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Returning from deployment: Military members, families cope with difficulties

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Regina Campbell
  • Airman and Family Readiness NCO
A section of the Airman and Family Readiness Center is the wing's focal point for assistance to military members and families during separations and deployments.

The Personal and Family Readiness Planning and Support staff believe proactive programming generates many services and activities to support and expand resiliency in families during extended separations.

The A&FRC encourages families to attend the pre-deployment briefing held the first and third Monday of every month. The families are enrolled in numerous family-readiness programs.

Hearts Apart Morale Calls allow immediate family members in the local area free phone calls, through the base operator, from home to the military spouse's location.

Hearts Apart Social Groups sponsor events for spouses of members who are on a temporary duty assignment, deployed or serving an unaccompanied overseas tour.
In December 2007, the 90th Space Wing sponsored a spaghetti dinner and holiday hayride for Warren's deployed families.

Give Parents a Break is a respite program that offers four free hours of day care each month. This assists families during separation, families of children with special needs, emergency situations or families who are experiencing stress due to recent permanent change of station or other circumstances.

Car Care Because We Care provides a free oil change and preventative maintenance check to ensure the family's primary vehicle is in good working order while the military member is away.

Families are regularly contacted by phone calls, mail and quarterly newsletters.
Daily e-mails are sent to the families containing base-wide events and articles to help sustain and cope with the ups-and-downs of personal and family life during deployment.
A newly developed offering, Operation Warren Cares, is sponsored by the Company Grade Officer Council and has more than 170 volunteers available to help with home repair, yard work, snow removal and other things.

A key spouse is attached to each squadron at Warren, and provides a tremendous connection between military spouses and the squadron's first sergeant and commander. As the squadron spouse liaison, the key spouse provides both direct assistance and referral to on- and off-base resources for help.

In addition to family readiness and deployment support, military members and families can come to the center for relocation, information and referral assistance; employment assistance training; transition assistance; personal financial management skills development and other things.

For more information call Master Sgt. Regina Campbell, 90th Force Support Squadron, at 773-5899.

(Editor's note: This is part three of a three part series on coping with deployments.)