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When I meet other Blue Star parents who are facing deployment for the first time, often one of the first questions I get is “how much communication do you get during deployment?” and “How can I stay connected when he (or she) is so far away?”
These are tough questions to answer. Some of it depends on the branch of the military your son or daughter is in, and what his or her occupation in that branch is, and how you and your son or daughter’s communication is now. Another very important variable is where he or she will be deploying!
Communication has changed over the years and it will probably continue to change. The important thing is to communicate however works best for your service member!
My son’s first deployment was to Iraq during the troop surge in 2007. He started in Baghdad where there was a larger base, fewer missions (at that time) and more internet and phone access. We chatted pretty regularly via the phone, email and instant messaging. Communication was easier with all of the access and a large mail room. Packages initially got to him pretty quickly. That all changed when he left Baghdad for the missions he worked on in the Diyala Province.
He moved to a much smaller FOB and was “outside the wire” more than he was in. His missions were long and he was in a Stryker (a military combat vehicle). He sometimes went for several weeks with no communication at all. He wasn’t even really able to write during those times, because he had no where during missions to send letters from. Communication was spotty at best.
The value of handwritten letters should never be underestimated; these are like gold!
Mike’s second deployment was different. He had more access, but this time he was married (he was single during the first deployment). Of course I totally expected his primary communication to be with his wife. She was very good to us and kept us informed of how he was doing. He also could access Facebook a little.
The Forward Operating Base (FOB) your military member is going to may offer some amenities such as wireless internet coffee shops, computer labs, etc. Some FOBs do not offer these amenities and have more limited computer, internet and phone access.
Photos thanks to aroid and Minnesota National Guard via flickr creative commons
One Comment
In addition to keeping your cell phone handy at all times, get used to using Call Forwarding from your home phone number to your cell phone number. This eliminates frustrating phone tag!