How Parents of Warriors Can Support Reintegration
It’s exciting to have a warrior in your family. Your son or daughter is important to our country and you should be proud of them. However, you may have mixed feelings and emotions about a son or daughter’s deployment to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere around the globe. But as the parent of a warrior, you are not alone — there are many resources to help you support your service member as he or she reintegrates after a deployment.
When Our Children Deploy
A military mom shares tips for parents of deployed service members.
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Military - Basics of the United States Military
About.com
U.S. Military 101 presented by About.com.
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A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military:
A comprehensive reference to the customs, language and structureof the Armed ForcesAuthors: Barbara Schading, Richard Schading, Copyright @ 2007
A basic primer on military life, this authoritative book fills a long-lasting absence of accessible and affordable military references for civilians. Not only does it provide explanations of military language and protocol, it also breaks down information by branch and includes military slang. Ideal for anyone looking to learn more about the branches, as well as history buffs and military enthusiasts, this is the ultimate all-in-one guide to the armed services.
A Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members:
Before, during and after deploymentDefense Centers of Excellence For Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury
In collaberation with the television series: This Emotional Life (PBS)
Copyright @ 2010
The Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members Before, During and After Deployment is designed to help family and friends of service members manage the stresses of deployment and build resilience in ways that are valuable to themselves and their warriors long after the deployment experience is completed.
A Prayer Journey Through Deployment
Donna Mull, Copyright @ 2010
When a soldier serves, so does the family. Donna Mull saw that statement on the shirts some military wives were wearing at a Fourth of July parade as they marched with their husbands. Suddenly, that statement had become personal. She had heard stories about mothers whose faithful prayers had changed lives. When her son received his orders for deployment to Iraq, she wanted to be one of those mothers. Equally motivated by love and pain, Ms. Mull embarked on a year-long journey of prayer, writing weekly devotionals that focused on the specific needs of soldiers and their families. She then forwarded them to friends and family, who used them as springboards for their own prayer times. If you have a loved one in the military, chances are you are engaged in a battle of your own. Will your loved one survive? Will you? How will you cope while your soldier is away? When your soldier returns, will he or she be changed?
Deployed Grandparents Being Parents
Author: Debbie Nichols, Copyright @ 2010
Deployed Grandparents Being Parents is a true story of a working empty nester grandmother raising her granddaughters during her US Air Force daughter deployment to Afghanistan. Debbie and her husband moved the children to their home in California. Enrolled the children in school, changed their empty nester lifestyle, changed roles from grandmother to mother, dealt with the fear of her daughter in harm's way, learned what it meant to have a family member deployed. Dealt with her mixed emotions of being in this situation. She learned how to keep communications going between her daughter and granddaughters, dealt with raising kids today vs. 30 years ago, tried to make her granddaughters stay a positive experience. Debbie learned how to change back to her original role of a grandmother. And faced the biggest challenge of all reuniting the family back to their original roles prior to deployment, and having a empty nest again. Debbie looked for information on guardians caring for military deployed children and there was none. Not having a military base close by and no support of what to do during deployment. Debbie granddaughter's had a positive experience living with her and her husband. And in her book provides helpful hints for those guardians caring for children.
Everything About ME (Military Personnel and Families Edition):
A Guide for My Future Caregivers Author: Dee Marrella, Copyright @ 2011With the huge numbers of American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with injuries requiring long-term care -- possibly life-long care, this book (print and electronic versions) provides individuals and their families with a way to create a true tool that can be used by any caregiver who ever works with this person. Since family members might not always be available to be the caregiver in a veterans life, this guide will provide even a total caring stranger with a lifetime of knowledge, information and guidance on what the individual desires in the way of caregiving. This book, when completed, will tell all who use it every important fact about them: how "I" feel about life support, my favorite foods, the TV programs I dislike, how I'd like to have my obituary read, and my funeral conducted. When the time comes that a once vibrant individual required round-the-clock caregiving, and may not have a "voice" left o speak with -- this book can be that "voice" tell all who use it everything you want known.
I Want You to Know Me:
Love, your American heroAuthor: Vickie L. Mullins, Copyright @ 2007
Are you messy or neat? Are you a deep sleeper or a light sleeper? Can you roll your Rs? Do you ask for directions?
While our country’s sons and daughters are away, they desperately need to know they are still connected back home. Through this book, I Want You to Know Me … Love, Your American Hero, every day mom and dad can see their hero’s hand-written words describing how he thinks, feels and looks. Yes, he has a cleft in his chin; it’s just like his grandfather’s. Mom and dad can touch their hero’s heart from a distance.
