Tag Archives: deployment

Make Me a Home – Tamra Norton

“Make Me a Home” is the sequel to Tamra Norton’s smash hit middle-grade novel, “Make Me a Memory.” Our character, Allie, is still living in Edna, Idaho, with her mom, her brother, the new baby, and her grandma while her father is deployed in Iraq. She’s the new kid and really doesn’t like that kind of notoriety. When Ivy moves in, not only is Allie no longer the “new kid,” but she has a new friend as well. Allie thinks things can’t get any better until she comes home from school one day to find her mother crying. Her father … Continue reading →

Marriage Blog Week in Review May 13 – May 19

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May is flying by. This weekend was our daughter’s dance recital and it’s a night when we get to sit there and be as proud as we can be in the audience as she struts her stuff on stage. Well, not that you can strut to ballet, but you get what I mean. It was a wonderful experience and there’s a story to be told for how we teamed up to make things happen a certain way – and yes, you will hear that story this week. In the meanwhile, let’s take a look at our week in review: Sunday, … Continue reading →

Marriages Ending as Deployments Are Extended

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Deployments are being extended with units assigned overseas to Afghanistan and Iraq. One article in the Chicago Tribune noted that for one unit in Afghanistan for over 16 months and just extended for another four months the toll on the unit has been extreme. Eight men in the squadron have died. Wives have given birth to babies, one soldier’s wife suffered brain damage after getting in a car wreck that killed two other people. Another soldier found out that his father had less than two weeks to live after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. At least three soldiers … Continue reading →

Letters of Love: Run; Don’t Walk Home

When you marry someone in the military, it can create a stress for both of you – when you’re both in the military and you’re both deployed in different areas, the situation could seem intolerable for both of you. Today’s letter of love is from someone in just such a relationship. Run; Don’t Walk Home Dear Diane, This might be a hokey way of sending a letter to you, but you have always told me that you like the grand gestures. This month, it’s my turn to be the army wife. I spent two years overseas and now I’m home … Continue reading →

Understanding Your Deployed Soldier

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While my husband was in Iraq, I discovered a brand new side to his personality. My husband is generally pretty laid back and it takes a great deal for him to really get upset in the everyday world. To say the very least, this was not the case while he was deployed. I was lucky enough that my husband had internet access in his tent so we were able to talk everyday online and without a doubt this was a blessing; it could also be a huge stress factor as well. I arranged my life around the computer as my … Continue reading →

Deployment And Children From A Previous Relationship

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As the wife of a National Guardsman my life is usually lived in the civilian world; my husband has a civilian job as a union carpenter, we don’t live on post, I was one of the few that had any real contact with other family members of my husband’s unit due to the fact that I had been involved with the FRG for several years and the nearest commissary is over two hours away. As one can imagine I was less than prepared to have my life turned inside out when my husband was deployed to Iraq in October of … Continue reading →

Kids, Deployment And Depression

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Deployment is hard on everyone involved and often we try to put on a brave face in order to prevent those we love from worrying about us. Unfortunately that same brave face we put on often spills over to our children and they also make an attempt to keep it together and keep their fears and worries to themselves in order to keep from worrying their parents. As deployments increase so does childhood depression among military children. Children face the same concerns and fears as their parents but often depression in children is overlooked as a “stage” they are going … Continue reading →

Author Update — Tamra Norton

I recently interviewed author Tamra Norton about her ground-breaking book, “Make Me a Memory.” In commemoration of Veteran’s Day, she is giving Families.com another exclusive interview to discuss the sequel, entitled “Make Me a Home.” A synopsis of the book reads: For the past eleven months, Allie has lived in Edna, Idaho—an okay place if you don’t mind living friendless and fatherless in Hicksville, USA. But it isn’t “home.” And how could it be with her dad in Iraq? Then Ivy Peterson moves to town and Allie finally finds the friendship and understanding she has desperately wanted. Edna is even … Continue reading →

A Wolf in Banker’s Clothing

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The Pentagon has just released a report that finally addresses a huge issue for military personnel and their families. The Report On Predatory Lending Practices Directed at Members of the Armed Forces and Their Dependents can be found in its entirety at (http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/Report_to_Congress_final.pdf) Surely you’ve seen all those “Payday Loan” companies. They are everywhere but they are most concentrated just outside military bases. These companies will let you write a postdated check that they won’t deposit until your next payday and give you cash today in return. Certainly that can be very convenient for a young military person who is … Continue reading →