Technological advances across the globe have not only impacted the world, but also increased connections among the military family.
I recall those early days of marriage as my husband and I served at different bases while we received our military occupational specialty training. The long lines for the phone, the calling cards that never quite had the minutes you thought, the hand written letters (I do miss those sometimes!), and the long stretches without contact made a necessary separation that much more painful.
As technology developed, I noticed the dramatic impact it had on our lives and our ability to keep our family together. First, it was email. It wasn’t perfect back then and it was challenging to interpret what was being said through these early electronic letters, but it was instant!
During the 3-month separation while I was serving in Korea and waiting for my spouse to finish his training, so he could be stationed a mere 2 miles away, email was key. We used this electronic forum to have instant discussions without waiting in long phone lines. It was also wonderful to see a message from my spouse in the morning after a particularly long and lonely night.
Time marches on and the technology advances even more, by now, there are cell phones…but we didn’t have one. My husband was deployed to Afghanistan in 2001. I wanted to flee the base and be near family for Thanksgiving, but hesitated…how would he reach me if he had a chance to call? Would he know I was traveling? During this early deployment, there were no phones, no calling cards, no email, and frankly, no news! We were completely disconnected from our loved one and leaving during the holiday when they ‘might’ get a chance to call was too hard. A friend encouraged me to go and gave me her cell phone. She promised that if they called she would conference me in so I could connect with my spouse. This was just what I needed to take the leap. As it turned out, they were not able to call; however, having the device made all the difference in my piece of mind during that trip.
As we prepare for this deployment, technology is again offering support. My children have created their own email accounts so they can send their own, private messages to their father. This seemingly small thing actually provides a lot of confidence that Dad will not forget them. The ability for my young children to connect with their father on their own empowers them to be involved with the relationship and keep that connection strong, even half way around the globe.
Science and technology have certainly improved our family’s connection and helped us maintain a strong family unit. This military life isn’t easy, so I will take all the help I can get. I appreciate the advances in technology that have shrunk the world and made a distance of nearly 6000 miles feel more like 60!
