An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir May / June 2024 www.military.ie/magazine 32 | INTRODUCTION In early May the Defence Forces conducted yet another rotation of personnel to UNIFIL. We are happy to welcome our military brothers and sisters of 123 IRISHBATT home from their tour of duty and we wish those of us who have just deployed with 124 IRISHBATT the very best of luck during their time in Lebanon. It makes this a very good time to talk a little bit about the whole experience of overseas service in the Defence Forces. As military people, we are used to working away from home. Whether it is on a naval vessel off the coast or somewhere else in the world, or on mission in the Middle East or Africa, we accept absence from home as a routine part of military life. In many ways it is a very good thing for us. It offers us a chance to break from the routine of military life at home. It gives us a chance to test ourselves, our education and our skills, our equipment, and our ability, against some of the best military organisations in the world. It allows us to learn about ourselves, to test ourselves, to prove our leadership, our decision making, our teamwork and our resilience, in sometimes difficult and dangerous situations. In most cases, we come home better military people than we were before, more knowledgeable, more confident and with added experience. However, we all of us understand that when we go away, it is not just ourselves as military people that experience our deployment. We leave behind our families and our friends, who need to adjust and accommodate the fact that we are going to be missing for a while from the routine life at home. Making sure that everyone close to us is properly prepared, informed and supported throughout our deployment is critical. It allows us to deploy, conduct our mission and return home, with minimum disruption to home and family life. In the next few paragraphs I would like to discuss briefly the shape of this experience and suggest a few ways to make it easier for all concerned. SERVING OVERSEAS We like to think of the experience of overseas deployment as a cycle. And this cycle begins well before we set foot on a plane or report to our ship. In the first busy stage we are preparing ourselves and our loved ones for the time apart. And there is a lot to be done! The routine arrangements that have to be made, changes in childcare, transport, homework, cooking, banking etc. In addition to this, the military family member is busy completing pre-deployment training and other essential actions that have to be taken before we can safely deploy. Then when the deployment happens, we begin the process of dealing with separation and establishing our routine. We manage the temporary absence of our loved ones by relying on each other, maintaining healthy habits and routines, and by staying in contact in whatever way suits us all the best. We usually manage the emotional difficulties associated with the deployment and get to a situation of reasonable stability. During this period, we may have to deal with the leave period, when we are temporarily reunited, only to separate again. Towards the end of the deployment, we begin to anticipate the return of our military family member. We make our plans to welcome them home and begin to contemplate life afterwards. When we are brought together again, as well as the joy and the relief, we go through a period of adjustment and negotiation, which allows us to come back together happily and with as little friction as we can. It's always good to remember that the deployment cycle does not end when we step off the plane into Dublin, or when the ship ties up in the Naval Base. The process of adjustment can take time, whether it be days, a few weeks or even months before we return to a fully stable environment. There are lots of things that we can do to make the experience of deployment easier on everyone. In the first place we must prepare properly. In so far as we can, we should make all the practical arrangements so that remaining family members can operate with minimum disruption. The first thing that we can do is ensure we have all the information. Whether it is from the military side, or anything on 32 | PSS & OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENTS ARTICLE BY LT COL JOHN MARTIN PHOTOS BY VARIOUS PHOTOGRAPHERS Recent DF Families brief delivered by Comdt Aine McDonough of 124 Inf Bn UNIFIL Peer support often a vital support when deployed overseas

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