Weekend Warrior No More

More than 1.1 million service members currently serve with the United States Reserve components, making up 45 per cent of the country's total military force. As the military's approach to the global war on terror shifted, the reservists' role changed accordingly. Their families know not to ask if they will be deployed, but when. Reservists now expect deployment more frequently, requiring them to put families, employers, and lives on hold while they serve their country. These circumstances present enormous challenges to civilian families suddenly thrust into active military life. With one foot in the civilian world, citizen-soldier families find themselves navigating a military world where esoteric acronyms, unfamiliar processes, and a different culture can cause confusion and uncertainty. The available resources of knowledge and information, however, are often recycled from active military family readiness groups and manuals, offering little understanding or insight from the reservist's perspective. Most reservist spouses are forced to piece the military puzzle together on their own - and often far from military bases and their inherent support structures. From planning budgets to coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, "Weekend Warrior No More" is a practical and positive guide written for the spouses of reservists from the wife of a reservist who recently completed his first deployment to Iraq. Personal stories and insights from the author and reservists and their families provide hope, encouragement, and a message that yes, your family can survive a deployment - and even grow from it.