Connecting Military Families and Loved Ones

As a military spouse living in Japan, I’ve seen that military spouses are strong women and men who pursue unique, portable careers while managing entire households alone for months at a time.

Everyone always has the best intentions of helping when a military family member is deployed or an entire family is living far away for a significant period of time.

Staying Connected and Getting Help

But as anyone who has dealt with a deployment can tell you, the calls and questions get exhausting. When a spouse is deployed, has temporary duty or is in the field, these questions and calls can consume all of your time. That’s where CaringBridge comes in. CaringBridge has created a way to post information that answers questions before people even have a chance to ask them! It also has tools to manage all the people who offer to help. The Planner feature allows you to coordinate hospital rides, daycare pickup and meal plans all in one spot. And the privacy settings are OPSEC (Operational Security) savvy!

How CaringBridge Reduced Stress For One Family

I have seen CaringBridge help many families in their times of need. But one special story always warms my heart. There was a family who was stationed in Japan and their Marine was being sent to Hawaii for a medical operation. His wife and kids were not able to go with him for his two week cancer removal surgery. While he was away, his wife got non-stop calls and questions frequently in the middle of the night. She had family and friends in just about every time zone.

After I told her about CaringBridge, she set up a personal website to document her husband’s journey and the calls all turned into website visits and guestbook posts. She was able to get more information to more people without losing sleep! It also gave her a way to reach out to her local community so her military spouse family could get her the help she needed without having to organize everyone herself.

A Special Impact for Military Families

Seeing the way CaringBridge impacts and relieves the stress of hurting families is why I love volunteering here. CaringBridge has something special to offer for all users. But it makes a special impact on military families that are often extremely far from family and friends. No matter what unique challenges a military spouse is up against, CaringBridge is a forum that can keep everyone connected to their story in the click of a button!

Do You Know Someone Who Needs CaringBridge

Do you know a current or former military service member who could benefit from starting a CaringBridge site to keep loved ones updated on their mental and physical health? If so, share this link with them: www.caringbridge.org/military-service/.

Roxanne is currently a Marine spouse living in Okinawa, Japan, working as a Family Readiness Officer for a Combat Logistics Regiment. Previously she worked in a biochemical lab and focused on projects seeking a cure for neurodegenerative diseases. Her bachelor’s degree is in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University. She has volunteered for CaringBridge for two years.