The American hero’s husband or wife can hold the dog-eared copy of their spouse’s book and picture the answers without opening the cover. Yes, he did a flip off the diving board, and we spent the night in the hospital repairing the damage. Their relationship grows stronger.
We feel I Want You to Know Me … Love, Your American Hero, is our most important book so far, because, in times of uncertainty, it is so important to bring a sense of peace to everyone touched by the lives of our American heroes: mom and dads, grandparents, spouses, children.
Love You More Than You Know:
Mothers' Stories About Sending Their Sons and Daughters to War45 Powerful, Personal Tales of Love, Faith, and CourageAuthors, Editors: Janie Reinart, Mary Anne Mayer, Copyright @ 2009
In these stories, 45 mothers of U.S. service men and women open their hearts and share what it feels like when your son or daughter leaves home to fight a war.
Some were stunned to learn one sunny afternoon that their baby had enlisted. Others had long been familiar with military life. But all of these mothers knew their world had just changed the day their child called home and said, Mom, I m being deployed . . .
They discovered the strange mix of pride and fear. The anxiety of not knowing exactly where in Iraq or Afghanistan your son is, whether your daughter is facing mortar fire or enduring heat and boredom. Elation at the arrival of the briefest postcard or email message. The daily dread, when returning home from work or a trip to the grocery store, of seeing a government car in the driveway and two soldiers at the door . . .
Any parent who reads these stories will feel their power--and will gain a greater understanding of the sacrifice made by parents as well as their children in our military.
Minefields of the Heart:
A Mother's Stories of a Son at WarAuthor: Sue Diaz, Copyright @ 2010
How do combat veterans and their loved ones bridge the divide that war, by its very nature, creates between them? How does someone who has fought in a war come home, especially after a tour of duty marked by near-daily mortar attacks, enemy fire, and roadside bombs? With a journalist's eye and a mother's warmth, Sue Diaz asks these questions as she chronicles the two deployments to Iraq of her son, Sgt. Roman Diaz, from the perspective of the home front.
Sergeant Diaz's second deployment put him south of Baghdad in the region aptly termed the Triangle of Death. There his platoon experienced extraordinarily heavy casualties during the height of the Iraqi insurgency. That unit has since become the focus of considerable media attention following events that made headlines in the summer of 2006: an insurgent attack at a remote outpost on three of their own--one killed at the scene, the other two kidnapped, their bodies found days later; and a terrible war crime committed against an Iraqi family by four soldiers from First Platoon.
Minefields of the Heart adds a very personal dimension to the larger story of this Bravo Company platoon from the 101st Airborne's 502nd Infantry Regiment, a unit known since World War II as the "Black Heart Brigade." Diaz recounts the emotional rollercoaster her family and other soldiers' families experience during and after deployment. She explores this terrain not only through stories of her son's and family's experiences connected to the Iraq War, but also by insights she's gained from other veterans' accounts--from what she calls "the box" that soldiers returning from any war carry within. This added layer gives her narrative broader meaning, bringing home the impact of war in general on those who fight and on those who love them.
Minefields of the Heart is a story of innocence lost, understanding gained, and hope reaffirmed. In addition to veterans and their families, this book will appeal to anyone who wants to understand war's impact on individuals as well as on the fabric of our society.
Mom's Field Guide:
What You Need to Know to Make It Through Your Loved One's MilitaryDeployment Author: Sandy Doell, Copyright @ 2006When Sandy's son was deployed to Iraq in 2004, she felt overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. She couldn't help but worry. To keep herself busy, she turned her energies toward finding ways to support her son from the home front. After thousands of hours of research and her own first-hand experience along with many lessons she learned from other military families, she wrote Mom's Field Guide: What You Need to Know to Make It Through Your Loved One's Military Deployment. She shares what she learned with other families in the same situation.
My Son Is A Marine
Author: Jo Anne Allen, Copyright @ 2005After enduring grueling weeks of boot camp, 18-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Aaron J. Allen threw his Class A cap into the air at graduation. He was ready to be deployed to the fiercest battle zone in Iraq, where terrorism has replaced conventional warfare and there is no clearly defined enemy.
