Deployment

GETTING READY

~The military end of things~

First let me say, that this stuff sucks to do. It's horrible to spend this much time and effort
thinking "what if he dies?" But these are things you NEED to do. So suck it up, plow through it,
and enjoy the peace of mind knowing that you are prepared for the worst.

Make sure your Power of Attorney is updated. How do you get a POA? Your Marine goes to the
JAG office, fills out a form, then the JAG prepares the document.   Your Marine signs it with a
notary present, the document is notarized, then your Marine gives the document to you. DO NOT
LOSE IT. *Important* You will need a general power of attorney for most things, but a special
power of attorney for others. If you are planning on buying or selling a home or vehicle, get a
special power of attorney, stating exactly what it is for. Also get a special POA for filing your
taxes (so you can file for him).

JAG can also prepare a Will for your Marine. It's the same deal, he goes and fills out a form. It's
nothing complicated, it can be as easy as "I leave everything to my wife", basically, but you really
do want to have it done, because it makes it easier to deal with the court. You don't want him to
die "intestate"... without a will. Every state handles intestate matters differently. Again... another
thing you don't want to have to worry about later.

Make sure (again) that your bank accounts and credit cards all have your name on them, and
that you have "survivorship rights" on the bank accounts. IF AN ACCOUNT IS IN HIS NAME AND
HE DIES, THEY WILL FREEZE THE ACCOUNT.   I'm sure that's the LAST think you'll want to be
worrying about if something happens to him!!

Make sure he updates his notification preferences in MarineOnline, found HERE in case he is
hurt and they need to notify you.

Update DEERS if you are moving back in with your family while he's gone.   They need to know
where to reach you at all times.

Have him check with Finance to make sure that his "last pay" and death gratuity are payable to
you. Same for SGLI.

~The civilian end of things~
Make sure you understand how to turn on the furnace, put in the storm windows, and other
normal stuff that he usually takes care of.

Establish who you will call for help. You really should discuss it beforehand, and make sure
that it's someone that you and your Marine both trust, and someone that you have NO romantic
interest in whatsoever. Seven months is a long time to go without physical affection... don't
underestimate the appeal someone may have after a few months.

Arrange for extra child-care. While he's gone, you will be the only parent, 24/7. You will need a
break! Spend some of that deployment money on day-care. You won't regret it.

MONEY

Review your finances together. Deployment will result in additional pay, and you should prioritize
what to do with the extra money so it doesn't go to waste.

Consider the Savings Deposit Program for his extra pay, and get 10 percent interest paid. A
good explanation is found HERE.

Have him go to finance and set up Split Pay. When your Marine is deployed, he has the option
to set up "split pay". He can specify the amount -- $50/payday, 100, whatever. In the field (i.e., in
Iraq) there will be a pay office. They may call it Disbursing. He can go there each payday and
pick up his money to spend as normal. Any money they do not pick up from Disbursement will
go back into their check when the split pay is stopped. It can take a couple of pay cycles to get it
started and stopped, which is why you should always send your Marine with a couple hundred
in cash to use until it gets going.

Contact your creditors and notify them of his deployment. Although the Soldier's and Sailor's
Relief Act only covers debts incurred before entering active duty (or before activation, for
Reservists), many will lower the interest rates for the duration of deployment. My personal
favorite is USAA... they lower credit card rates to 4% during deployment.

If you're not going to drive his car while he's gone, call your insurance and have them reduce
your rates to the "in storage" rate.

Consider additional life insurance. In fact, consider it LONG before he gets deployment orders,
as it can take a little while to set up. I personally have a good relationship with www.usaa.com.
They offer 300K supplemental life insurance policies with NO COMBAT EXCLUSIONS. No
matter who you go through, make sure the policy covers combat deaths.

UNIT STUFF

Attend your unit's pre-deployment brief. It will give you lots of useful information including contact
people for your unit.

Meet your Key Volunteer. She will be your sole source for OFFICIAL information about your unit's
status. Don't believe rumors -- until the KV says it, it's not true -- and sometimes even then a
little verification doesn't hurt. Key Volunteers get their information straight from the command.
The KV is also your first resource. Anything your need, she'll be able to direct you to the right
person or office.

What, exactly, is this KV?

There's more information about this on our Lifestyle page, but here's how it applies to
deployments:

The boss of your Marine's group has news that should be delivered to the families. He calls the
KVC (Key Volunteer Coordinator).

She, in turn, calls the KV's and passes the message on. Each KV is responsible for a list of
families to contact. This keeps the actual Marines from having to take the time/manpower to do
it, and keeps the families from worrying (hopefully) if there's no communication available with
their Marine.

KV's plan the pre-deployment and reunion briefs, and are responsible for communicating the
information about those to the families. Some also plan get together events during deployment
(potlucks, welcome home sign making parties, etc) but that varies by unit.

RESOURCES

Check out the link HERE for a Department of Defense summary with tons of great info and links.

The Air Force has a great resource too, HERE.

KEEPING IN TOUCH WHILE HE'S GONE

If your Marine is in an area where he has infrequent access to phone and mail, you can use
MOTOMAIL to send him a letter WAY faster than snail mail. Basically it's an email that they print
out and deliver.

For Care Package shipping supplies, call the Post Office at 1-800-527-1950 or 1-800-610-8734.
Request boxes, customs forms, and tape. You should consider getting the new "flat rate"
boxes, they really are a bargain. You have to go to the Post Office to ship boxes with customs
forms. To use these supplies, you must ship Priority Mail, it's not that much more expensive
than regular. Please ask your Marine what items are prohibited in-country. They typically
include dirty magazines, pork products, alcohol and/or tobacco. Even if your Marine requests
these items, don't send them. He'll get in a LOT of trouble when he gets busted!

WORST CASE SCENARIO

What if there's an emergency while he's gone?

For minor things, contact your Key Volunteer or the Family Readiness Officer. You will get their
contact information at th pre-deployment brief.

Get to know your American Red Cross. They have an Armed Services division that will be very
helpful to you. Look HERE for a Power Point explaining their services. The Red Cross is critical
if you have some sort of an emergency while your Marine is gone. They will deliver the
message, and verify the emergency. They then give that information to the command, who will
decide if your Marine can be released to come home for the emergency. This is usually
something that comes into play when close family members are dying, if you have
life-threatening illness, injury, or pregnancy complications. However, no matter the
circumstances, if it's not safe, or if he's needed, they will keep him there.

What happens if he's hurt or killed?

If he is hurt, you will be probably notified by telephone.

If he is killed, a Chaplain and Casualty Assistance Officer will come notify you in person. Note:
You do not have to vacate base housing for 6 months. A Casualty Assistance Officer will be
assigned to you to walk you thru everything that needs to be done.

Be warned, there have been hoaxes perpetrated in the past, where someone got a hold of the
unit roster and called around telling wives that their Marines had been killed. If for ANY reason,
you are suspicious, keep them outside while you call the unit to verify their information.

There is a lot of useful information HERE.

And while you're thinking of how terrible it would be to get that phone call or visit, take the time to
donate blood for the Armed Service Blood Program. This blood is solely for use by our military.
Help save the life of someone who is willing to save yours. Info can be found HERE.