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son is deploying

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biglawnmower

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hello,

didnt want to discuss this too much with my wife. shes terrified enough as it is. looking for advice on how to best be there for a member of your family who is deployed.

my boy is deploying to the middle east. he starts pre mobilization training (might have butchered the name of that training but hopefully someone understands what that is) in the near future.

how often can we make contact with him? should he buy a computer? do you know how often he can call us from his base?

any assistance would be greatly appreciated
 
biglawnmower said:
hello,

didnt want to discuss this too much with my wife. shes terrified enough as it is. looking for advice on how to best be there for a member of your family who is deployed.

my boy is deploying to the middle east. he starts pre mobilization training (might have butchered the name of that training but hopefully someone understands what that is) in the near future.

how often can we make contact with him? should he buy a computer? do you know how often he can call us from his base?

any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

I can't give you the solid answers you probably want but I think you'll have more contact then you think. I want to say that I'm proud of your son for serving his country and also proud of you as parents for supporting him.
 
BRubble said:
I can't give you the solid answers you probably want but I think you'll have more contact then you think. I want to say that I'm proud of your son for serving his country and also proud of you as parents for supporting him.
Click to expand...

thank you very much. hes a good kid. trouble maker in high school but got the direction he needed. just hope he stays safe.

thanks again for your reply
 
Depends on where he is going. Most deployed locations are established and have Morale Welfare and Recreation facilities that will provide computer and phone access.

Breathe. I spent 7 trips to the ME and my son has gone twice. It was far easier to be the person going than to have your son go. But even when the hammer is dropping, you have to remember that this is what we train for. For the deployed servicemember...honestly...its where the job makes the most sense. And there should be adequate support staff to help him out if things get rough for him.

What branch of service is your son in? Active duty? Guard? Reserve? most of the branches of the military have a Family Support Center that can help out the families and especially spouses of deployed service members.
 
VanceMack said:
Depends on where he is going. Most deployed locations are established and have Morale Welfare and Recreation facilities that will provide computer and phone access.

Breathe. I spent 7 trips to the ME and my son has gone twice. It was far easier to be the person going than to have your son go. But even when the hammer is dropping, you have to remember that this is what we train for. For the deployed servicemember...honestly...its where the job makes the most sense. And there should be adequate support staff to help him out if things get rough for him.

What branch of service is your son in? Active duty? Guard? Reserve? most of the branches of the military have a Family Support Center that can help out the families and especially spouses of deployed service members.
Click to expand...

thank you sir. appreciate your kind words.

hes an infantryman, active duty, and a while ago he passed his ranger school (or rasp?) and got his ranger tab. he told me not to advertise his unit for security reasons.
 
VanceMack said:
Depends on where he is going. Most deployed locations are established and have Morale Welfare and Recreation facilities that will provide computer and phone access.

Breathe. I spent 7 trips to the ME and my son has gone twice. It was far easier to be the person going than to have your son go. But even when the hammer is dropping, you have to remember that this is what we train for. For the deployed servicemember...honestly...its where the job makes the most sense. And there should be adequate support staff to help him out if things get rough for him.

What branch of service is your son in? Active duty? Guard? Reserve? most of the branches of the military have a Family Support Center that can help out the families and especially spouses of deployed service members.
Click to expand...

sorry didnt answer the branch question. hes active duty army
 
biglawnmower said:
thank you sir. appreciate your kind words.

hes an infantryman, active duty, and a while ago he passed his ranger school (or rasp?) and got his ranger tab. he told me not to advertise his unit for security reasons.
Click to expand...
Yeah...nope...dont do that. Or where he is going.
 
biglawnmower said:
sorry didnt answer the branch question. hes active duty army
Click to expand...
Yep. i gathered. His installation should have an Army Community Service division locally. The have a Deployment Readiness Specialist that can help him with some advance knowledge. There is also a Financial Readiness and Army Emergency Relief program manager he should talk to to make sure his financial affairs are squared away.
 
