At SpouseBuzz, we talk about what to do with the in-laws at Homecoming all the time. Everyone can pretty much understand that the in-laws want to see their returned child. Yet the consensus is … [Read more...]
Reintegration: It’s Not Just for Servicemembers
My husband is getting ready to leave soon for a long-ish TDY, and I know everything there is to know about getting our three-year-old daughter ready for his departure. I got coloring books at the Army … [Read more...]
YDU: Constant Readiness Is the Missing Factor in PTSD
Why Didn’t You Tell Me that constant readiness is the missing factor in PTSD? As a Green Beret with experience in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa, I sometimes returned in a state that my wife Cindy … [Read more...]
Welcome Home, Now Get Out of My Way
“Everything is different.” That’s what my neighbor told me a couple of weeks ago after I welcomed him home from an 8-month deployment. I don’t know him very well, but when I stopped to say … [Read more...]
How a Hookah Helped us Reintegrate
One of my most difficult struggles during this year’s reintegration process has been giving my husband the space he needs to merge gracefully back into our lives after a year-long military … [Read more...]
X
Military Wife Quote: The Past is a Foreign Country
Every time my husband comes home from an absence -- whether it be one month or nine -- I am astounded by how much things change while he is gone. Babies get bigger. Children learn new skills. I … [Read more...]
What Should a MANspouse Wear for Military Homecoming?
SpouseBuzz recently ran two articles on what military wives should and should NOT wear to a military homecoming. After reading those articles I just knew I HAD to write a similar blog regarding what a … [Read more...]
What NOT to Wear to a Military Homecoming
We've all seen it. The scantily-clad, short-skirt, high-heeled romantic waiting to throw her arms around her returning serviceman. In fact, usually she's waiting to throw her arms -- and her legs … [Read more...]
YDU: Grab Your Honeymoon Feelings While They Last
Finally, the moment has come. You walk into the gym arena, hoping to find the perfect spot. You want to be as close as possible but in view of the doorway. Each time the door opens, your heart … [Read more...]
X
Does Deployment Make Change Invisible?
After a deployment, we are supposed to scan our service members for signs of some kind of change. Change in sleep habits. Change in temperment. We are supposed to worry that somehow they are … [Read more...]
Poll: If You Weren’t Appreciated Would You Serve?
According to a recent survey somewhere between 42 and 48 of the British public support the country's participation in the war -- and the troops who are fighting it. I completely missed the Vietnam … [Read more...]
Ta-Ta Tattoos — the Perfect Welcome Home Gift?
We all know military spouses are extraordinary individuals; they endure the hardships of deployment willingly and with pride. That's why it's always such an honor, nay, a privilege, when the civilian … [Read more...]
To Listen or Not? Dealing With Combat Stories
It's been almost five years since my husband returned from his 15 month tour to Iraq. He has deployed three times since then, but that tour will always stand out in our mind as the hardest. The year … [Read more...]
X
Military Wife Quote: We’re in the Business of Change Management
Family life chaplains are amazing folks. How would you like to spend the majority of your time tricking stressed out families into sticking it out, even though the military lifestyle is a guaranteed … [Read more...]
The Other Side of Early Redeployment
Sometimes our fantasy scenarios aren’t all they are cracked up to be. A few weeks ago my husband returned from his fifth overseas deployment … three months early. This is the first time this … [Read more...]
Top Ten Homecoming Don’ts
We all know our own, personal list of "to-do's" for a military homecoming (take day off work, get hair done, create vacuum tracks, find cutie clothes for kids, lose 20 pounds, ditch three gallon tub … [Read more...]
Dr. Phil: PTSD Takes Us “From Heroes to Monsters”
A Dr. Phil show that aired this week said that veterans suffering from PTSD are damaged goods that can "dismantle marriages." He titled the show "From Heroes to Monsters." When I hear the word … [Read more...]
How To Do Reintegration Without A Shrimp Fork
There is one aspect of military life that is kicking me in the teeth over the last year or so. Reintegration. Or rather I like to think of it as "trying to figure out what normal family life is … [Read more...]
