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Staff photo by Danielle Moore/Chattanooga Times Free Press Families of the 252nd Military Police Company gather at the Tennessee Army National Guard Armory in Cleveland, Tenn., to celebrate the halfway mark for their troops in Iraq. Carolyn Doerfert, from the American Red Cross, gave a presentation called "Coping With Deployment," a course in psychological first aid for military families.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A small group of military family members met Saturday to celebrate and learn.
The celebration part was easy the Tennessee Army National Guard's 252nd Military Police Company marks its halfway point in its estimated yearlong Iraq tour.
The soldiers left for Iraq in September and should return to their headquarters here this summer.
The learning was a refresher course for some and a first time for others.
"It's just good reinforcement, you forget to do these things sometimes," said Amber Edgeworth, wife of Spc. Matt Edgeworth with the 252nd.
The wife and mother of two said she's kept herself busy both with family and training for a half-marathon.
Those choices fell in line with advice from the American Red Cross, which had put on the class.
"This is not a therapy session," said Carolyn Doerfert, a disaster administrator for the Red Cross. "This is a way to learn how to cope."
For more than two hours Mrs. Doerfert walked the dozen family members through steps of coping not only with deployment stress, but with the return of their soldier.
"Soon you'll have someone home, and that's another ballgame," she said.
The small class is due mainly to the nature of what many Guard and military Reserve families face -- forces spread far across many states.
Tips for families of returning troops:
Remember:
* Go slowly - don't try to make up for lost time
* Accept that your partner may be different
* Intimate relationships may be awkward at first
* Take time to get reacquainted
* Forget your fantasies
* Reassure your children
* Seek help for family members if needed
Source: American Red Cross
On the web
For more information on coping with deployment:
www.redcross.org
Shelia Cannon is the family readiness group leader for the 252nd. She said there are families in Georgia and on opposite sides of Tennessee in the group.
The group has a Facebook page that now counts more than 750 fans and is used by many of the families and soldiers to keep up on the unit's progress.
Candice McGrath, mother of Spc. Jordan McGrath, said she comes to the monthly readiness group meetings but also checks the Web site regularly.
"Just knowing that there are other parents going through the same thing that we're going through helps," she said.
That connectedness is an important part of psychological first aid, the main topic of the class, said Mrs. Doerfert.
She urged the families to connect in any way possible and remember both that the changes they face can be disruptive, but to have perspective.
"You need to concentrate on the things that you can control," she said.
Todd South covers courts and the military for the Times Free Press. He has worked at the paper for three years and previously covered crime and safety in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. Todd’s hometown is Dodge City, Kan. He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq before returning to school for his journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Todd previously worked at the Anniston (Ala.) Star. Contact Todd ...
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