Step 5: Deployment

Planning Makes It Easier

We all know that this step is a stressful and hectic time. It's a time of changes and challenges, and you'll need to ensure that all the information you organized in Step 4 is readily available and clear for every member of your family. There are easy, every day things you can do to meet the responsibilities of deployment:

• Take good care of yourself
• Stay connected with your loved one
• Better manage your finances.

Your Family Program Office also realizes that your well-being can affect your Service Member's (SM) ability to focus on their mission. For this reason, Family Assistance Staff are located nationwide to assist you with problems and concerns during deployment. The Family Assistance Staff are available 24 hours a day. To help ensure that your family is doing well, the Family Program Office reaches out to each family on a monthly basis. These Well-Being calls are used to reach out and connect, as well as inform you of upcoming activities with your unit or in regards to your Service member.

Stages of Separation

• Denial, shock, disbelief and numbness
• Anger, frustration, and resentment
• Guilt for not saying or doing more
• Depression, fatigue, or withdrawal
• Acceptance of the situation

Stay Connected

To find your way through these stages, it's best to stay in touch with your Guard member. Reach out to friends, family, neighbors and spouses of other deployed Guard members, as well as Family Assistance personnel. Keep in touch with your loved one:

• Letters – Share news from home and include photos
• Email and social media – Fast and easy ways to share messages and photos
• Videos – Possible access to video teleconferencing
• Phone calls – You may want to hear your loved one's voice
• Care packages – Send some of the comforts of home, but be careful with packing perishable goods

Keep Yourself Healthy: Mind and Body

• Eat right, get enough sleep.
• Be physically active, walk or join your local gym.
• Know your limitations and when to say ‘No.'
• Stay busy – participate in programs, volunteer, or start a hobby.
• Talk about how you are feeling with a friend or chat with another military spouse.

Help Children Cope

• Let them know they are loved.
• Encourage them to share how they are feeling.
• Maintain the same routines for bedtime and meals.
• Be consistent with discipline.

Contact Family Assistance Staff 24 hours a day for help in the following areas:

• ID cards and Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) enrollment and referral
• TRICARE and military medical benefits information and referral
• Emergency financial services information and referral
• Legal information and referral
• Crisis intervention and referral
• Community information and referral

For any specific questions, please contact your Family Program Office