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To the spouse facing their first deployment (from your military family)

  We’ve all received unsolicited advice at one time or another. Sometimes, it’s helpful. Like if you’re headed into a bathroom stall and another lady grabs your arm and says “I wouldn’t go in that one.” Sometimes, it’s like when older female family members tried to convince me on when I needed to resume my marital relations after the baby was born. Just…. just no.  Within the military community, we have so many amazing families who have an incredible amount of wisdom and experience, highlighted with their own victories and challenges and the times they screwed up so badly it’s listed in the ‘what not to do’ in the family briefing.  And with all that experience comes some pretty stellar advice that you know is worth the time because it comes from years of hard work. This week, some of the military spouses in our community shared their advice when it came to deployments. The experiences of the spouses included is as varied as their suggestions. They come from Air Force, Army, Navy and Special Forces families, from Canada, the USA and Australia. Some have just completed their first deployment, some their 7th.  The best part is, none of them are ME! What they have in common is that they wish someone would have told them what they know now when they were first starting out. And so they chose to share here their best advice to families facing their first deployment.     It starts earlier than you think: Anonymous: “It’s okay you’re fighting. His brain deploys weeks before his body.” Kim: “It’s totally normal that he’s being a huge jerk…