Reaching out during holiday deployments

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joshua Stevens
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
The holidays are a time of giving, sharing and celebrating with loved ones. But amidst the gift opening, revelry and joy, some Air Force families and friends find themselves celebrating without the company of a deployed servicemember.

When an Air Force member is deployed during the holiday season, it's especially crucial to maintain solid contact with that person. Fortunately, there are people who can offer advice, and there are programs in place to assist friends and family with staying in touch.

"Communication keeps relationships strong," said Staff Sgt. Ann Mitchell, the Ellsworth Airman and Family Readiness Center readiness NCO. "The less people communicate with each other, the less close they will feel. Also, by the time the deployed member comes back, it will be harder to reintegrate if they haven't kept good contact up the whole time."

Communication can be prepared for prior to the actual deployment itself.

The AFRC offers pre-deployment briefings to families that explain different methods for keeping contact with the deployed members, Sergeant Mitchell said.

She explained that AFRC offers video phones, morale calls, webcams and internet access to all families of those deployed. Families can come into the center at any time during the duty day to utilize these options as long as they have coordinated with the deployed military member ahead of time.

Morale calls are made through the Hearts Apart program.

Hearts Apart provides telephone access and phone cards to the individuals involved, free of charge, said Master Sgt. Chris Morgan, 28th Mission Support Squadron first sergeant.

Always a communication staple, sending a letter is still one of the main ways people keep in touch.

"I liked receiving letters. It was like getting a little present every time. I especially loved when there were pictures included," Sergeant Mitchell said, speaking of her own deployment history.

When writing to family there are issues the military member should keep in mind.

"Make sure loved ones know that you can handle it," Sergeant Morgan said. "Don't take the stress of war out on them. They have their own stresses as it is."

"They should tell family anything that isn't a security concern, and just keep the conversation positive," Sergeant Mitchell said.

Also, people need to remember that servicemembers can be quite busy, and a family shouldn't worry if it takes a few weeks to get a response, especially with increased mail traffic at this time of year, Sergeant Morgan said.

A great way for families to keep in contact is to send care packages to their loved one, Sergeant Morgan said.

Typical items to include in a care package would be: non-perishable food, candy, powdered sports drinks, travel-size board games, foot powder, sun block and basic toiletry items.

The holidays can cause people to want to send items of higher value.

Sergeant Morgan advises against this, saying, "You don't really want to send high-value items in general, because you may not be able to use them out there anyway. You also might risk losing it to customs. Sometimes items don't always make it to their destinations."

Besides family and friends, private individuals who would like to send packages can utilize the Web site www.americasupportsyou.com to find ways that they can support deployed troops. 

If a person would like to just drop off packages to send to no one in particular, the AFRC can most times send them out on that person's behalf, Sergeant Mitchell said.

Concerning the time it takes for packages to be delivered to servicemembers, she said, "Sometimes packages can get there in as little as a week, but it is still good to allow at least two weeks."

Adults, however, are not the only ones who correspond with deployed loved ones; children can also communicate back and forth.

Parents can bring children to the AFRC to use all of the resources available for the adults, and we also have writing guides available that contain paper, envelopes and stamps, she said.

"I highly suggest having children write letters. When I was deployed, my locker was plastered with drawings from my daughter," Sergeant Morgan said.

When corresponding with a child, the member should never make promises that he or she cannot keep, and make sure that they are maintaining constant communication with the other adult in charge of the child, so that neither party overrides each other, he said.

People should use special regard in spousal communication, too.

"Be 'open and honest,'" Sergeant Morgan said. "Don't give a false sense of what's going on [at the deployed location]. Make sure you don't sugarcoat the situation, but at the same time don't over-elaborate either."

Several other options exist for keeping in contact.

Using the internet, people can stay in touch by utilizing social networking sites and building their own websites, Sergeant Morgan said. "It's a great method to share pictures through."

Sergeants Mitchell and Morgan both said videotaping family gatherings and events is a very unique way to keep a deployed member involved. Families can record everything from holidays to sporting events and record them to a DVD to send to the member.

Also, since most deployed locations have a public affairs office that puts out a base paper, deployed Airmen can send it to their families, Sergeant Mitchell said. "It's a nice way to let them know what's going on where you are."

Sometimes deployed servicemembers need to be contacted immediately.

In the case of an emergency, it is important for families to always contact the American Red Cross first, Sergeant Morgan said. When an Airman deploys, he or she fills out an emergency identification card that is listed with ARC and is available when an emergency occurs.

With the holiday season at the doorstep, making use of the resources available to family and friends can help bring a deployed Airman that much closer to home, and when that Airman finally does get home, hopefully he or she will hardly even feel like they were gone in the first place.

For more information about Hearts Apart or deployment support, contact AFRC at 385-4663.