An intimate insight into the reintegration experience of one active duty Air Force couple. Their story, unique for this family but also probably similar to other military family reintegration stories, reminds us of the joys and challenges military couples and families face. It is our hope that this series will help military service providers understand the range of emotions family members experience during reintegration. These emotions may or may not be visible or communicated outside of the home, but they truly impact the family’s mental and physical health as well as their ability to serve, work, volunteer and function. Be observant and prepared to ask service members, partners and children specific questions about their reintegration experience to identify how you can help and find needed resources.
Podcast #1 February 22, 2016 – Todd & Peggy, military commitment and deployments, Mixed Emotions
Podcast #2 February 29. 2016 – Todd & Peggy, sharing feelings of pride and purpose, Resilience 
Todd and Peggy describe the challenges and opportunities their family experienced while a military family. The interviewer was impressed with their resilience throughout the numerous transitions their family encountered.
Podcast #3 March 7, 2016 – Todd & Peggy, transitioning out of military service but not out of 
military life, The Last Transitions…or Not
The audio recording below is the third part of a conversation with Todd, a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy Nurse Corps, and his wife Peggy, an elementary school teacher. Peggy and Todd generously shared some of their experiences as a military family, to help those of us serving military families have a better understanding of what they go through. Below the recording you’ll find a blog post reflecting on this part of Todd and Peggy’s story. This is part 3 – The Last Transition…or Not In this podcast, Todd and Peggy discuss their next transition – retirement from the military. Their experience shows how important it is for couples to discuss not only the timing of this transition but also what it means for their relationship and their family.
Their names are not used to provide anonymity. What is their back story? He enlisted in the Air Force during his last year of high school because of career and education benefits. The couple went to high school together but didn’t start dating until he returned from Basic Combat Training and Tech School. After he was assigned to his first duty station they had a brief long distance relationship. She dropped out of college so they could get married, but didn’t continue her education due to limited funds. She quickly learned that the military lifestyle applied to her as a military spouse, stating “It’s become an OUR thing”! As a Flying Crew Chief he has a fast paced job and is frequently away from home. They have three children. She left her job to stay home with the children to avoid childcare due to his frequent absences. She is active in many groups on base and receives support from other military spouses. “When you have a military friend you have a friend for life”. She is a Key Spouse volunteer and works hard to provide support to other military spouses.
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