Deployment 101

Good morning class! Or afternoon, depends on what part of the Earth you reside.. So, you are about to embark on a deployment huh? 1st off, hugs, 2nd off you will be FINE! It is scary to go through a deployment, whether its your 1st or 10th.

Somethings in life dont get easier, saying goodbye to your love is one of them. YOU do however learn what you are made of and find out all kinds of interesting things about yourself. Now, i'm not one to sugar coat things, so people either love my advice or want to punch me in the throat. I don't sugar coat things because I would be a HORRIBLE liar/mentor/friend/role model! Some things in life suck. There are things you need to know about deployments. First there is the RUMOR that there is a deployment pending-Relax, when its official you will be notified, 2nd, These Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are in the military-Guess what that means? yep, they will be called upon to deploy.. So while its romantic to be married to one of these heros, the reality is that you will go through a deployment.. Good news is MOST spouses are built from steel and learn really fast how much they can endure and even blossom from this. Once you DEFINATELY know a deployment is coming, have your cry, your fit, your whatever-THEN put on the big girl panties or big boy chonies and get moving on the many things you need to do BEFORE the military person leaves.

Some things you will need to do before is: POA-POWER OF ATTORNEY, these will allow you to get things done with finance, banking, housing, credit cards, etc.. You will need multiple ones, contact your banks and financial companies to see if they require their own specific one. The military does these for free for you, so GET IT DONE!

Next is make a budget. Why make a budget? Well because while you will be getting extra money(approx 525.00 more each month) you and your sponser will be living in 2 separate areas and both will need money. He/she will need to pay for internet, phone cards, anything extra that he/she will require. Most soldiers use their eagle cash card, but guess where that money comes from? yes, your bank account. What we do is have a budget of how much Sal puts on his eagle cash card each pay period. For Sal, its 75.00(to be honest, out of the 150.00 he gets a month, id have to say he only uses about 40.00) YOU also need to be on a budget, because when that money comes in, you do enjoy and get used to it-Remember, it stops that moment he/she walks off that plane...Save as much as possible, you will want to have a nice trip when they come home, or buy some nice things for your house when he/she comes home.

Talk about your RR with your soldier, and include family and friends if that is what he/she desires, they love him/her too and are wishing nothing but positive things as well. If your soldier doesnt want family around, let them figure out how to let them know.

In regards to OPSEC, you CAN tell your parents, soldiers parents, etc where they are going, just let them know that it needs to be on the DL for a little bit. It puts their mind at ease, really it does. Make sure you send out his/her mailing address to his family and friends, I cannot stress how much soldiers enjoy hearing their name called at mail call. The more the better when it comes to love and support.
TO BE CONTINUED....

Anthony Giancarlo Urzi

So, 18 years ago I gave birth to our 2nd son. At the time we thought he would be the last of our spawn, so I savored each and every moment with him. He was born at 11:49am at Luke AFB in Phoenix Arizona, he weighed in at 8lbs and 11 ozs and was 20 inches long. Tony was born with a bitty bit of hair and was the yummiest baby ever. Sal was in Germany, so my stand in was my sister, Ronni. It was a quick labor and fairly easy. My sister kept reminding me I was having a baby, LOL.. Tony was a VERY particular kiddo.. He had OCD and tactile sensitivity, so his needs were WAY different than the others, LOL.. Some things we couldnt do with him was to put him in overalls(the straps were never even and exact enough) He has to wear socks with a red line across the toes and he had to line his feet up in them just right, his shoes had to be tied a certain way and GOD forbid if anyone touched ANYTHING he was eating, LOL.. Oy, he wore me out, but I didnt mind, we just thought he was a picky kiddo, LOL.. So, eventually he grew out of those things and became one of the FUNNIEST people I know... Im proud to call him my son and proud of him.. so here is my Dear Tony letter..Im trying to do this without tears..

Dear Tony,

WOW! Today you turn 18!! 18 means so many things. It means you are an "adult", you can make adult decisions, you can vote, you have to register with the Selective Service. I cant describe how much we love you. I love your funny sayings and love that you dont swear-that is a rarity in your age group. I love that you ALWAYS help homeless people and encourage others to do the same. I love that when you talk about playing in the NBA, that you also say you will always feed the homeless and help them. One of the greatest memories I have of you is when you and little Nic fist pumped a not so cool little freshman in front of your peers. You should have seen his face. He looked as though he were on cloud 9. And you did it out of kindness, not being a smart butt. I remember saying something to you about it and you replied with " We look after that kid, he's a good kid" You are always for the underdog and never exclude people. That will help you go far in life, I promise. Even if your room is gross and a pigstye and eventhough you go through gas in cars like water and EVEN when your grades arent exactly where id hope- I love you. I love that you are my son, I love that you are in our lives, I love you for being a great big brother to your little brothers and a wonderful little brother to your sisters. I love and admire your unconditional acceptance to EVERYONE. You are a great man, Anthony Giancarlo Urzi.. You will go far in life. Always give everything 100% and remember, when you are playing for the Phoenix Suns-I will be in those stands, screaming "Thats MY boy!" XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Should I stay or should I go?

Okay, this is a question I see ALL THE TIME from military spouses.. Should I stay put at our duty station or go home to family??? This is TRULY a personal decision that ONLY YOU can make. You have to make a list of pros and cons. Ill share mine with you and you can see why I decide to stay put:

PROS-(to stay put)
*Get timely information
*Don't get lost in the shuffle(A great frg will always make sure you are contacted)
*I get to know our Rear D and the people who will understand any issues
*Im around "like" people, who are in this with me
*Im in OUR home
*Me and our children are stable
*We can participate in activities just for deployed families.
*We can participate in all the fun redeployment activities
I could go on and on, but you get the gist...

I choose to stay put because going home FOR ME, makes me feel like a child all over again and I cant stand it. We can go visit our family whenever we want and then leave :) Dont feel guilty if you HAVE to go home, its scary being in a different place and not around anyone that you need. If you stay put, volunteer, meet a mentor and stay positive. Make goals during the deployment and follow them :)

Good luck to my sister and brother spouses who are about to embark on their deployments...