Understand
The Need
Imagine being separated from your spouse and family for months or years. How would you feel missing your children’s birthdays and school events, time with your spouse, and life as you know it? Now imagine coming back to your family after so much time has passed and readjusting. For the men and women of our military, these difficulties are a reality as they are apart from the ones they love while fighting for our country.
An Incredible Strain
Even military who describe their marriages as ‘strong’ talk about the incredible strain separation causes. Repeated deployments to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan ‘take a toll on family life,’ says Kathleen Moakler, deputy director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. ‘Military families are being asked to make enormous sacrifices, and unfortunately, not every family structure is up to the challenges.’1
Divorce on the Rise
One out of five military marriages falls apart within two years when one spouse has been deployed,2 and this rate is escalating at an alarming rate. Since Afghanistan, over 56,000 marriages in the US Army alone have ended in divorce. According to a 2006 USA Today article, divorces among enlisted personnel doubled from 2001 to 2004, and three times as many Army officers divorced in the previous year compared to 2001. the challenges faced by military couples truly can be devastating to their marriages, children, and families.
Source
1www.military.com, visited June 9, 2005, Divorce Rate Among Active-Duty Army Officers Has Risen Dramatically
2www.DivorceReform. Org, visited April 2, 2007, US Army in Battle to Cut Divorce Rate
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