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In Faith of Our Sons, Frank Schaeffer picks up his family's ongoing story as Corporal John Schaeffer is deployed to the Middle East on the day Gulf War II begins. Schaeffer's powerfully moving and timely account of the universal experience of losing a child-either temporarily or permanently-to war and his attendant emotions (from pride to panic to rage and back again) is punctuated throughout by the voices of the many others in Frank's situation, thousands of other parents and children, who continue to pour their hearts out to the Schaeffers in countless letters since the publication of Keeping Faith: from those waiting anxiously for loved ones to come home to those who know they never will.
The story of a young man having a growth experience by joining the military is a classic scenario, and John Schaeffer does justice to his take on it in his account of personal transformation from high-school graduate to U.S. Marines corporal. I have parents who are recommending this book for help with bootcamp as well as with deployments. It's a book of supporting your Recruit and Your Marine.
Book: Heroes at Home: Help and Hope for America's Military Families Filled with actual stories of Ellie Kay's and others' life in the military, this encouraging book provides helpful guidance to families on active duty and insight to their extended families, friends, and churches. From her perspective as the wife of an air force pilot and mom with five school-age kids, the author includes practical ideas on how to cope with frequent moves, pre-deployment readiness, and how to stay in touch when families are separated.
When Duty Calls: A Guide to Equip Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Personnel and Their Loved Ones for Military Separations
Carol Vandesteeg
Winepress Publishing
Book Description
Military families face more separation than ever before because of the downsizing of the military, while demands for deployments, sea duty, unaccompanied tours of duty, and temporary duty apart from the family increase. When Duty Calls, a valuable resource to help families meet those challenging situations, is divided into five sections:
Preparing for Family Separation discusses pre-deployment stress and expectations. A series of checklists enable people to prepare a Family Deployment Guide to meet their unique needs. Needs of single parents, dual-military families, Guards, and Reserves are addressed. Lists of resources are given.
Development talks about saying goodbye. Communicating during separations, caring for the children while a parent is away, and taking care of yourself while your spouse is gone. The roles of religious faith and support groups are presented, as are resources for further reference.
Reunion reminds readers to except changes to take place in their families during the separation. Expectations of all family members are discussed to help prepare for re-uniting. Resources are listed.
Some Don't Return discusses the regretful possibility that military members may not return from duty. POW and MIA status are presented, as is death of the service member. Ideas are given to help children and spouses experiencing grief. A list of resources for those who grieve helps people know where to turn in a tragic situation.
The Total Force gives an overview of the military components (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard), including component-specific resources; Active Duty, Reserves, and Guards are all included.
About the Author:
Author Carol Vandesteeg has lived in the military system for over 20 years. She has encountered family separation many times, most notably on a two-hour notice when her husband was deployed for 215 days. She has presented information from her book in speaking engagements on various bases and at a national chaplains conference. She was also interviewed on television (a CBS affiliate) to discuss her work.
Mrs. Vandesteeg had experience as a technical editor for an international engineering firm and as Associate Publisher for a regional publishing company before she began free lance writing.
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Heroes at Home: Help and Hope for America's Military Families
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