Military spouses face more worries, concerns and troubles than their married civilian friends. Here are books that provide valuable insight into this challenging lifestyle and practical tips for coping emotionally and realistically with times of separation during deployments.
1. Navy Spouse's Guide
Laura Hall Stavridis' lifetime of lessons as a Navy wife are shared in diagrams, charts, facts, and figures to explain pay, living expenses, travel, children, emergencies, support, separation, homecomings, life overseas, e-mail, shore duty, medical and legal benefits, reenlistment, chain of command, ships and aircraft, and more. Phone numbers, checklists, and a glossary are also included.
2. Today's Military Wife: Meeting the Challenges of Service Life
Marry a member of the military service is also marrying into the military family. Lydia Sloan Cline covers health care benefits, protocols, finances, housing, moving, overseas orders, separations, and leaving the service. She hopes to help military spouses not only adjust to the military way of life but to enjoy it, too.3. The Army Wife Handbook: A Complete Social Guide
Ann Crossley covers everything from first impressions to military etiquette. She covers in depth military living on post and overseas.4. When Duty Calls: A Handbook for Families Facing Military Separation
This guide by Carol Vandesteeg is a practical manual to help couples deal with the separations that military couples often face. She gives suggestions on household management, dealing with expectations, long-distance communication, deployment guide, and more.5. Heroes at Home: Help and Hope for America's Military Families
Ellie Kay gives practical ideas on how to cope with frequent moves, pre-deployment readiness, and how to stay in touch when families are separated. With insight, thoroughness, and humor, she shows how those at home can help in maintaining morale for all service members serving abroad.6. Military Wives 101
Tynisa Gaines provides a fictional story that gives insight on what married life is like in the military.7. Jobs and the Military Spouse
Janet I. Farley focuses on job and career concerns of military spouses. She discusses job searches, employment options, resumes, interviews, job offers, and cover letters. A comprehensive, worldwide directory of resources for military spouses is also included.8. While They're at War: the True Story of American Families on the Homefront
Married to a Navy chaplain, author Kristin Henderson emphasizes the need for a holistic approach in supporting miiitary families. By looking at real military families, she reveals the sense of alienation and isolation, fear and struggle of military families.