Whether you have been through many deployments or just a few, they are challenging. My husband’s latest deployment came out of nowhere, during a global pandemic and with me in the midst of graduate school. While I was not thrilled about being apart, I knew this was part of military life and that it was important to him. I also knew that there were resources available to me through Military OneSource and my military family.
As deployment came to an end, however, I found myself nervous about my husband’s return — how would he be different? How was I different? What about my new routine? Or his? Deployment impacts everyone differently. Everyone’s situation and circumstances are different. Some spouses that are at home have children, some are caregivers for other family members, some work full-time jobs in addition to holding down the homefront. In some cases, our partners return forever changed. In some cases, our partners do not come home.
We are all on our own journey and adjusting to life after deployment will look different for everyone. I think we need to recognize and honor that, not only for ourselves but also to help support each other.
Navigating the changes that occur in a family, a household, ourselves and our partners during a deployment is not always easy, and that should be normalized. It is okay to have to work through adjustments — and you are not alone.
Military OneSource has great deployment resources ranging from how to talk to your kids, to single service members preparing for deployment — your bases are covered. Whatever your personal situation, remember that we’re all in this together.
