Customer Reviews

Surviving Deployment: A Guide for Military Families

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My husband is a Marine. He just got back from a long deployment. Before that, his deployments and trainings were shorter but it seemed like he was gone all the time. I'm not sure which was worse - saying goodbye all the time or just having him gone the whole time!

One thing I liked about this book was the section on how to win cooperation from your kids and how to avoid child abuse. None of us thinks about this much because of course we would never want to hurt our kids. But deployments put a lot of pressure on a lot of single parents who are also under tremendous stress. After reading this book, we talked about the ideas and brainstormed more at our key volunteer meeting. My favorite is when the heat gets high in our house, we put on good music and dance! Another is when anyone (kids too!) feels like hitting, we hug something instead. Some stuffed animals got the stuffing hugged hard right out of them!

Another idea I got from this book was to keep a journal of how I spend my time and when I or my kids get upset. It really helped me realize some of the routines we could adjust to make it easier for everyone. The book is full of little tidbits like this.

I also liked that it walks you through different stages of feelings. It was nice to know that feeling guilty for being happy that he's gone is normal! I hate goodbyes and I'm always glad that part is over even though I hate for him to be gone.

This is a big book that covers a lot of ground. One thing I wish it had more on is faith. It's obvious the author has a lot of faith - I would have loved some more ideas on how to keep the faith deployment after deployment. I think the worry just increases (are we pushing our luck with another one?).

Some of the things here are common sense. But who has common sense when your partner is in a combat zone for a year? ;-) It's worth the money even if you only get a few reminders of what you know from previous deployments (at least it's all in one place organized for you!). Overall, I'm glad I read the book and I will still use a lot of the ideas when the deployments are over.

I read the Amazon review about this book not being as helpful because the author's view is as a Marine wife in six or seven-month deployments vs year-long Army deployments. I disagree with that reviewer. I think the author did a great job of interviewing families in all branches and including information that goes beyond one perspective. All deployments are hard and I found this book to be so helpful! My husband deployed with the Army National Guard. We are not at a base with lots of military families - we are in a regular civilian neighborhood. I found it very helpful to have this book to turn to, especially since I don't have a lot of local military resources. I got ideas for communication and helping our kids. A lot of the information is good for anyone to know - no matter what branch of service or even if you are not in the military! I also found it a helpful reminder to get certain papers in order, such as wills and powers of attorney - nice to have the checklists.

I heard the author speak to a group of Army Reserve and National Guard families. She has a great perspective and was very inspiring. She grew up near an Army base, was married to a Marine (who died recently) and volunteers her time to help families in all branches.

This book was published just before the war in Iraq. The author could not have known that so many people would be deployed for such a long time. National Guard used to have a six-month limit on deployments until 9/11 and now they can be deployed for up to 18-24 months. It is tiring to go so long in these deployments and no book is going to have all the answers, but I've found this one to be the best of any about deployment (I think I've read them all now!).

Just a note to all of you who like to help other military families - this is one of the authors who is very accessible. I really liked talking with her and felt that she really cares. She shared ideas that have come up in her workshops since this book was published. To help families with reuniting after long (a year or more) deployments, she is writing a book on reunions. A friend of mine was interviewed for it - more info is on the survivingdeployment.com site. The author said she wants all branches again and all types of reunions - so tell your story to help others going through this hard time!!

I'm very thankful for all the people who took the time to write about their experiences and things they've learned. In addition to this book, I also recommend for kids Michelle Ferguson-Cohen's "Daddy, You're My Hero" and "When Dad's at Sea" by Mindy Pelton (even though it's Navy-focused, I thought it was really touching and my kids loved it). My daughter also liked writing in the "Deployment Journal for Kids" by Rachel Robertson.

A friend gave me this book because my husband is deployed and she thought it had great advice and checklists in it. While it does have all that great info in it, what I love best is all the personal stories. The author does a great job of weaving in how other people have handled certain situations. Whenever I looked up something in the book, I found myself sitting down and reading it for a while because it was so interesting - like talking to a good friend who understands just how I feel. It's so interesting to read other people's experience during deployments, how they found out about it, how they handled their kids' emotions, etc. I laughed and cried because it is like reading about myself! I got so many ideas. Awesome.