Confronted by these conditions and the horrifying nightly news reports of fatalities, what can a mother do to protect her son from thousands of miles away? Jo Anne Allen chose to sustain herself and keep A.J. strong and safe using communication. In this timely book, she reminisces about A.J.'s childhood and the precious memories that are forever embedded in her heart. She uses her words to recreate the wonder of those times and replace the hugs and kisses of the past with stories full of love and faith.
Young Marines fighting for their lives alongside her son also find solace in Jo Anne's spiritual beliefs, nurturing hearts, and incredible peanut butter cookies.
Strength for Today While My Soldier Is Away
Author: Carol J. Channer, Copyright @ 2008
Also available as an e-book download
While her only son prepared to join the Army, Carol Channer began to scour stores for a book on the subject of sending a child off to war. Finding none, she began journaling her own feelings, fears, and frustrations, as the Lord began to plant an idea within her spirit to pen a devotional book aimed directly at the heart of our military families.
Strength for Today While My Soldier Is Away is a compilation of thoughts, reflections, poetry, Scripture, and prayers intended to move the reader away from worry and fear; redirecting their attention to the wonderful provisional grace of the Lord.
Your Soldier, Your Army:
A parents' guide Author: Vicki Cody, Copyright @ 2007Army wife and mother Vicki Cody has written a 64-page book to help parents of soldiers have a better understanding of life in the military. The publication is aimed at soldiers’ families and in-laws and covers a variety of topics from deciphering military acronyms to understanding what takes place during a deployment.
“I have an advantage of having been part of this system for the past 30 years,” Cody wrote in the preface. “Still, I know how scary it’s been for me having both sons in a combat zone, and I think about all the parents out there who don’t have that background. This must be very confusing and frightening for them.”
Her sons were deployed at one time to Iraq in the same unit, and the older went back soon after while the younger was preparing to deploy at the time she was writing the book.
“This is a stressful time to have a Soldier in your family,” she wrote. “It takes a lot of courage to be a parent of a Soldier and especially to send one off to combat.” Cody wrote that she hopes that by reading this book families can better cope with deployments and other aspects of military life.
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Stephen's Touch - Free, compassionate listening service for military family members living without a loved one
The Stephen Ministries is a non-denominational ministry that provides a one-on-one confidential listening ministry. Since starting in 1975, more than 9,000 congregations from over 100 denominations are involved in Stephen Ministry. These congregations come from all 50 states in the U.S.A, 9 Canadian provinces and 21 other countries.
Stephen Ministers care for people who are suffering some difficulty or trauma in their lives. Stephen Ministers don't give advice and they don't proselytize. If the person receiving care wishes, the Stephen Minister may say a prayer during the session for them but that is totally optional.
The caring listening is being offered to spouses, parents, adult children and siblings of those who died or those who are dealing with separation due to military service. Please pass this information along to others who would benefit from the caring listener.
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American War Mothers
The American War Mothers is a perpetual patriotic, non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian, non-partisan organization whose members are mothers of children who have served or are serving in the Armed Services during a time of conflict.
Army Mom Strong
Army Mom Strong is a resource for Moms who are coping with the deployment of a son or daughter. At Army Mom Strong, we also honor those who lost their lives and pray for all troops and their families.
Band of Mothers
The Band of Mothers are the mothers of the noble and heroic Soldiers of the United States military. We are dedicated in our mission to step up, stand up and stick up for our Soldiers. Goals: to proudly seek, garner and nurture support for our Soldiers.
Blue Star Mothers of America
Blue Star Mothers is a Congressionally Chartered Veterans Service Organization supporting the troops and Veterans since 1942. We are mothers who now have, or have had, children honorably serving in the military.
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GoArmyParents.com
Welcome to GoArmyParents.com. This site started as a personal blog about a mother's journey through her Soldiers service, and over time evolved into an site truly for military parents, family, and friends. We have support forums for parents to share their thoughts, experiences and questions about the United States Military. We also have articles by author Arlene R. O'Neil, pay charts, military lingo and weekly chat.
Hope at Home Ministry
Ministering to women with loved ones serving in the U.S. Military
Hope at Home Ministry originated in Rockford, Illinois, in 2008 by a Marine mom with the desire to bring support, peace, encouragement, and hope to women who have family actively serving in the U.S. Military. Meeting monthly we share resources as well as the experiences and challenges of being a military wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, or fiancé. Another major aspect of Hope At Home is an emailed bi-monthly newsletter with information that is relevant to the goals of the ministry. To receive the newsletter and other correspondence please email Kathy Guzzo at hopeathomeministry@comcast.net
Marine Corps Moms
Welcome to our USMC family website. We support our Marines, their families, and those who love them by linking sources of support and information, in collaboration with other public, private, and military groups, and individuals.
