The military servicemen and servicewomen face a number of challenges when they are deployed to other countries to work. The challenges become greater when these persons have families who depend on them for financial and emotional support. The challenges of the military do not come from the training services or from being inadequately prepared for their service, but these challenges come from the emotional and psychological problems that arise from having to leave their families for extended periods of time. Different researchers in the field have different opinions on the number of stages that are involved in deployment.
The family suffers from the deployment, pre-deployment, deployment, sustainment, redeployment, post-deployment, and reunion with children, reflections on deployment, and Post Traumatic experiences that comes after having being deployed. In its literal sense, the deployment cycle can be defined as the stages that involve the deployment of a unit to other countries. The deployment process and be even more challenging for the military families whose member has been deployed for extended periods for more than six months. The cycle surfaces and the families face the emotional problems.
The deployment stage is particularly stressful as families anticipate the departure of their loved ones. Psychologists are deployed to work with these families and them to cope with the absences. In addition, the families have to cope with lengths of the deployment and the frequency of the deployment and the daily operational tempo of the absence of these persons. The pre-deployment stage starts right from the moment of the warning of the deployment and ends when that person actually leaves. This stage is seen as the stage where one feels “denial and anticipation of loss” (Counseling Military Families, n.d). Psychologists recommend that the family develop skills that will help them to deal effectively with the departure of the persons and ensure that they build meaningful bonds before the servicemen leaves.
The second stage is the actual deployment. Families find this moment to be some of the hardest moments when as the family has to now accept that the servicemen have left. The emotional problem is also on the servicemen as both the families and the servicemen as the emotions begin to rise high. Some of members will suggest that there is a feeling of emptiness and distortion and others will point out that they are happy as they no longer have to pretend te strong for the sake of their families.
Sustainment reflects that is about a month after the deployment and persons begin to feel calm. These persons will form a new routine which again becomes disrupted about a month before the servicemen and women are to return. The military persons also feel some amount of remorse or sadness as they anticipate their return to their families and the changes in the family that might affect them also. Deployment impacts the level of communication between spouses and their partners who are in the military. For many persons, the end of the sustainment stage creates even more problems as “military spouses usually have a sense of being in control, are more confident” (Counseling Military Families, n.d). Additionally, the spouse become more firm in their understanding of the negative effects of development.
Redeployment is another stage that triggers negative effects on the spouses and their family. The period occurs the month before servicemen return home. According to Rotter and Boveja (1999) this period includes the final stage of the separation and the expectations of returning home brings apprehension, high expectations and excitement (as cited in Counseling Military Families, n.d). There are conflicting emotions during this time and is the most life changing stage of deployment as some service men die within the time while others return with psychological challenges that impact the relationship with their spouses.
Post deployment is the final stage of the deployment process and starts as soon as the servicemen return home. The time frame and responses to the return of these servicemen depends on the particular family (Counseling Military Families, n.d). For some family members, the return of their spouses causes a number of challenges as they had become accustomed to living without their partners and “that selfishness becomes hard to break” (Counseling Military Families, n.d). Additionally, servicemen face the challenge of reintegrating into the society and finding suitable jobs. The process can be frustrating as there are limited jobs prospects. This frustration leads to anxiety and in turn causes a strain on the family.
In concluding, the stages of deployment have a profound impact on the service men and women and their families. For some it is difficult to accept the changes that come with anticipating deployment, enduring the absence of their spouse during deployment and the return of the spouse which automatically cause readjustments to the changes in the lifestyle during deployment. On the other hand, some families and service men and women have no challenge with the stages of deployment. But, there is the need to help those who cannot adjust and military personnel have made the positive efforts to remove most if not all of the challenges that comes with the stages of deployment.
Reference
Counselling Military Families, Major Challenges of Military Families (n.d) pp. 159 – 167 PDF
