Deployment Support

Farewells are very tearful and reunions are very joyous but that is a part of military life. Unlike civilians who may go off on business trips for a few days or a week at a time, military personnel leave for deployment or temporary additional duty often lasting for months, or even a year at a time. This is especially true for sea duty squadrons at Naval Air Station Lemoore. These extended periods of separation are a challenge for the entire family, certainly for the spouse who is deployed, but also for the spouse and children left behind. If you are a member of a military family, there is nothing you can do to prevent long periods of separation. They are a fact of military life. There are however a number of ways you can prepare yourself in advance by learning and implementing methods of coping which will make family life go a little more smoothly while you are apart.

The Fleet & Family Support Center provides pre-deployment briefs to all squadrons deploying, providing valuable resources and points of contacts in case of emergency. The Deployment Support Program helps service members and their families face challenges before, during, and after deployment.

During deployment the FFSC offers support groups, counseling and workshops to help families cope with:

• Preparing a checklist for pre-deployment
• Education regarding the emotional cycle of deployment
• Establishing Family Care Plans
• Support groups to combat isolation during deployment

The FFSC and your command's Ombudsman are ready to help resolve problems and handle emergencies during the service member's absence. At the end of the deployment the FFSC assists families in addressing reunion issues such as re-establishing intimacy, financial planning or caring for a new baby. FFSC Lemoore may be part of the Return and Reunion Team sent on board carriers to host homecoming classes such as Returning to Children, Returning to Spouse, Returning to Intimacy, New Parent Classes and Single Sailor classes such as Car Buying, Consumer Awareness, etc.

Be a prepared IA Sailor. Don't procrastinate. The Fleet and Family Support Center hosts Individual Augmentee Readiness Briefs. At these briefs, you'll meet representatives from base-wide organizations that are present to help you prepare.

You will learn about the following services and how they can help ensure you have a successful IA deployment:

• Navy Legal Services Office
• Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society
• TRICARE
• Navy College Program
• FFSC
• Ombudsman

Call 559-998-4042 or DSN 312-949-4042 and register for a seat. Leave no question unanswered!

The IA deployment is different from most typical Navy Deployments and we recognize that at the FFSC. NAS Lemoore hosts an IA Family Connection Group so that you can network with other spouses going through an IA deployment. Please contact the Fleet and Family Support Center to learn more and to connect with other IA Families by calling 559-998-4042 or DSN 312-998-4042.