Essay On Military Families

Families face numerous challenges before, during, and after a family member has been deployed. A lot of attention and studies have been placed on the deployment of the soldiers, but the return and reunification process can be just as stressful. The proposed documentaries will give a brief overview of military families and will follow the conflicts and struggle these families faced when their service members returned home from deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
These deployments varied in length depending on which branch of the military the service member is enlisted in. The average length of a deployment is between 9 and 15 months. This is a long time period for families to be away from their loved one. When the service member left, the remaining parent was now required to handle the increase in family responsibilities, financial concerns, loneliness, and anxiety over the safety of their loved one.
Shifts in the decision making processes that normally occur in the family dynamic are forced to take place. The spouse remaining at home now has to take on the responsibilities of making the decisions regarding the finances and the household. This can be empowering for many spouses, but can later cause friction when the service member returns home and looks to get back into …show more content…
Prior to enlisting in the Navy and becoming a lieutenant, Mr. Williams was honorably discharged as a corporal from the U.S. Marines. Montel Williams spent years serving both at sea and ashore and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal. Montel Williams also conducted informal counseling for the wives and families of the service members who were at his command. Mr. Williams is knowledgeable of the unique circumstances that military families face and he could bring a calm and understanding presence to the families featured each