VanceMack said:
Yep. i gathered. His installation should have an Army Community Service division locally. The have a Deployment Readiness Specialist that can help him with some advance knowledge. There is also a Financial Readiness and Army Emergency Relief program manager he should talk to to make sure his financial affairs are squared away.
Click to expand...

thank you very much. i will ask him about this to ensure he is taking care of his finances. should he buy a personal laptop before he leaves? other soldiers told him to but he hardly uses one. however i think it would be helpful for communication purposes.
 
biglawnmower said:
thank you very much. i will ask him about this to ensure he is taking care of his finances. should he buy a personal laptop before he leaves? other soldiers told him to but he hardly uses one. however i think it would be helpful for communication purposes.
Click to expand...
I always took one with me if for nothing else gaming and to pass the time. But again...he should check with the ACS folks. If he doesnt already have a laptop, I wouldnt bother. Maybe a cheap tablet, ASSUMING he can access WiFi.

Depending on where they are, they may have a PX and if so..and if he needs one, he can probably buy one there.
 
VanceMack said:
I always took one with me if for nothing else gaming and to pass the time. But again...he should check with the ACS folks. If he doesnt already have a laptop, I wouldnt bother. Maybe a cheap tablet, ASSUMING he can access WiFi.

Depending on where they are, they may have a PX and if so..and if he needs one, he can probably buy one there.
Click to expand...

this is good to know thank you. hes been more of a book worm than an electronics guy. he loves the bourne books. just wanted to make sure i had every opportunity to talk to him while hes over there.

spoke to the wife of one of his soldiers at family night last month. her husband has deployed once before. just scary when its your own kid. especially when you have a kid whos a rascal who WANTS to fight! guess hes in the right profession
 
biglawnmower said:
hello,

didnt want to discuss this too much with my wife. shes terrified enough as it is. looking for advice on how to best be there for a member of your family who is deployed.

my boy is deploying to the middle east. he starts pre mobilization training (might have butchered the name of that training but hopefully someone understands what that is) in the near future.

how often can we make contact with him? should he buy a computer? do you know how often he can call us from his base?

any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

Both my boys served in Iraq and Afghanistan. My oldest as an army Doc. At times, it is difficult to say the least for a parent. iPads (w cell connections) or iPhones stuffed with RAM, in excellent cases help. FaceTime is free to use. My mother kept sending me more socks, and we did the same for our sons. Most appreciated. Cold nights, extra dry and warm socks are a blessing. Dried figs and apricots go a long way. Raisins. Pay attention to Vance. Be supportive however, whatever you find it means. Never let him forget you love him unconditionally. There is nothing wrong with being afraid for him, nothing wrong with him being afraid. Only fools have no fear.
 
biglawnmower said:
this is good to know thank you. hes been more of a book worm than an electronics guy. he loves the bourne books. just wanted to make sure i had every opportunity to talk to him while hes over there.

spoke to the wife of one of his soldiers at family night last month. her husband has deployed once before. just scary when its your own kid. especially when you have a kid whos a rascal who WANTS to fight! guess hes in the right profession
Click to expand...
Yeah. Like I said...it may sound weird to those that have never been in, but often, a war zone is where things make the most sense. You usually know your mission and you tend to focus on being there and not everything thats going on back home. SUCKS for the people back home.......

Just breathe. Pray. Find comfort in your belief system. Love each other.
 
OldFatGuy said:
Both my boys served in Iraq and Afghanistan. My oldest as an army Doc. At times, it is difficult to say the least for a parent. iPads (w cell connections) or iPhones stuffed with RAM, in excellent cases help. FaceTime is free to use. My mother kept sending me more socks, and we did the same for our sons. Most appreciated. Cold nights, extra dry and warm socks are a blessing. Dried figs and apricots go a long way. Raisins. Pay attention to Vance. Be supportive however, whatever you find it means. Never let him forget you love him unconditionally. There is nothing wrong with being afraid for him, nothing wrong with him being afraid. Only fools have no fear.
Click to expand...

this is a wonderful post. thank you and thank you and your family for your services to this nation.

i havent even begun to think about what to send him. my wife keeps looking at his childhood photographs.

thinking of making him an album. but i personally think his soldier buddies will laugh at him for it :)

thanks for bringing this up. i will need to brainstorm care packages
 
biglawnmower said:
hello,

didnt want to discuss this too much with my wife. shes terrified enough as it is. looking for advice on how to best be there for a member of your family who is deployed.

my boy is deploying to the middle east. he starts pre mobilization training (might have butchered the name of that training but hopefully someone understands what that is) in the near future.

how often can we make contact with him? should he buy a computer? do you know how often he can call us from his base?

any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Stuff half pint bottle of bourbon in the home made bread.
 
