Almost nine years ago Mason left for his first war-time deployment to Iraq in January 2003. We were called back early from Christmas leave and told to be ready for him to leave in two weeks. There was a scramble to get gear together and all affairs in order (think power of attorney and a will). When they guys finally did leave we were told to prepare for a year long deployment. The deployment didn't last a year, thankfully. They came home in May, but the communication was nothing like it is today. I had one phone call the entire time he was gone and very few letters. There was no email. Many people in the community wanted to help families, but this kind of deployment was new and no one understood needs or even how to help. Many young wives were having babies without husbands home for the birth, hurricanes hit, cars broke down, and other home "disasters" still occurred. During deployments something always seems to go wrong, whether the dishwasher quits working or you have an infestation of mice (this is what I had fun dealing with!!), and as a military spouse you have to figure out how to make it all work.
One of the organizations that arose from the desire of others to help families and servicemen with ANY need is called Operation Homefront (http://www.operationhomefront.com/) . This organization is near and dear to my heart. I have worked with them on several occasions in dealing with getting military families the assistance they need. One thing that I love about Operation Homefront is that you can help on an extremely local level. On the website, you can find a family in your hometown that may need help or you can list a service you provide (lawn, lawyers, repair, etc.). The organization also has a place where you can donate monetarily to a cause that is listed. I love that they list very specific needs which can be met by 1 or 1000 people who are willing to help. If you know of a family who needs assistance please refer them to the site.
Right now Operation Homefront has a partnered with Huggies. Kimberly Clark will donate 1 box of diapers for each box of the new camo diapers, that are being released this month and sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. This is a great way for you to support an organization dedicated to helping military families.
I encourage you to browse through the site to see all that they offer and to see if you are available to volunteer for any of the current opportunities. Please keep this organization in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to help all of the military families, they truly are doing an amazing job.
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