Support for Military Spouse?

Hello I also am at Ft. Bragg and I have not tried the Family Readness Groups here, but in the past I have been disappointed with them and do not feel that I could share anything personal with those ladies. I have been involved with PWOC (Prodestant Woman of the Chapel)now for 2 years and the ladies truly care. (there is also CWOC for Catholics.) The one here meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Watter's center at Knox and Randolph.

These ladies were the people that truely made me feel connected to the military life and in a positive light.

You are welcome to write back and I could meet you there if you want. Over at the Soldiers center they have free childcare at STACC. for 13 months through 5 years and we have a baby room on location for the little babies. (Plus a homeschool room, if that applies)

H. ~Mother of Three and birth doula(labor coach,my schedule has openings and I would LOVE to help anyone!)

I am a military wife - and was in the military myself while my husband was in the "home support" role during a break in his service. Hopefully your family readiness group is active and you can get involved there. Like everywhere else - you will find people who will tell you exactly what you don't want to hear. But you will also find ladies who are experienced with the role that we play as military wife and ways to cope with the added pressures of family separations because of schools, deployments, etc. In the Fayetteville area there are so many prior service and retired families you may find a network of former military spouses in your church or other social arena that you are involved in that can give you much of the same advice and mentorship on being the best that you can be in your unique situation. If you are looking for general - "My husband is in the Army Now and I need to know what it all means" information - Army Community Service (ACS) offers classes that will answer slot of questions - I believe they are called Army Familiy Team Builiding (AFTB).
I hope this helps - basically - get involved with something you enjoy - and you will find people who have been in your shoes who can give you real advice.

Hello, T.,
We have lived at Bragg and Fayetteville off and on since 1955. Retired now, of course, I still like to keep in touch with what is going on with the active spouses and families. We have one son on active duty. He and his wife have 3 children and live near Ft. Riley, KS. He has been in Iraq for 15 mos and is due home any day.
One of the most interesting and informative vehicles I always read is the Military section of the Fayetteville Observer. It is a weekly supplement to the paper on Thursdays. It has a blog for chatting with Rebecca Sanderlin. There are other articles by military wives also.
I hope your pregnancy goes well and you have a healthy baby boy in June. God Bless.
D. H.

Hi. I'm also in Fayetteville/Ft. Bragg. I would look into the Army Family Team Building classes which teach people everything from the basics of Army life to military etiquette and how to read the pay stubs. Noone really knows what they're "getting into" when they step into military life. It can be challenging. I personally know nothing but the military...grew up military, was military, married to military. As with the previous responders, you can contact me if you have any questions. I'll try to answer as REAL as I know how.

Welcome to military life! I'm J. and my hubby, daughter and I are also here at ft. bragg... have you looked into your Family Readiness Group? Depending on the unit they can be an awesome place for support... if you don't like your FRG I'm a staff member of an online organization that has REALLY helped me from the beginning send me a message if you're interested

I too am here at Bragg, we have been at this for 18 plus years and it is never easy and probably worse now than in the past with longer more frequent deployment of our soldiers. You might consider getting involved with ACS. They have a lot of different things going on to support families, classes you can take as well and typically offer some type of child care if you volunteer. If you are on post talk to the neighbors,check at the chapel, youth center etc... if off post you might find some support with parents at your older children's schools or local church/rec center as well. If you just need someone to talk to I would be happy to share my experiences.

Hi T.! I've been a military wife for 18 years. (also stationed at Ft. Bragg) There are so many things to do here and get involved in, it can be overwhelming. Hopefully, you received a welcome packet from your husband's unit when you got here. If not, I'll apologize for them. There is a booklet called "Answers Unlimited" which lists every agency on post, what they do, their phone numbers, address, etc. It's a great thing. You can pick one up at the ACS (Army Community Service)building on post, if your unit does not have any. Their phone number is: ###-###-####. They also offer classes called Army Family Team Building(AFTB). These are a collection of classes that include Army Acronyms (what are all those letters for?) and even time and stress management. I believe the classes here are given in two-day blocks. They do offer on-site childcare and have weekend classes, too. They are infomative, but also a way to meet other new spouses like yourself. You could also get involved in your husband's unit FRG (Family Readiness Group). These groups vary from unit to unit and you will hear all kinds or horror stories about them, but go check it out. Even if you decide you do not want to participate, again, it is a way to meet other wives you can relate to. You can also volunteer with the Red Cross. They will pay for your child care. With summer coming and your older kids being home, too, I'd start calling these places fast. Hopefully, you can find some ladies you like. I don't know if you are religious, but they have Protestant Women of the Chapel and Catholic Women of the Chapel that meet once a week on post and you can bring your kids. You did not mention if your husband is currently deployed. If he is home, maybe you can get together with some of the guys he works with and their families and see if anyone is friendly. Most units have a lot of functions for the wives/families when the guys are deployed. My husband is getting ready for his 4th deployment and I could have NEVER imagined that this is "what I signed on for". Some people are just ignorant. You just do the best you can with what you've got and hope that nobody ends up scarred for life. They also have bowling leagues on post, too. You could volunteer in your kids classes at school to try and meet some other parents, so you would know some people before summer starts. I would definitely start at ACS. They know about most things going on in the community and can point you in the right direction. I wish you the best. Ft. Bragg is a lot different from any other Army post we have been at. They are really "high speed" here and the guys feel a lot of pressure to perform well. Most people either hate it or love it. I've never heard anyone say it's just "ok". You're definitely getting baptized by fire. I wish you the best and hope you find some friends - it makes life so much easier. Hang in there! - L.

Thank you for saying that you don't know what you are getting into until you are there. I tell so many people that, including friends that are military spouses. Try looking in the base paper or going to a base family support center. Also, I've made friends with other military spouses, which has been the most support. Best wishes to you and your family.

I am more familiar with the Air Force....we have been in 30 years and are getting ready to retire. I know Pope has a good Airmen/Family Readiness Center formally called the Family Support Center. They can help you get plugged in to real people. We all understand how scary military life can be. None of us, even after 30 years, knew what we were getting into. Check out www.spousebuzz.com On here, you will find spouses from all the branches of the military. Also, if you can find a church home, that helps alot. There are spouses in any of the churches around that are more than willing to be there for you without any judging.