This website is all about survival – maybe not in the traditional sense, but survival nonetheless.

You see, I am the mother of a soldier, and not just any soldier, but Airborne … who now flies Apache helicopters! What this has meant for me is that essentially, since my only son “Buddy” joined the Army (just about one month before his 18th birthday) he has deployed to a war zone roughly every other year.

The first two times, Buddy was Airborne infantry – which can be interpreted as front lines and most dangerous. By the third deployment, he had re-trained and switched to an IT billet. That meant he was no longer on the front lines, but that really did not give me much solace. He remained in that billet for the fourth deployment as well. Recently, I have learned that deployment number five was on the horizon.

Each time Buddy has deployed, I looked for ways to survive the assault on my sanity caused by having my son in a war zone. Over the years, I have developed some basic coping techniques like cookie baking, inventive crafting and filling care packages with the previously mentioned cookies and crafts and sending cigars, toys and toiletries as well. All of which have helped me endure Buddy’s past deployments. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that by spending my nervous energies in this way, it not only benefited me, but it also benefited Buddy and those he served with, too.

I mean, supporting Buddy was and is paramount for me. I have been educated as to what these guys went (and still go) through and it always made me feel good to know that I had made a positive difference in the lives of some of the troops.  I continue to do so even when Buddy is safe and sound and at home. And, even though I have been successful in my attempts to maintain some sort of balance during these obviously crazy times, I am always looking for something new and different to distract me from the stress of deployments, not to mention new ways to support the troops. Enter this Blog!

I know that the constant worry and feelings of trepidation – peppered with moments of intense fear – are not unique to me. I am keenly aware of the turmoil that a military career generates for all family members, not to mention the troops themselves.

As the mother (or father or wife or husband) of any of our troops, it’s not always easy to know what to do or even what to say sometimes. Over the past, roughly, thirteen years that my son has served, not to mention the eighteen years I spent at the Pentagon, I have learned some things.

To begin with, deployments do not get any easier as the number of times deployed grows; in fact they get harder. And it was during a pep talk I was giving myself recently, trying to convince myself that it would all be OK, that I had a thought. Perhaps the best way to survive this deployment would be to share it. And, by “sharing” I don’t mean just my thoughts, but my cookie baking, my crafts, and basically my experiences with keeping it positive, and making it all work.

So specifically, this website is about survival through support, hopefully not just for the military and their families, but for others who would like to support the troops and aren’t sure where to start.  Support is the key.

I cannot overstate how important it is for the physical and emotional well-being of all involved. Consider this fact: PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is less prevalent in those troops who have received the most support during and after deployments. Probably before as well, but sometimes deployments are relatively no-notice which makes the during and after that much more important. Consider also that the family members of deployed troops can also suffer from PTSD, so support would help in these cases as well.

It should go without saying that being positive and as upbeat as possible is paramount to the success of the support.