Base Helps Those Left in Wake of Mideast Crisis

Amid the sudden mobilization for the Middle East crisis, Camp Pendleton is working swiftly to help military families left behind to cope with their emotional and financial problems.

A network of support groups has been set up for wives of Marines, making sure no families go without enough food, and striving to help children understand why their father has abruptly left.

A special workbook for children, “Daddy’s Days Away,” featuring a camouflage-colored cover, is being circulated. The book explains that the father is away defending the country and urges children to talk about their feelings.

Dealing with emotions is one of the main purposes of support groups being created by the base’s Family Service Center. The Armed Services YMCA has already set up a family center on base for wives anxious to hear of their husbands’ whereabouts and safety.

Since Marines usually know six months in advance about a normal deployment, the quick departure of Marines late last week--the exact number of troops sent to the Middle East hasn’t been disclosed--stunned many families.

“There are some high emotions there,” said Dianne Riddick, deployment coordinator for the Family Service Center. Still, she’s impressed with how strong Marine wives are in dealing with their husbands’ potentially dangerous mission.

“I really encourage them to try not to worry too much, they can’t change the situation,” she said.

But besides helping wives cope with anxiety and the pressure of running a household alone, the Family Service Center, the Red Cross and the Navy Relief Society are also offering assistance for a variety of practical problems.

Some families, especially those of lower enlisted men, are suffering financial hardships. Often, the monthly food allowance for Marines is suspended when they go on campaign, and although the money is intended for the Marine, the funds are typically used to help feed dependents.

Roxann Bronson of the Navy Relief Society, said, “We definitely will not allow anybody to go hungry.” The society offers bags of food plus grants and no-interest loans to struggling families.

A 73-page survival booklet given out by the Center offers wives advice on everything from where to find activities, how to place an overseas telephone call and how to keep a household budget.

It also outlines the four basic emotional stages of separation--protest against the deployment, despair, detachment, and the return adjustment.

Camp Pendleton’s deployment program is five years old. Riddick wishes something like it existed back during the Vietnam War, when her husband served in the military.

“When Walt went to Vietnam, there was nothing,” she said.