Posted on Oct 22, 2017
How do I tell my family that I won’t be home for the holidays?
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I have a huge family and we have had the opportunity to celebrate much of our lives together over the last 17 years. With upcoming events for my unit that will not allow me the time and fortitude to be able to see my family for the holidays, I’m not sure how to tell them. Help?
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 22
No point in beating around the bush. Just tell them straight and honest. Your military obligations, at this time, prohibit you from visiting. It's the way of the beast and it will happen again some time down the road.
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SPC Cameron Hale Simple. You just tell them that your military obligations will not allow you time to be home for the holidays. Military and civilians careers sometimes call for folks to work or be away from home during the holidays.
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GySgt Charles O'Connell
Get use to it. Weddings, graduations, births, deaths..., it comes with the territory. Make the best of the time that you do get to spend with them. Stay in contact, e-mail is fast and efficient, but write some letters, enclose pictures, the personal touch goes a long way.
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SP5 Joel O'Brien
GySgt Charles O'Connell - Military members have more ways than ever to keep in timely touch with relatives. Email, Facebook, Instagram, Skype, heck even a cellphone where permissible will give instant contact in most cases. Yes, mail took weeks in the 1800's and V-mail in WWII was a little bit quicker, today when "Duty calls", it does not mean excessive cutoff of communication.
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Most of us have been there and bought that T-Shirt. Let me suggest a different twist. Celebrate your service to our country and your family. Plan events that allow interaction via either computer, MARS, or some fashion of communication. Perhaps even recordings made beforehand and timed to arrive in the last weeks before the event. 1st time separation my 2 year old would not even speak to me on the phone because she felt like I had abandoned them. That was a hard Christmas. My wife took the bull by the horns and got her family and our family to visit my mother and dad so they were all together on Christmas Day when I called. It remains one of the worst and best memories I carry of raising my family. Where ever you are stationed, pick a cause to contribute to ( I mean your time). Use the free time you have to uplift someone, use that to uplift your family. Be an inspiration to them. You already are in many ways you may not yet realize. Just a thought
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
LTC (Join to see) God Bless the Mars Operators that Kept My Family Informed of My Travels!
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