National Day of the Deployed – How You Can Help

October 26th is National Day of the Deployed. Over 180,000 service members are currently deployed. We thank those service members who are far from home making sacrifices for our nation, and our military families who are resilient through their loved one’s deployment. At Code of Support, we know that deployment is one of the toughest times for military families. Here are some ways you can honor and support military families who are going through deployment:

1. Reach out to a military family in your community. Invite them over for a meal, out to the park, offer to babysit, or even make a simple phone call to check in. If a parent is deployed, their partner at home may be facing additional challenges such as childcare. Take the time to get to know them and their needs, and see how you can help out.

2. Foster a pet for a service member. Sometimes, service members need to leave for deployment or training and are unable to care for their pet. Contact Dogs on Deployment if you are able to foster a pet for a service member while they are away from home.

3. Head to soldiersangels.org to “Adopt A Soldier.” The Deployed Adoptions Team at Soldiers Angels works to make sure no service member feels alone during their deployment. This includes sending one letter each week and one care package a month until the service member returns home.

4. For parents and spouses of the deployed, be sure to utilize your branch’s family readiness group. These are great resources for families to stay informed during a loved one’s deployment, and they also provide peer support and will try to connect you to local resources.