A long deployment can take a serious toll on your family, and you may have spent the entire time counting down the days until your loved one comes home. When you finally receive word that there’s a return on the horizon, plan something special to help celebrate the moment and make it even more memorable.
Make the Video
It’s understandable that you may not want to tell a child about the return date just in case something happens to delay it. Let your son or daughter go off to school like it’s any other day, then bring the soldier up to the school as soon as they get back home. Video the moment so that your entire family can relive it again and again. You’ll likely want to watch this reunion again in the future, so why not put the video on a DVD and use Adobe spark to create special cover art for the case? That way it will be easy to find in the future and stay a memory for years to come. Click here to learn more about Adobe Spark.
Hit the Grocery Store
Meal choices are limited for our troops, so your loved one may really be craving something as simple as a homemade brownie. Ask them what they’re really looking forward to eating and drinking when they return, and then fill the pantry with all of their favorites. If you’re not interested in going out to eat that first night, then try to cook their favorite meal complete with dessert.
Ask What They Want
Depending on the circumstances, your returning soldier or marine may not want a lot of people around. Simply asking what they’d like for a celebration can help you customize the plans. If they’re feeling up to a big party, then you can go all out with banners and a gathering for all your friends and family. If they’re struggling with depression or recovering from an injury, then they may prefer to keep it simple with just closest family members around. Either way, you can have all your friends and family sign a welcome home card to let them know how much they were missed.
Decompression Time
Remember that this deployment has not been a vacation for either one of you. Chores may have been stacking up on the homefront, but they has spent months missing the family and putting in long days to keep the country safe. The chores will wait a little longer. Spend the first few days just enjoying each other’s company again, and then start easing back into a domestic schedule.
Get the Neighbors Involved
If you’re part of a close-knit community, then you can get the neighbors involved. Whether you’re having a big party or not, ask people to put up yellow ribbons or display signs showing their support. Remember OPSEC standards, and only involve close friends who also understand these important rules.
The Special Gift
You may want to consider giving your spouse a special gift to help celebrate this moment. It can be a new tool, a cool watch, or even a pair of tennis shoes that he’s been eyeing. That little gift today is something that they can hold on to through the years as a little keepsake from this special time.
This is an exciting moment for your family, and you can’t wait for the big day to arrive. Before heading to the base to pick up your loved one, make sure that your family is prepared. Depending on how many other soldiers are returning, these events can be crowded, so it’s best to take only the immediate family members, including spouse, children, and parents. Other members, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws, can wait until the party at home later. You want to wear clothes that look great on you, but they should also be comfortable since you might be waiting for a while. If you’re taking kids, pack a bag with entertainment, snacks, and drinks for them. That will help everyone be in a better mood when mom or dad is released. Finally, have your loved ones favorite snacks or drinks in a cooler in the car. They will probably be looking forward to a snack after they get a few hugs and kisses from the people they’ve missed the most.
