The Struggles of Military Families

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The Struggles of Military Families We feel pride when somebody joins the United States Armed Forces. It feels good to know that there are ordinary citizen, who arm themselves with bravery and courage to embrace such an extraordinary journey to defend our nation; but nothing is free in this world, not even freedom. Military families struggle with stress and anxiety due to the hectic work schedules, relocation, and deployments. The changes on the work schedule and relocation requires that military families become more flexible to adapt to rapid changes. One of the most common changes is the sudden is that of the duty hours. On a more regular schedule, soldiers have to report for duty at 06:00a.m., but sometimes special situations arise and soldiers are required to check in at earlier hours. Moreover, the time to go home is unknown, which make it difficult for the soldier to plan activities with its family. For example, they might be told that release time is 05:00p.m., but suddenly there are new or unfinished task, and soldiers can’t go home until everything is complete. These changes on the work hours affect how families spend their bonding time. Additionally, each soldier has to work 24 hours shifts at least twice a month, which consist of guarding the building where the single soldiers live. Soldiers are also required to attend mandatory training, which involves traveling to a different military installation. The recurring relocation of their families due to changes of duty station affects the military spouse’s opportunity to retain a job, and to settle down their kids in school. Every time a soldier receives orders to a different installation, its spouse has to quit its job. These changes can complicate thing by having to start a job with a different employer every couple years. This is one of the reasons why spouses, especially wives, stay at home and take

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