2LT Private RallyPoint Member 1924764 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div> 2016-09-26T15:20:04-04:00 2LT Private RallyPoint Member 1924764

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2016-09-26T15:20:04-04:00 2016-09-26T15:20:04-04:00 MSG Private RallyPoint Member 1924774

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Just reassured them that I would stay in contact as much as possible. Had the friendship/help network set up prior to departure.

2016-09-26T15:24:23-04:00 2016-09-26T15:24:23-04:00 MAJ Private RallyPoint Member 1924867

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The one thing we did was get all your legal documents in order...this should be part of your SRP but if not...Powers of Attorney, Medical, Specials and Durable...A Living Will, A Medical Directive and a Standard Will...If your spouse is not used to taking care of the finances It would be a good idea to go over that..especially if you have a joint account....Notifying close friends and family....Since we lived on Post, this was very helpful because everyone knows what you go through...not so much if you live off post...My wife got more help from friends than family...most of our family was 1000&#39;s of miles away....The Family Readiness Group can be helpful as well....but don&#39;t expect too much...I have seen some FRGs that do virtually nothing...Get your automobile squared away...oil change, tire rotation and any other pending repair....thats all I can think of for now...I know you can also be elligible for Student Load Deferments and some Credit Cards will give you a very low rate...I think USAA does like 6%...or at least they used to...the big things are legal and financial..and a family care plan in the event your spouse gets sick and need some help...in most cases anyone in the rear detachment may be able to help out....but that is unit dependant.

2016-09-26T15:55:33-04:00 2016-09-26T15:55:33-04:00 Capt Private RallyPoint Member 1924888

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Depends on the deployment. If you know where you&#39;ll be and what your schedule will be like, you can arrange times to Skype. It&#39;s a huge morale boost for you both. I bought minutes on Skype so that I could call my fiancé&#39;s phone directly from the app. It was really helpful when we got to places with WiFi. If its a combat deployment, you might be limited to a few emails or hand-written letters, but it&#39;ll help. They&#39;ll probably want to set up a second time-zone clock on their phone so they can figure out if its a good time to reach out to you or when they can expect to hear from you. Ensure they&#39;re set beforehand with power of attorney and they&#39;re set up to be your SGLI beneficiary. <br />Younger enlisted Marines I usually advise to talk about finances beforehand with their spouse and ensure that they have Special Power of Attorney while keeping control of their bank account, setting up regular transfer payments for an account their spouse can access and pitch the move as an attempt to ensure they keep enough in savings for an investment or down payment for a house/car/etc. Unfortunately, it&#39;s all too common for naïve young 18-20 year olds to get cleaned out by their spouse when they get home and they almost never see it coming. Sorry to put a negative spin on this, but its useful information to pass on nonetheless.

2016-09-26T16:03:13-04:00 2016-09-26T16:03:13-04:00 SPC Britanny *Winnie* Balthaser 1924914

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="491861" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/491861-70b-health-services-administration">2LT Private RallyPoint Member</a> Having one or two people that your spouse can lean on in bad times is a good thing. I was fortunate to have been in the military and on had a deployment under my belt when my husband and I were first together. Aside from having a newborn and well at that time Skype wasn&#39;t a thing we tried our best to at least IM eachother. I actually volunteered as FRG leader on my husband&#39;s last deployment, due to the small group leaving and practically all spouses being their first deployment besides me and maybe two others. And the commanders wife was dual military and a commander herself. From that stand point if you know your spouse is going to have a hard time, consider having someone come stay for a duration. I know one spouse had family members visiting off and on throughout the entire deployment which kept them from getting depressed. If you have pets please please please make sure that the spouse is aware of the extra time they need too. We had some spouses that were already tightly knit and made it a point to have a potluck every weekend and get together a lot. If you need any more advice feel free to message me. I have lots of tips.

2016-09-26T16:14:35-04:00 2016-09-26T16:14:35-04:00 1SG Private RallyPoint Member 1926058

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Don&#39;t tell anybody, but I have a bit of a romantic streak.<br />So what I did was set up ahead of time deliveries on significant days in our relationship.<br />The obvious ones (anniversary, Valentine&#39;s Day, and Mother&#39;s Day), but also the more subtle ones (First date, day I proposed, first kiss) that let her know that she was special. Actually, SHE didn&#39;t remember when our first date was; I had to tell her what those flowers were for.<br /><br />We also planned in advance where we take a great trip when I was on leave or when I got back (depending on which deployment it was) so we had something to look forward to and reconnect.<br /><br />Invest in the Missus, and you won&#39;t be sorry.

2016-09-27T01:39:15-04:00 2016-09-27T01:39:15-04:00 CAPT Kevin B. 1926799

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Lots of good advice here. I&#39;ll add that you must let the spouse know they are the Ground Commander back home AND you better honor that. Yes they will do things differently that you might, but coming home with the walls intact, life is good. That requires trust. And don&#39;t play that &quot;trust but verify&quot; game. Be prepared for things to be different on your return and then move on from there. You shouldn&#39;t care if the furniture is moved around. And make sure you praise the spouse for their hard work keeping the ship afloat.

2016-09-27T11:12:51-04:00 2016-09-27T11:12:51-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 1927028

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>set up wills and power of attorneys.

2016-09-27T12:20:57-04:00 2016-09-27T12:20:57-04:00 Capt Private RallyPoint Member 1927766

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Made sure things are taken care of at home, all paperwork is filled out and done, and that they have a good system of support while gone. They know who to call if they need help, etc.

2016-09-27T16:31:02-04:00 2016-09-27T16:31:02-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3249707

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="491861" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/491861-70b-health-services-administration">2LT Private RallyPoint Member</a> remembered their birthday, anniversaries, holidays, etc. Get them gifts. Also, I sent random gifts such as a jar with reasons why I love her so she can unwrap one a day. Random flowers to her work so she can feel excited and share it with her co-workers. Skype and Facetime when available. Just a few ideas that may help depending on where you go if you can do all of them or not.

2018-01-12T09:53:53-05:00 2018-01-12T09:53:53-05:00 2016-09-26T15:20:04-04:00