Tag Archives: deployed

How to help your solider reintergrate

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This weekend I will be speaking Army Reserves families who’s loved one will be returning from their deployment in 30 days. This is a very exciting time for the solider returning and their families. I remember when my daughter returned from her deployment. Thinking about us all being together again seemed like a dream. But it was real.

I am excited for those families, but I know they will have a job ahead of them. They will have to adjust to their loved being a changed person, and realize they have changed also. They will have to be patient and allow their loved one time time to adjust to living state side. They will have to flexible at including their loved back into their daily routine.

Deployment not only changes the solider, it changes everyone -Spouses Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and family friends. It takes time adjusting back, but it does feel good be together again.

Our family gained a better understanding of our daughter’s deployment and the steps you have to take, when she had to re-intergrate.

In my speech I plan to share tips with the families in hopes of making their integration a smooth one.

How Military Children’s Charity (MCC) organization is supporting deployed children

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This nonprofit organization www.militraychildrenscharity.org is founded by a young teenager, Isaiah  Navarro seeing the need to help deployed military children. He felt  deployed children have special needs when a parents is deployed. Being a military child himself, he said he know the challenges and feelings of isolation,abandoned  and having a parent  absent of all your school activates when his father deploys. Concentrating in school is difficult for deployed children because they are concerned of their parent’s safety.

Isaiah began by collecting funds to purchase gifts for the deployed children. MCC first started by distributing Christmas gifts in Southern California with assistance by the Family Readiness Officers of the Marines.  MCC is planning on expanding into a  National presence with all military branches providing gifts all year round for deployed children.

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My granddaughters were visiting during Spring break a few weeks ago and had an opportunity to meet Isaiah and his mother Cherie. Isaiah and his mother presented my granddaughters  gifts and thanked them for all so serving our Country, knowing what they sacrificed during their mother’s deployment. My granddaughters were so excited to accept their gifts. They were giggling and laughing. What a wonderful experience for military children.

Isaiah’s mother Cherie ,has provided Isaiah great support and have helped build Isaiah a strong self esteem.   I am proud to know such a fine young man and a wonderful organization. I look forward  in the future to helping him support his dream. You can too at: www.militarychildrenscharity.org

How to cope during the holiday when a loved one is away.

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Holidays are the most difficult time to have a loved one away from home.  Family  Traditions are built over the years, and is  what we have created  making our holidays special in our hearts. We have built in  holiday habits and they are  sometimes hard to change. Specially  when you are not the one wanting to change them. I learned during deployments And if you try to continue trying to keep your holiday the same as the past  you will be very disappointed. I found you will experience feelings of loss and sadness comparing what it was like in the past.

To make this time special for you and  everyone around you, I suggest you  first start with a mind change.  Be willing to change your traditional habits this holiday and create some new ones. This will be fun creating something new.

My grandchildren were use to celebrating their holiday with their mother and father. During deployment they were unable to see their parents. I knew this was hard for my granddaughters and my daughter deployed. So I thought lets make this a different time for all. I asked my granddaughters, “ How did they want to celebrate?”. They shared what they missed , but what they wanted to have. This helped them express their feelings and my feelings too!

It was fun making up new family traditions during deployment. The children got excited creating something new.

So be a kid again, explore  fun ways to celebrate. They will remember these times and it will be a new tradition for them.