Marine Moms Online
Supporting each other through the deployment of their Marine.
Marine Parents
MarineParents.com, Inc. was founded in January, 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to Connect & Share™ with one another during deployments. Our free services, connections and outreach projects have expanded to support Marines, to support and educate Marine moms, dads, spouses, families and friends. We've helped over 50,000 Marines, recruits and family members during bootcamp, training, active duty and deployments. You've found a Place to Connect & Share™.
Marine Parents United
The Marine Parents United Mission - MPU shall host an annual conference to offer guidance to USMC families and friends through all of their military experiences and beyond. The MPU conference will provide educational and social opportunities to encourage attendees to both understand and support their Marine and the commitment he/she has made to the USMC.
Married to the Army - Army lifestyle helps
We will do our best to help you navigate the Army lifestyle.
Features for parents include: Guide for New Army Parents, Homecomings, What Does it Mean to be a Military Mom?, When Your Child Deploys, Military Parents Need Resources Too.
Military Moms - Online Support Group
Includes Basic Training for Moms, Armed Forces Code of Conduct, free downloadable candy bar wrappers, gum wrappers, directions to make a Blue Star banner quilt, links to official military sites, and other resources for loved ones of deployed Soldiers.
Military Mother Blog (National Day of Prayer)
Be sure to read the monthly blog by Carol Mock, NDP Military Liaison. Carol has experienced the joys and hardships of being the mother of a soldier. Read her personal stories.
Military OneSource - Resources
1-800-342-9647
Information and support resources for parents of service members - As the parent of a service member, you are likely to have questions about your son's or daughter's military life. For example, you may want to understand what role you can play as your son or daughter transitions into the service. You may also have questions about what to expect when your service member returns home. The following resources can help.
Moms of Military - Prayer and Support Group
The Moms of Military Prayer and Support Group (MOMS), is a group of mothers and wives (open to ALL women related to anyone serving in the military) of loved ones currently serving in the United States military. We gather to pray and support our troops and military families around the country. We support each other with hugs and prayers and share our experiences and ideas: traveling to boot camp for graduation ceremonies, or making it through our loved ones deployments. Most importantly, we support our soldiers, marines and sailors with our prayers, love and friendship as they go about the difficult task of protecting this great land. Although we began in Orange County, CA, we offer prayer and support across the U.S. Many unique and supportive friendships with other MOMS have been possible across the state;, connecting MOMS together. We hope to reach out to every Military Mom and share the experiences that bind us with one heart for our loved ones.
The MOMS stand firmly on the Word of God and in the power of prayer. We lift up our loved ones in prayer daily for their protection and safety no matter where they are serving! Unlike most support groups, we are a prayer group first! We can offer prayer, emotional support and military information, and more importantly connect you with other Military MOMS either through a local Chapter or simply through emails.
Navy Dads
This site is for U.S. Navy and Marine parents, family members, and all who want to learn about life in the Navy and Marine Corps.
Navy for Moms
This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.
Not Alone - Parent Group
Our eGroup for parents and other family members centers on reestablishing healthy relationships with your Warrior and those around you. We focus on education, understanding, and support among other military parents and family members.
Operation Mom
Welcome to Operation Mom, a military family support group. Our primary mission is to provide a place where families of those serving our country can find support, encouragement, solace, and be with others who share their heart.
Proud Army Moms
Our mission is to support our military, its soldiers, its activities both stateside and overseas, its goals, and families.
We are a 3 yr. old online group that was created to provide support to Army Moms (or any family member). We understand the difficulties faced by families when children are in the military, stateside or overseas, at any point of military service. We have LOTS of Army moms here and the discussions are lively, caring, and fun. We have members from ALL over America. We have been known to open our hearts and homes to a soldier traveling home for a visit or back to his base. When we have a PAM that is in need of help, we network quicker than a hive of bee's. Our group is unique in the fact, we are not 100% military discussions. We talk of everyday things, our homes, our families here at home, health issues and even swap recipes. Our main goal is to have a place to be able to find others that know what you are feeling and can support you in times of need. We all felt alien in the feelings of our children signing up, here we find that we are not alone. We all have a basic instinct, to love and support our soldiers, whether we gave birth to them or not.
Recruit Parents - Marines
Congratulations! You're on a new journey to become a Marine Parent. The pride is indescribable, but you may feel you are in a different world with a whirlwind of emotions and never-ending questions.
