Personal stories, practical ideas, and checklists help readers know what to expect, how to prepare, and how to personally grow as individuals and families. Updated second edition includes new information about longer repeat and multiple deployments, self-care and wellness, and stories and examples from recent conflicts.

The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.

A personal journal for anyone who has a loved one deployed with the military. Gentle journal writing prompts and encouraging sayings guide you through deployment and homecoming. Keeping Track section in the back helps you log milestones, communication, and special moments. Textured warm yellow Pellaq cover with yellow ribbon.

Created especially for military kids, this popular journal offers comforting words and a special place to express feelings during the deployment of a parent or any loved one from any service branch. Young journal keepers will find encouragement for difficult days, ideas for healthy activities, and plenty of journaling pages to express their feelings and record experiences through words and pictures. New and updated edition! Fun new design Enhanced writing prompts Ideas for keeping in touch New goal-setting pages New feelings pages Glossary and fun facts about military life

Nearly 1.9 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. Many service members and veterans face serious challenges in readjusting to normal life after returning home. This initial book presents findings on the most critical challenges, and lays out the blueprint for the second phase of the study to determine how best to meet the needs of returning troops and their families.

This book focuses on the key issues that affect military families when soldiers are deployed overseas, focusing on the support given to military personnel and families before, during and after missions. Today’s postmodern armies are expected to provide social-psychological support both to their personnel in military operations abroad and to their families at home. Since the end of the Cold War and even more so after 9/11, separations between military personnel and their families have become more frequent as there has been a multitude of missions carried out by multinational task forces all over the world. The book focuses on three central questions affecting military families. First, how do changing missions and tasks of the military affect soldiers and families? Second, what is the effect of deployments on the ones left behind? Third, what is the national structure of family support systems and its evolution? The book employs a multidisciplinary approach, with contributions from psychology, sociology, history, anthropology and others. In addition, it covers all the services, Army, Navy/Marines, Air Force, spanning a wide range of countries, including UK, USA, Belgium, Turkey, Australia and Japan. At the same time it takes a multitude of perspectives such as the theoretical, empirical, reflective, life events (narrative) approach, national and the global, and uses approaches from different disciplines and perspectives, combining them to produce a volume that enhances our knowledge and understanding of military families. This book will be of much interest to students of military studies, sociology, war and conflict studies and IR/political science in general.

In I'll Lend You My Daddy, young boys and girls find ways to manage their feelings about deployment (from goodbyes, to the first night, to missed birthdays) as they eagerly await their fathers' return. Through the support of family and friends, care packages, and calls, these children grow strong with the knowledge of what it means to serve, generating pride from within, that makes glorious reunions all the more sweet by book's end.*Makes a wonderful book for discussion with military children who have difficulties sorting through their emotions such as sadness, fear, or separation anxiety *Provides a source of connection for military children with deployed family members to the greater universe of families who go through a similar experience*Reflects children from diverse families with touching illustrations from the talented Valerie Valdivia in a 32-page full-color picture book format*An ideal gift for families with young children, preparing for deployment for the first time and during deployment*A valuable tool for teachers and educators who encourage an appreciation for our nation's armed forces and also for the children of those families who make sacrifices every day of the year, including birthdays, Independence Day, Veteran's Day, and Memorial Day, and other holidays of remembrance and appreciationWritten by Becky King, mother to a 7-year-old son named Benson when her husband was first deployed to Afghanistan. King hopes that the book gives voice to the many children who experience what Benson experienced in a way that will resonate and help transform feelings of separation and sadness into feelings of love, courage, resilience, and pride.