|
This will be my last "Reflection" since my son Rudd is due home shortly from Afghanistan. I want to thank you for your interest in marines serving in Afghanistan and your prayers for Rudd and his Advisory Team.
What I want us to consider this month is reentry. You may have seen returning warriors reunited with their families amidst great joy and excitement. The other side of the coin, however, is all the adjustments required after the initial hugs and kisses. In the absence of one spouse, the other has had to manage the household and the children alone, fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of the other.
For most marines, a deployment lasts from 7 months to one year. In Rudd's case his team will have been gone for a year. Much has happened in that year, especially in the life of young children. A baby takes her first step, or speaks his first word, and there may have been special school events, holidays or birthdays, but "Mom" or "Dad" was not there.
If the deployed parent was the disciplinarian, how do they reassume that role? If Dad has become "Mr. Mom" in the absence of his spouse, how does he now go about relinquishing that role (especially if he thinks he's gotten pretty good at it . . .) A deployed parent will inevitably return a changed person after their combat experiences - how will the spouse cope with those changes? Expectations for the returning warrior and the spouse who has faithfully held the home front may be quite different. 
In WW II, troops came home on ships that gave them weeks to reflect, talk with each other, and decompress from their wartime experiences. Now our troops move from the war zone to home in a matter of days. In Rudd's case he will go from an all male combat environment to a lovely home filled with feminine graces. He was fortunate to be home for the birth of his first child, but she will be nearly 8 months old when he sees her next month.
Please pray for Rudd and his team as they reintegrate with their families.
| 
