While there are many stresses in military family life, there are also many benefits. The largest source of support for military families is other military families. “Older” military families can be a large source of information and support for “younger” military families. There are also many military foundations that provide different sorts of support, from information, to financial support.
The best thing a military family can do is assure that they are informed, especially when deployments come around. There may be many issues that arise while a service member is deployed. One of the first things military service member can do is make sure the military member has granted power of attorney to his spouse. This will allow the spouse to act in the service member’s behalf, just as if they were the service member. Some situations require a “special” power of attorney (if the family were going to selling a house, buying a house or making some other large purchase or sale during deployment), and the family will have to decide ahead of time if one might be necessary. The local base legal office should be able to help a family determine what they need. It also helps to remember that it is normal to have some serious bickering immediately before deployment. If this is kept in mind, a family might realize the ulterior motive before an argument begins. Also, realize there is going to be a period of adjustment when the service member returns.