Anyone here with their spouse deployed?

Question

Mine just left on the 10th for a year to Iraq. What has been your experience with it, and is this your first deployment?

Answer 1

Hello.I am the wife of a British Army Officer and my husband has been deployed many times. From the way you posed your question I get the impression that this is the first time for you. and I want you to know that there are thousands of people who know how you feel. The best way to deal with it is to carry on as normally as possible, and though it sounds like a terrible cliche, to keep busy. I carry on an entirely normal routine until I get home from work when I allow myself to focus on him. Every evening, I write a letter and record a section of tape (he takes a dictaphone and tapes and we send them once a week). On the tape I record things like; funny things the children have said, what happened at work.....I keep it light, and I record our family and friends. I also keep a shoe box on a table into which I place things like, clean handkerchieves, newspaper articles I know will interest him, books, mints...things like that, and every Friday I take the box to the Post Office and mail it. I always include a little wrapped gift in the box (something small like a Key fob) with an instruction not to be opened until Christmas or his birthday, so I know he will have a pile of gifts to open, even if the mail is slow. I find it important to keep these routines going. I feel as though I am doing something for him every day. He is likely to be able to call you but please don't worry if he doesn't for a while. There are Comms blackouts for various reasons and sometimes they are simply not near phones. The thing to avoid, is spilling out your loneliness or frustrations to him. There's nothing he can do about it and he needs to know that you are holding the fort at home and that you are coping. If you handle this well, with courage and dignity he will love you all the more for it, and my goodness! it's fantastic when they come home!

Answer 2

Hi~ My husband is deployed for a year in Iraq now. This is his second deployment in the last 3 years. I guess for us this is all we have really known. I'm just used to him having to leave for training or a deployment every couple of months. I suggest you find things to do to occupy your time. Take up a new hobby. I would also get involved in your local FRG. They can be helpful and are usually pretty up to date as to what is going on with the deployment. They can also help you find useful resources if you have any questions. The time will pass quickly and the less you think about it the quicker it will go. I don't mean that you shouldn't think about your husband or anything but just try not to worry to much about him. No amount of worrying is going to make him any safer and it will most likely just add more stress which you don't need right now. If you ever need to talk just let me know and I'll try and help. Good Luck

Answer 3

I'm deployed, to Tampa! I don't have children and I'm not married so I can't talk about what to expect or of the such, sorry.

I wish your husband and you good luck and I hope the year goes by quick for you both and that he comes home safe.

People always giving me a hard time for Deploying to Tampa. There is lots of sun, lots of sand... I can see the Gulf from here... Of Mexico and not Persian, but it's deployed all the same..

Answer 4

My husband, before we were married, went to iraq. I was scared all the time, but luckily he was in a place where he could call every couple days. It was worriesome, but we got through it. Now he is in Japan/Korea for a year without me and it gets really hard. You just have to keep thinking about how he is helping his country and that you knew it would be coming. It is a hard thing, I won't lie, but stay strong and try to stay busy with more work, school, etc. It helps a bunch.

Answer 5

My boyfreinds in the 172nd strker brigade. he was supposed to come home last month, after a 12 month deployment they got extended for up to 4 months. This is his first deployment. It's hard. But what hes doing and all the other soldiers is even harder. if you wanna talk just email me.

Answer 6

my husband is home currently. he was gone 7 months and returned home in feb. we had our son in march. i found out i was pregnant right after he left. it was the hardest thing i've ever gone through but what he went thru was worse. we actually met online while he was deployed to afghanistan. i styaed positive for him and sent him lots of cards and love thru the mail. i was also lucky enough to get to chat with him just about every day online! i didn't get to hear his voise the entire time he was gone though. when he got homed he called and it was the sweetes thing i ever heard! good luck and God bless, if you need someone to talk to, message me!

Answer 7

not here