|
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 11, 2008) - Servicemembers, veterans and
their families going through problems related to deployments can
get help from a California-based troop-support organization.
Members of the group, called Patriotic Hearts, have developed a
plan to help families navigate the sometimes-unexpected issues they
may face when a loved one returns from the front lines.
The plan involves working with spouses of deployed
servicemembers to map out welcome-home parties, helping veterans
find jobs, and hosting military marriage-enrichment weekends.
"This three-point plan also addresses the needs of the military
children, who endure tremendous stresses," Mark Baird, president of
Patriotic Hearts, said.
Welcome home parties, the first part of the plan, play an
important and vital role in helping military families start over
again when a spouse returns from deployment, he said. Held in a
large picnic area on or near military facilities, the parties
provide a day of fun, music, food and laughter.
These events, while being especially beneficial for the
children, help the whole family close the book on a stressful
chapter in their lives, Baird said.
"It is our conviction that welcome-home parties are cathartic,
and that they play an important first step in increasing
psychological, emotional and marital well-being among our troops
and their families," he said. "The celebration completes the
cycle."
HirePatriots.com -- a free, online job posting and search board
for troops, spouses and veterans -- works to help with the second
phase of Patriotic Hearts' plan. It was created in response to an
injured Marine's need for work after returning from deployment to
find his family's car had been repossessed.
In San Diego, where the program originated, more than 2,000
members of the military community find employment each month.
Keeping families together and lessening the effects of
post-traumatic stress disorder are ancillary effects that
HirePatriots.com creates, Baird said.
Financial stress is a big factor in many divorces, he noted.
"When added to the extraordinary stresses of the military and
multiple combat deployments, the lack of enough money can be lethal
[for marriages]," he said, adding that finding employment also can
remove a stress factor that can contribute to PTSD.
The third way Patriotic Hearts has to help military families is
its military marriage-enrichment weekends. The program provides
all-expenses-paid, off-installation marriage retreats for current
troops and recent veterans.
"The first to be invited are the wounded warriors from base
hospitals," Baird said. "But all troops and [recent] veterans are
welcome to attend."
This is the least servicemembers returning from deployment and
their families deserve, he added.
Patriotic Hearts is a supporter of America Supports You, a
Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with
servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals,
groups and organizations that are helping support the troops,
visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America
Supports You directly connects military members to the support of
the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their
quest to find meaningful ways to support the military
community.
|
