really good idea. Organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous (www.aa.org) and Narcotics Anonymous (www.na.org) can be good sources of information, too; they both have excellent resources for substance abusers and their caregiver networks. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (www.samhsa.gov) is another good resource. I hope that helps. warmly, gretchen
Merely want to say your article is brilliant. The clearness in your post is simply spectacular and i can take for granted you are an expert on this field. Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the sound work.
Well, you just made a roller coaster week a whole lot better! I really appreciate the feedback and I am honored you will follow us. Please let me know if there are topics you would like to see addressed. Happy Memorial Day! warmly, gretchen