HEALTH

Fighting On Two Fronts

What happens when military families, already strained by long war-zone deployments, get hit with a devastating illness at home.

By Daniel Stone | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Dec 10, 2008

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  • Posted By: Wishfulthinker17 @ 04/04/2009 12:36:38 PM

    First off, I think it is absolutely HORRIBLE to take someone away from their family for a WHOLE YEAR! who in their right state of mind came up with this plan? A few months is bad enough, but a whole year?...give me a break. Family is more important than anything in this world and so are loved ones. If for any reason my fiancee (very soon to be husband) gets deployed, like hell if anybody will try to come to my aid besides MY HUSBAND! I do not need assistance or anything from anyone else except him. Thanks but no thanks. You got him over there and you can bring him right back! I think this war is a horrible thing, and it needs to end very soon. I cannot imagine the stress and grief these families are feeling with their loved ones being gone. It is absolutely SICK! Especially mothers trying to raise their children, work, keep the chaos down, manage the family all the while being a complete emotional wreck.....I feel for them so much!!! And then since our economy is supposively going to *** and healthcare is such a major expense, this war is going to make healhcare expenses rise due to all of the insane, stressed out people dealing with all this stupid ***. Can anyone tell I do not like this war? So my input is that in any emergeny these soliders need to be sent home IMMEDIATELY! They need to be all sent home period, and lets move on with our lives instead of fighting all the damn time! Life is too short, everyone just get the hell over it!

    • Posted By: richarro @ 05/03/2009 5:12:18 PM

      While I may agree with your sentiments, they are not realistic. You may want to get a better understanding of what spouses and families of AD military go through prior to marrying. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to disappointment. Year-long deployments are standard, and they simply cannot always come home for what you define as a crisis. Best of luck to you. <army major's wife, Ft. Hood, TX>

    • Posted By: richarro @ 05/03/2009 5:11:53 PM

      While I may agree with your sentiments, they are not realistic. You may want to get a better understanding of what spouses and families of AD military go through prior to marrying. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to disappointment. Year-long deployments are standard, and they simply cannot always come home for what you define as a crisis. Best of luck to you. <army major's wife, Ft. Hood, TX>

  • Posted By: beaksparent17 @ 03/20/2009 9:09:17 PM

    From first hand experience, I tend to agree.

  • Posted By: H Boggs @ 01/31/2009 5:25:01 AM

    May the family who shared this story be blessed. As a military spouse myself, I know this story happens to "a lot" of military families worldwide yearly. It takes a great amount of courage to go through seperation in critical times and also to take your experience and speak out to help others facing simliar problems. Thank you also to the reporter who publicized this article. Hopefully oneday, the military would create a special group to handle these special issues and better assist families in times of crisis. Family readiness is not enough, simply put. Many times the family member facing the illness has a hard time talking to their spouse's associates and volunteers. In turn, their is truly little support, a major emotional strain on the one whose ill, the children, and the deployed spouse. The more people who speak out on this issue will hopefully help open the world's eyes on the issue of better assisting military families.

  • Posted By: valark @ 12/17/2008 1:24:32 PM

    You know because she quotes people and where appropriate names the source of the statistical reference. This is the basic standards for journalism and I find it hard to believe you are having issues with it. What sort of "Dr" are you?

  • Posted By: sgarrisonNC @ 12/15/2008 2:05:23 PM

    DrArne - I agree. Newsweek has weakened what little trust there was between the magazine and its readers by presenting what amounted to an opinion piece by Ms Miller as factual news or research.

  • Posted By: DrArne @ 12/14/2008 7:49:32 AM

    Good story, and I really do hope it has a core of truth. BUT: How can I actually know that Newsweek this time has presented an accurate, honest and balanced work of journalism and not just an ???article??? filled with one-sided, very disputable ???opinions??? a la staff writer Lisa Miller's cover story in Newsweek?

  • Posted By: DoctorLady @ 12/11/2008 8:56:41 PM

    If you want to help military families with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, please consider donating to Fisher House. http://www.fisherhouse.org/

  • Posted By: aausband @ 12/10/2008 10:45:22 PM

    I am often moved by some of these stories and want to help. Can you provide information where I can make a donantion?

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