There are Reserve & NG spouses in many, many of our neigborhoods. Our area's Guard unit just yesterday returned from a year-long deployment. Over that year, their spouses (who, by the way live spread over 3 counties) had become a very isolated group.

They have been haunted by the same daily fears and challenges as their active-duty counterparts, but have not had the close support that is often available to them. Our nearest military facility is over an hour's drive away; which made it almost impossible to make use of the Family Support resources, there.

We with AFES at our Red Cross, did what we could, with the local support contact, but it's just never enough. Their friends and neighbors couldn't relate to the fears; they only had each other, but lived so far apart; and now they and their soldiers get to re-assimilate - pretty much on their own.

I, with the assistance of a friend who is a PTSD counselor, have just written a lengthy paper on this very issue, and hope to have it published in our newspaper. It's an extremely liberal area, so I'm not holding my breath - but lessons learned can go a long way to helping the next group!

Thank you so much, Mrs. Greyhawk, for calling attention to these very courageous spouses!!

I'm going though withdrawal because so many of my favorite milbloggerss got rotated home all at once! Too bad we can't get a change of command process for milbloggers! Keep letting us know who catches your interest in the new crop. Hopefully, they know to email you for a recommendation.

Welcome Home!

Mrs. G. brings up something I wonder about since I fall into the "single woman" demographic (I think- you're officially single after college-age, right?):
"And gosh - I hope all the single women out there don't start bugging this guy..."
I'm not looking for a bf or tyring to bug anyone, so I'm afraid to post anything that might seem single-woman-ish or send letters and as a student I can't afford much else...So I just keep up with the news.
Anyway- welcome home!

Such a shame that all these young folks have to deploy and be maimed and die for a neocon fantasy. Their blood is on Bush's hands.

History will be an unsparing judge.

Mrs. G,

Thanks for the nice words.

Such a shame that some people refuse to acknowledge the good done in the mid East by "all these young folks".
Some fail to realize that we have an all volunteer forcce.

PatsRick - you are right. it makes me sad when people dont realize that. those "young folks" and the bloody-handed President Bush are welcome at my family table any day, any time. How much we owe them all!