Currently across the world, there are over 200,000 active-duty service members ready to fight for our freedoms at any moment. While we are proud of our fighting men and women, and we wouldn’t miss a chance to wear patriotic merchandise in honor of their sacrifice, it’s incredibly difficult for them and their families. Deployment overseas can last months or even years. That’s hard on a family having a loved one on the opposite side of the world.
As much as 15% of our entire military force is deployed somewhere outside of the country. If you’re one of the statistics, you might be wondering how you can keep in touch with your family during this time. If you have children, you certainly don’t want to miss a single moment of them growing up. So, the military, along with organizations like the USO, do what they can to help keep spirits high amongst the troops.
Bridging the Gap Between Loved Ones
With the average deployment time for a service member being around eight months, it can certainly be longer if war breaks out, service members and their families must find any opportunity to reconnect. Bridging the gap means doing what they can to make the world smaller. Thankfully, modern technology allows for this to happen. Imagine living in the past and fighting a war in the only mode of communication was through letters. While letters are still common, there are other modes of communication.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
Video Chats
Perhaps the greatest technological advancement of the past few decades has been the Internet. It’s quite amazing to be able to have high-speed Internet and to jump on a video chat and see the person that you’re talking to face-to-face. This is a lot better and more personal than even a phone call. You can see who you’re talking to and have a conversation with them as if they’re in the same room with you, seeing their face and hearing their voice at the same time.
Loving Gifts
While deployed service members do pack a lot of stuff to take with them, the most important things for them are items of sentimental value. Maybe it’s a picture of their family or something that reminds them of their kids. Either way, these items remind them of home and who they have waiting on them when they get home. One of the best things you can do for service members is to send them handmade cards or other types of crafts that show them that you love them. It will be a nice surprise when they open up a package and find these wonderful items that will keep them going until they can return home.
Games and Time Together
Every moment you get to spend with a loved one is a coveted one during deployment. The great part about the Internet is not just that you can video chat, but also allows you to play games with someone you love. This helps improve bonding so you’re not just chatting and staring at each other, but actually doing something together. This might be more special for kids who get to play a game with their parents.
There are a lot of other things you can do to help make the time pass easier. One of the best is to show your support by buying patriotic merchandise at https://www.shieldrepublic.com.
Shield Republic is a USA based apparel company for true Americans. Check out our website to get your conservative party apparel and start melting snowflakes. Or follow us on social media.
https://www.facebook.com/ShieldRepublicCo/