RecruitParents.com is here to help you get through bootcamp. The RecruitParents.com roadmap includes information about recruit training (Bootcamp), schedules, terminology, expectations, and perhaps most importantly, venues to talk with other parents—novices just like you, as well as "expert" parents who've been down this road and experienced the same uncertainties and pride.
Stripes Military Moms
Whether you have a husband or son in the military, or you're an active-duty mom yourself, being a military mom means your family and the armed forces are intertwined. Share your experience with others on new site devoted to you!
Team Marine Parents
Team Marine Parents™ is comprised of teams of individuals nationwide that participate in walks, runs, marathons, bicycling, triathlons, swimming, motorcycle runs, and other events nationwide. The goal of Team Marine Parents™ is to promote an awareness of "Support Our Troops" in communities around the United States through participation in and donations to troop support programs from MarineParents.com.
What's After Boot - Marines
Welcome to "What's After Boot", a community for parents, spouses, and family memers of newly graduated Marines. This program of MarineParents.com will help answer some of the questions you and/or your new Marine may have about what to expect after bootcamp.
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Operation It's Me! (Soldiers' Angels)
With the support of Soldiers' Angels, Artist Susie Allen of Colorado provides beautiful pencil or charcoal drawings of deployed service members as gifts of love and appreciation for their parents through Operation It's Me.
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Sealed Strength - Sending strength and faith home to spouses all over the world
When a spouse deploys, we want to be that extra support and strength a Wife (Girlfriends and Moms, too) needs during the entire deployment. Each new friendship starts with a care package and follows with handwritten letters twice a month from a person on our writing team. We will continue to support you, as a Military Wife, until your deployed service member comes home safely.
We are here to serve all members of the Armed Forces.
*If you know someone whose spouse isn't deployed but could use a little support, please feel free to email us. Our main goal is to add as much support in the lives of Military Wives, and no one will be left behind.
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DOD Dictionary of Military Terms
Here you can browse the DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. Can also download a PDF version.
Glossary Terms (Army Well-Being)
Want to know what certain terms mean? Look here! Also has a helpful FAQ page.
Military Cultural Competence training
Military Cultural Competence introduces you to the military world. Includes topics such as: military rank structure, branches of service, terms (general and deployment), and more.
Military rank & structure helps, Veteran's Day parades, etc.
Includes military structure chart, military pay chart, military rank and insignia chart, veteran's day parade schedules, etc. Vet Friends.com helps you to reunite with friends and family who are veterans of or are currently serving in the US Army, USN, USAF, USMC and USCG.
OPSEC (Operations Security)
Hearts of Our Troops explains OPSEC and details you can and cannot share with others when discussing your Soldier's deployment.
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Operation Hi Mom! - Free fine art canvas on Mother's Day
Operation Hi Mom awards hundreds of our deployed men and women a free fine art canvas, printed from a favorite photo, which will be presented to their moms on Mother’s Day. Deployed soldiers can simply go to a specially-designed webpage to submit a request, write their mother an endearing message, and upload a photo. It’s a way for soldiers to say to their mom, I love you…and it’s a way for Canvas on Demand to say to our troops, Thanks for a job well-done!
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Service flags
Sells service flags in addition to custom and stock products including flags, coffee mugs, t-shirts, yellow magnets, lapel pins, vinyl banners, envelope stickers and more.
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The Voice Library
One of the most challenging aspects to being a military service member is the necessity of having to spend time away from your loved ones. Not being able to reach out and hear a beloved voice when you are able to get to a phone is very difficult. Due to distance and time zones, you may not be able to call and talk with your family when you or they need it most.
With The Voice Library, you can call and leave a long message for your spouse, your children, your parents, and your close friends. Your loved ones at home can hear your voice, and will find comfort in knowing that you are safe. Plus, they can leave messages to boost your morale and to provide comfort when you are down or stressed. If your child loses his first tooth while you are away, he can leave you a message just after it happens! You can listen to your daughter reading her first story, or hear your teenager telling you about how she passed her driver’s test.
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Build A Sign - Free welcome home banners and jumbo cards
Build A Sign has given away over 80,000 free banners and jumbo cards to support our Troops at home and abroad. Just pay shipping costs.
Copyright Benita Koeman 2008 - 2012
resources
Military supporters, churches
Military chaplains
Organizations that support
Resources for
Encouragement
Military life
Free downloads for kids
Resources for parents of military personnel
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