I recently attended a deployment/reunion workshop given by the author. She is a dynamic speaker, down-to-earth person, and has lots of experience to share. She has a great sense of humor and outlook on life. Everyone at the workshop received a book. I read it right away.

I have four young kids. My husband has been deployed for a year and I sometimes lose my patience! I learned some great tips for "winning cooperation" and seeing things from my kids' perspective. (And yes, I realized a few things that are my fault that I've been blaming on my kids!)

I highly recommend this book!

And if you can, get the author to speak at your post/base. The workshop was a nice complement to the book. She made it very relevant to our battalion's situation. I was feeling down when I went in and I came out feeling inspired and ready to handle the last stretch of deployment. It was nice to see the author's sense of humor and examples continued in the book. I think my kids are very happy I attended and read this book! Get it for yourself and your kids will benefit too!

In the past few years, there have been several books published for military spouses and families. I've read a lot of them. Some don't have much information - just fluffy stuff. And some are not well written. This book is different.

Surviving Deployment I like because it has a good balance between well-researched information, practical checklists, and real life examples. The personal examples/stories are selective and weaved into the information so the information is more true to life. The author is a very good writer so the information and stories flow well. It's easy to pick up the book and use the information or just enjoy reading it.

Another difference is that this book is what I would consider full-length - about 100 pages more than most of the other books. There are whole chapters on important deployment-focused topics like children, finances, communication, and reunion. I also like the two chapters with ideas specifically for spouses taking care of ourselves and using our survival gear.

Overall, I think this is the best resource on deployments. This isn't the book you want if you're looking for a general overview of military life, but if you are in a deployment situation, this is definitely the book to get. I've been through three major deployments and I highly recommend this book.

I ordered this book as a fiancee going through a first time deployment and found it to be very useful. More useful than any other book I have read so far or information that I have found online. It is a very real and captivating book and it only took me one day to finish it (it's a pretty lengthy book!). I would recommend this book to any girlfriend, fiancee, or wife of a military man. There seemed to be more information for the wives, but that's a good thing! Loved it!

I actually read this book after going through 2 long (9 mo and 12 mo) deployments with my husband. One of those deployments was peace time disaster assistance; the other was war zone Iraq. This book was outstanding and I wish I had read it prior to any deployments; even so I picked up a lot of good tips and sound advice for the next time. I loved that it was useful to me and my husband. It sparked quite a few conversations and next time we will both be better prepared. The author has clearly been there and done that; her knowledge and experience shine through. She emphasizes how to turn a very difficult situation into a positive growth opportunity for all family members. I gave it four stars only because I wish it had contained more post-deployment information especially post-war zone. Publications are woefully light on this information and it is becoming a serious coping issue for many modern military families. Despite this one down point, the book was outstanding and I highly recommend it to any military wife and couple regardless of previous deployment experience.

As a new Army wife, I was very unknowledgable about the inner workings of the military. My husband is currently training to go to Iraq in another state. This book has helped me to understand what is and will be happening in our relationship and lives together as we prepare to be apart for the next 18 months. I recommend this book to anyone who is just starting off as a military spouse.

The whole time I was reading this book, I felt very connected. It hit on all the buttons and issues I have faced. I liked that it was written by someone who has been through it herself. Not many of my friends and family understand what I have been going through in this deployment and I felt like finally someone understands. I am using a lot of the ideas. Very helpful.

I am a Military "Brat" as well as a Military spouse. After reading this book I realized that even though I have been a spouse for 17 years there are still things to be learned, things to be updated(wills) and reviewed(insurance policies,budgets). This book has checklists that are for anyone to follow not just Military. If you have spouses that travel this book if for you, if you have children this book is for you, if you have moved recently or are planning to this book if for you. New to the military? "Surviving Deployment" is exactly what you need!