By Matthew D. LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribune She never doubted her decision to serve in the Army. Not as she watched the spotlights dance across Baghdad Airport Road while fellow soldiers urgently searched for hidden bombs. Not as she trembled in a crowded bunker through an extended barrage of mortar explosions. Not when a […]

By JULIE PERCHA/ABC Ask 9-year old Valerie Gonzalez of Alhambra, Calif., about her father’s job, and she flashes a toothless smile. “I like it. My dad knows how to protect me,” she said of Army Master Sgt. Juan Gonzalez, a member of the California Army National Guard, who recently returned from a tour of Kosovo. […]

Okay, so I have been trying to think positively about deployment since it continues to lurk in the dark corner. Here is about all I could muster up. 1. Getting the bed to myself. While it might take me a month to get use to sleeping without him, I eventually start taking up the entire […]

A recent study of Army wives finds military couples struggle to communicate effectively before, during and after a service member’s deployment. Prior to deployment, Army wives reported anxiety and anticipation for their husband’s pending assignments. However, Army wives were also eager for their husbands to deploy so they could move on with their lives, according […]

By Iason Athanasiadis/The Christian Science Monitor Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan — The lines outside the burger and pizza joints dotting the “Boardwalk” at Kandahar Air Base remain defiantly long, despite recent reports that it may be shut down. The air base in southern Afghanistan is NATO’s largest in the country and the main landing spot […]

Armin Brott/The Spokesman-Review Dear Mr. Dad: I’ve been deployed in Afghanistan for 13 months and am returning home next week. Being apart from my wife and children for so long has got me committed to making some major changes in my relationships with them. How easy will this be to do? A: There’s nothing like being […]

Predeployment is like an emotional roller coaster for me. I’m sad because my husband is leaving. I’m mad at the government for taking my husband to war. I’m stressed because I want my husband to help me get as much done around the house as possible before he leaves. And I’m happy when we get […]

by Elaine Wilson/American Forces Press Service Defense and USO officials joined military families at the U.S. Navy Memorial here yesterday to celebrate the launch of a new DVD created to help military children cope with a parent’s deployment. “With You All the Way” — a joint effort by the Defense Department, USO and the Trevor […]

Just this past weekend, I learned about an old friend getting married. He is a doctor in the Army and his new bride is in the Air Force. Their story (see below) chronicles how even war cannot keep two people from falling in love and taking their relationship to the next level.  I wish them […]

There is so much uncertainty surrounding deployment. As we near our 6th deployment, the unanswered questions are already starting to wear on me. What day is he leaving? What holidays, birthdays, weddings and other special events will he miss? How will I survive this deployment? How will he survive this deployment? Will we be able […]