War-time communication. We certainly have it better than spouses in years past. In fact, we have it better now than spouses did when the war in Iraq first began. I remember the days of waiting for that one phone call in months, or stalking the mailman every day to see if a letter had arrived. We are all very grateful that during most deployments today, we have the ability to communicate more frequently by phone, email and even Skype.
Many times a couple can communicate on a daily, sometimes several times daily, basis. How wonderful that even though they are thousands of miles away, we can still see their face, hear their voice, or share thoughts with our spouse so frequently. Certainly technology has helped to make deployments and separations easier for service members and their families.
Or has it?
Is it too much? Do we communicate TOO much during deployments, adding to the already stressful environment for both the spouse and the service member?
This is a question that is not easily asked or answered in our community. Having this discussion can cause a lot of heated debate, many times between spouses who have grown up with constant access to technology and communication…and those of us who actually remember a time when phones only existed on a wall in the kitchen…complete with a 20 foot cord.