VanceMack said:
Yeah. Like I said...it may sound weird to those that have never been in, but often, a war zone is where things make the most sense. You usually know your mission and you tend to focus on being there and not everything thats going on back home. SUCKS for the people back home.......

Just breathe. Pray. Find comfort in your belief system. Love each other.
Click to expand...

thank you for your service and your advice.
 
biglawnmower said:
hello,

didnt want to discuss this too much with my wife. shes terrified enough as it is. looking for advice on how to best be there for a member of your family who is deployed.

my boy is deploying to the middle east. he starts pre mobilization training (might have butchered the name of that training but hopefully someone understands what that is) in the near future.

how often can we make contact with him? should he buy a computer? do you know how often he can call us from his base?

any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

I cant speak for Iraq anymore, as its been a few years since I was there; but here in Afghanistan there is a fairly extensive internet service throughout most of the FOB's and bases.

Most of the PX's do have computers for sale, but due to software restrictions, its very hard to download things like antivirus....unless you use something like Nord VPN.

I use Skype or Facetime every night to speak to my wife and kids, so its very possible to communicate with folks back home.....there is no reason he cannot bring a computer of his own, and they do tend to cost a bit more here than they do in the states, so he may wish to get one before he leaves.

If you have any questions and dont want to throw info out into the general forum, please feel free to send me a private message.
 
You will probably be surprised of how often he is able to contact you. It isn’t like boot camp. You mentioned he is a bookworm. Does he have a Kindle? If not, get him one and have him load it up before going. That will allow him to fit his whole library right in his side cargo pocket. I personally would bring a laptop with me but I use a laptop all the time anyway. If he doesn’t use one then it might not be an issue for him, and like others have said, he can always buy one there if he changes his mind.
 
biglawnmower said:
hello,

didnt want to discuss this too much with my wife. shes terrified enough as it is. looking for advice on how to best be there for a member of your family who is deployed.

my boy is deploying to the middle east. he starts pre mobilization training (might have butchered the name of that training but hopefully someone understands what that is) in the near future.

how often can we make contact with him? should he buy a computer? do you know how often he can call us from his base?

any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...


Have no advice to give, but sending a hug to your wife. ((hug))
Our son hasn't been deployed - yet -, but a day like yours could come any time for us.
 
Bum said:
I cant speak for Iraq anymore, as its been a few years since I was there; but here in Afghanistan there is a fairly extensive internet service throughout most of the FOB's and bases.

Most of the PX's do have computers for sale, but due to software restrictions, its very hard to download things like antivirus....unless you use something like Nord VPN.

I use Skype or Facetime every night to speak to my wife and kids, so its very possible to communicate with folks back home.....there is no reason he cannot bring a computer of his own, and they do tend to cost a bit more here than they do in the states, so he may wish to get one before he leaves.

If you have any questions and dont want to throw info out into the general forum, please feel free to send me a private message.
Click to expand...

thank you for this. very helpful. i purchased him a booklet of stamps so he can write letters. maybe im too old to keep up with technology :)
 
Skeptic Bob said:
You will probably be surprised of how often he is able to contact you. It isn’t like boot camp. You mentioned he is a bookworm. Does he have a Kindle? If not, get him one and have him load it up before going. That will allow him to fit his whole library right in his side cargo pocket. I personally would bring a laptop with me but I use a laptop all the time anyway. If he doesn’t use one then it might not be an issue for him, and like others have said, he can always buy one there if he changes his mind.
Click to expand...

kindle is a very good idea. he loves to read and i am not sure if he is allowed to bring books with him. this is all very sudden.
 
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