thedrifter
07-09-07, 07:26 AM
Deployments taking toll on spouses, general says
By: MARGA KELLOGG - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON --- Nearly 4 1/2 years into the Iraq war, "deployment fatigue" is setting in for local military families, a Marine Corps leader said at Camp Pendleton on Sunday.
Though deployments are "going better than expected," some families appear to be withdrawing from activities, said Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West.
"The spouses are getting a little tired," he said, adding that the war's effects are evident at the schools, where participation in parent teacher organizations and school events is down.
He describes this as "cocooning," in which those left behind "hunker down" after a spouse leaves.
"We try to get them out to these types of events and talk to people who are going through it themselves," he said.
Lehnert's comments came as hundreds of military personnel and their families turned out for a barbecue and other festivities at Del Mar Beach to kick off Operation Homefront's Wounded Warrior Wives Project. The project provides support services and resources for caregivers who are struggling through the bureaucracy of getting health care and benefits for wounded service members.
The event included an array of tables such as Tea & Empathy, as well as a host of resources including marriage and family therapists, attorneys, doctors and the Red Cross.
Araceli Miller was among those browsing through a tables of books during the event. Her husband, Staff Sgt. Brent Miller, has served two tours in Iraq and is going back in January.
"It's hard," she said. "We just had our first baby."
She said programs provided by Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance and morale to military personnel and their families, get her out of the house and keep her from sitting at home.
Tammra Detviler, the fiancee of Master Sgt. Maurice Velarde, is one who has struggled for support.
Velarde was wounded in Fallujah on March 31, 2004, when a mortar round landed next to him. The blast threw him over a 12-foot fence and he landed on his head, Detviler said.
The injury was determined not to be life-threatening, and Velarde continued to serve in Iraq until November of that year.
When he returned home, he was referred to a doctor for knee pain, Detviler said. In December 2004, a sports medicine doctor said he needed to see other doctors. After numerous appointments and tests it was determined he had suffered a brain injury and was having neurological symptoms.
Detviler said that as a civilian and advocate for Velarde, having to learn the military system for getting help presented "many struggles."
She said because the couple isn't married, it was even harder.
"The military only recognizes you if you're a spouse or parent," she said. "The Wounded Warriors Wives program offers support, even if you're a significant other. It's a resource for getting questions answered and lets you know you're not out there doing this yourself."
Stephen Harrington, president and chief executive officer for Operation Homefront, said there is a growing need for such services because advanced technology used in the Iraq war has created a 90 percent survival rate, and many military personnel are coming back wounded.
Tonia Sargent's husband is one of those wounded troops.
In August 2004, Master Sgt. Kenneth Sargent was caught in an ambush in Iraq. During the attack, a bullet damaged the front part of his brain.
Tonia Sargent, who works with Operation Homefront, said she has struggled to work through the obstacles posed by the military medical system.
"I felt very isolated and alone," she said. "I have post traumatic stress disorder because of his trauma. He doesn't remember the first two years. I do."
Sargent said she wants to encourage people to recycle their trauma.
"I'm proud Operation Homefront is listening to my needs as a wounded warrior wife," she said.
Contact Marga Kellogg at 760-901-4067 or mkellogg@nctimes.com
Ellie
By: MARGA KELLOGG - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON --- Nearly 4 1/2 years into the Iraq war, "deployment fatigue" is setting in for local military families, a Marine Corps leader said at Camp Pendleton on Sunday.
Though deployments are "going better than expected," some families appear to be withdrawing from activities, said Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West.
"The spouses are getting a little tired," he said, adding that the war's effects are evident at the schools, where participation in parent teacher organizations and school events is down.
He describes this as "cocooning," in which those left behind "hunker down" after a spouse leaves.
"We try to get them out to these types of events and talk to people who are going through it themselves," he said.
Lehnert's comments came as hundreds of military personnel and their families turned out for a barbecue and other festivities at Del Mar Beach to kick off Operation Homefront's Wounded Warrior Wives Project. The project provides support services and resources for caregivers who are struggling through the bureaucracy of getting health care and benefits for wounded service members.
The event included an array of tables such as Tea & Empathy, as well as a host of resources including marriage and family therapists, attorneys, doctors and the Red Cross.
Araceli Miller was among those browsing through a tables of books during the event. Her husband, Staff Sgt. Brent Miller, has served two tours in Iraq and is going back in January.
"It's hard," she said. "We just had our first baby."
She said programs provided by Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance and morale to military personnel and their families, get her out of the house and keep her from sitting at home.
Tammra Detviler, the fiancee of Master Sgt. Maurice Velarde, is one who has struggled for support.
Velarde was wounded in Fallujah on March 31, 2004, when a mortar round landed next to him. The blast threw him over a 12-foot fence and he landed on his head, Detviler said.
The injury was determined not to be life-threatening, and Velarde continued to serve in Iraq until November of that year.
When he returned home, he was referred to a doctor for knee pain, Detviler said. In December 2004, a sports medicine doctor said he needed to see other doctors. After numerous appointments and tests it was determined he had suffered a brain injury and was having neurological symptoms.
Detviler said that as a civilian and advocate for Velarde, having to learn the military system for getting help presented "many struggles."
She said because the couple isn't married, it was even harder.
"The military only recognizes you if you're a spouse or parent," she said. "The Wounded Warriors Wives program offers support, even if you're a significant other. It's a resource for getting questions answered and lets you know you're not out there doing this yourself."
Stephen Harrington, president and chief executive officer for Operation Homefront, said there is a growing need for such services because advanced technology used in the Iraq war has created a 90 percent survival rate, and many military personnel are coming back wounded.
Tonia Sargent's husband is one of those wounded troops.
In August 2004, Master Sgt. Kenneth Sargent was caught in an ambush in Iraq. During the attack, a bullet damaged the front part of his brain.
Tonia Sargent, who works with Operation Homefront, said she has struggled to work through the obstacles posed by the military medical system.
"I felt very isolated and alone," she said. "I have post traumatic stress disorder because of his trauma. He doesn't remember the first two years. I do."
Sargent said she wants to encourage people to recycle their trauma.
"I'm proud Operation Homefront is listening to my needs as a wounded warrior wife," she said.
Contact Marga Kellogg at 760-901-4067 or mkellogg@nctimes.com
Ellie