Deployment
Deployments are emotional roller coasters, filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, catapulting you in crazy, unexpected directions. As a military wife, I am no stranger to deployments. During the beginnings of my relationship with my now husband, together we journeyed through three deployments in three years. It was an unconventional way to begin and grow a relationship to say the least.
It is now that I just finished reading Journey Through Deployment: Stepping Forward with Confidence During Military Separations by fellow military spouse Kathryn Sneed. I only wished I had read it sooner.
Informative, genuine, and even humorous at times—Journey Through Deployment is a comprehensive guide every military spouse needs before, during, and after a deployment.
Laid out into three parts, this book discusses preparation and management for pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment. Even as a military spouse, who has weathered multiple deployments, this book was an eye-opener. Each section, filled with must-know information, walks you through step-by-step what to expect and offers practical tools to handle a variety of situations involving deployments.
1. Pre-deployment
The beginning of the book walks you through the emotional stages of deployment from initially receiving orders all the way up to the time your spouse departs. This section also discusses preparing for the worst case scenario, and most importantly, preparing your kids. As new parents, there is an endless array of information I would’ve never even thought of. One of the most valuable parts involves a detailed example of In Case of Emergency forms you can complete to offer your family peace of mind and security during deployment.
2. Deployment
This section offers valuable insight into succeeding during deployment. Just a few of the topics covered include saying goodbye, encouragement for deployment, and managing the emotional roller coaster near the end of deployment. Perhaps, the most appreciated part of this section is called ‘Dear Civilians,’ which offers civilians constructive ways to serve military families journeying through deployment. With each new sentence read, I thought of another person in my life that could benefit from reading this book. Military life is hard for civilians to understand sometimes; this book provides great insight for civilians to learn how to serve military families better during deployment.
3. Post-deployment
This section offers practical tools for reintegration after your spouse returns home. Because reunions are really hard, and sometimes putting the pieces back together after months or a year apart is far from fairytale. I practically laughed and cried throughout the whole chapter entitled homecoming, as Sneed shares a heartfelt, story about reuniting with her husband after a long deployment. Her authenticity resonates with me on every level as a military spouse.
Overall, this book is a wonderful guide for any military spouse seeking practical tools and emotional encouragement for taking the journey through deployment. One of the best things about this book is it includes personal stories from many different military spouses, something that it typically lacking from a conventional book. We are all in this together. If you are a military spouse or the friend or family member of a military spouse, this book is for you. This book is for me. This book is for us.
Kathryn Sneed is a mother of two young children, military spouse, and the fabulous author of singingthroughtherain.net and the eBook, Journey Through Deployment.
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