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thedrifter
12-12-08, 05:28 AM
Divorce rates edged upward last year in both Marine Corps and Army
Published Thu, Dec 11, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531

Two branches of the nation's military continue to push programs to help service members strengthen their marriages as divorce rates increase among their ranks.

Divorce rates among married members of the Marine Corps and the Army increased during the 2008 fiscal year, according to statistics released last week by the Pentagon. The fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

The Corps experienced the largest increase of all, with 3.7 percent of the more than 84,000 married Marines getting divorced in 2008, up from 3.3 percent in 2007, according to the Defense Department.

The divorce rate among the Army's 287,000 married troops rose to 3.5 percent, up from 3.3 percent last year.

Long and repeated combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq have had an undeniable effect on the home lives of the nation's troops, said Kelly Hruska, deputy director of government relations for the National Military Family Association, a Fairfax, Va.-based nonprofit group.

"The operational tempo is extremely high," she said. "Few people were surprised by this news. I think we would have been surprised, if (divorce rates were declining.)"

Marines and soldiers have been the largest part of the fighting force on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hruska said the Army and Marine Corps have made admirable attempts to helptheir service membersreadjust to family life after returning home from war.

"The services are trying to respond and trying to be proactive, but they've got to overcome that mindset and that stereotype that sees going to counseling and asking for help as a weakness," she said.

Marine Corps Community Services in Beaufort offers programs and workshops to teach couples conflict management, problem-solving and communication skills.

Still, Hruska said it's incumbent upon the service members to get the help they need to repair their marriages, as none of the relationship-building programs offered by the military are mandatory.

"The military facilitates all of these programs. I mean there's no shortage of opportunities here, but this isn't a lawful order," she said. "You can't force anyone to participate in these programs."

Comparing the divorce rates among the military with civilian divorce rates is difficult, as there is no comparable system for tracking those statistics among civilians, the Pentagon said.

According to the most recent statistics available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the divorce rate in 2005 was 3.6 per 1,000 people, the lowest rate since 1970.
(for fiscal year 2008, Oct. 1, 2007-Sept. 30, 2008) 25,750: U.S military divorces 10,200: Army divorces 3,077: Marine Corps divorces 5,441: Navy divorces 7,032: Air Force divorces

Ellie