Reintegration Processing Langley AFB Reintegration Processing

First and Foremost WELCOME HOME !!!!

AGENDA 0900-0930 Health and Wellness Briefings 0930-1000 Finance/Medical Briefings 1000-1130 In-Process (Medical, Finance)

BRIEFINGS Chaplain Safety Family Advocacy Program/Life Skills Family Support Center Force Health Management Finance

Mission Specific, Redeployment Brief Chaplain, Captain, Christian Biscotti 1 FW/HC Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

INTRODUCTION 3 illustrations, integration of meaning, and application. My story, Your story, Our story… A. Worldview, Faith, Belief, & Idealism Purpose & Hope from Tragedy & Chaos Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

THE HUMAN SHAPE Spirituality Heart (passion, call) Abilities Personality Experiences What is your SHAPE? Experiences? How has this deployment changed you, the way you see the world, and maybe your beliefs? Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

MY STORY Abbeygale and Bailey A. Worldview, PTSD, deeper faith Klaus Kujawa A. 17 July, 1985. 19 years, flashbacks… B. Today- a deeper faith, a deeper love. 16th Engineer Battalion, Bosnia A. Mass grave uncovered Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

YOUR STORY 5 senses: see, smell, touch, taste, hear. 1. What did you see? 2. What did you smell? 3. What did you touch? 4. What did you taste? 5. What did you hear? Iraq is now a part of your experience and who you are! Iraq may affect you for the next few months, years or decades! Where do we go from here? Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

OUR STORY You are not alone. We need to talk about it. Grief is a process… Life is a journey, run like a marathon, not a 100 yard dash. Sacramento airport, baggage sculpture and YOU! Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

APPLICATION Caring for one another. Telling your story. Listening to someone else’s story. Worldview, belief, and faith. Grand Canyon clip. Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

QUESTIONS Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

GROUND SAFETY WELCOME HOME 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

GROUND SAFETY OVERVIEW SURVIVED THE DEPLOYMENT…NOW WHAT? APPLYING RISK MANAGEMENT ON & OFF DUTY LOCAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS CHOOSING TO BE SAFE GROUND SAFETY 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

YOU’VE SURVIVED THE DEPLOYMENT NOW STAY ALIVE HERE! - DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE - DON’T DRIVE FATIGUED - USE SPORTS AND RECREATION SAFETY - LINE OF DUTY DETERMINATION MOTORCYCLE REQUIREMENTS GROUND SAFETY 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

GROUND SAFETY APPLY RISK MANAGEMENT 3 RULES TO REMEMBER…. - PLAN AHEAD - KNOW THE RISK INVOLVED - CHOOSE TO BE SAFE! - MYRTLE BEACH EXAMPLE GROUND SAFETY 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

LOCAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON BASE - WEST GATE CONSTRUCTION OFF BASE - SAME BIG MESS AT MERCURY & I-64 - SCHOOL BUS AWARENESS (ON & OFF) GROUND SAFETY 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

GROUND SAFETY CHOOSING TO BE SAFE LAFB FORM 29B (MANDATORY) - USED FOR MEMBERS UNDER AGE 26 - LET YOUR LAST DECISION BE TO CHOOSE TO BE SAFE! GROUND SAFETY 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

GROUND SAFETY SUMMARY SURVIVE HERE! APPLY RISK MANAGEMENT LOCAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS IT’S YOUR CHOICE TO BE SAFE 1 FW/SEG 764-5058 GROUND SAFETY 1 FW/SEG Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

Family Advocacy Program Life Skills Support Center And Life Skills Support Center

FAMILY ADVOCACY PROGRAM Part of MDG Provide counseling for AD families to prevent and treat family violence No administrative or legal action Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

REINTEGRATION TIPS Apologizing Normalcy of stress Listen You both changed New balance Interests Pace yourselves Finances Feeling unwanted Apologizing STRESS - Recognize that stress is common. LISTEN - Everyone has a story to tell about what the time apart was like for them. Listen to each others’ stories. CHANGES - Recognize that your experiences have changed you both more than you realized. NEW BALANCE - Recognize a shift in roles/responsibilities has occurred. Slowly negotiate a new balance. INTERESTS - Build common interests again, go on dates. PACE - Pace yourselves, the many different emotions you are experiencing can be exhausting. FINANCES - A new system for handling finances developed while apart, slowly renegotiate how money will be handled. UNWANTED - Both spouses may feel unneeded or unwanted. -Active duty member: The family developed a routine in your absence and spouses are frequently very proud of the many responsibilities they assumed during the deployment. Contributions you made to the family are now being made by someone else and you may feel like they don’t need you-they do. -Spouse: The active duty member may have spent a great deal of time alone or with co-workers. When they are suddenly thrust back into a family the active duty member may withdraw for privacy in a way they didn’t prior to the deployment-don’t take this a rejection, they just need space until they get used to the system. Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

REINTEGRATION TIPS Readjustment Period Previous problems Patience Respect Schedules Time together Future Children GRIEF Active duty member - As strange as it sounds, you may miss the deployment and its camaraderie, significant responsibilities, predictable routine, focus on the mission without distractions, and the foreignness of the deployment site. Spouse - Your spouse may miss the undisputed control over the household and kids, and the ability to focus on his/her own personal growth. OLD PROBLEMS - Realize problems that were there before you deployed may still be there. PATIENCE - Practice flexibility and patience. RESPECT - Communicate respect. SCHEDULES - Don’t try to pack too much in. The active duty member may feel overwhelmed by the every day noise and confusion of home life. TIME TOGETHER - Make time for one another. Be aware that interruptions by family and friends will reduce the amount of time you have together. FUTURE – Together plan for your combined future in military. Your worldviews may have changed. Previous priorities may seem much less important now. CHILDREN - Expect changes in your children. They may have residual feelings of anger/abandonment about your absence. Younger children may be shy and reluctant to hug you. Teenagers may act like they don’t care-they do, reach out to them. Children frequently have a sense of loyalty to the parent left behind, if you criticize that parent the kids may feel compelled to take their side and defend them. They may test the limits with you-it does not mean they are out of control or dislike you. Take it slow in re-building relationships with them. Make time for each individual child. Focus on things your child did well in your absence and limit criticism. Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

FAST Couples counseling for those who may be at-risk Voluntary Short term No documentation in OPR Community referral Deployments: considered a risk factor for family violence

NEW PARENT SUPPORT PROGRAM Eligibility: Pregnancy - age 3 years old Voluntary Home Visitation Child Development Info Welcome Bag Classes Video, books, tapes, CDs

Combat Stress Management LIFE SKILLS SUPPORT CENTER Combat Stress Management

OVERVIEW Definition of Stress Definition of Combat Stress Signs of Stress/Combat Stress Prevention

DEFINITION OF STRESS A state of disequilibrium that occurs when there is a disharmony between demands occurring within an individual’s internal or external environment and his or her ability to cope with these demands

DEFINITION OF COMBAT STRESS Combination of physiological and psychological reactions manifested by a variety of symptoms during or immediately following combat

COMBAT STRESS Very common for people returning from deployments May have thoughts or dreams about the events May experience difficulty sleeping, eating, or concentrating Witnessed or experienced an event that involved actual or possible death or serious injury, with a response that involves fear, helplessness, or horror *Sense of numbing, detachment, or lack of emotional response *reduction in awareness of surroundings (e.g. being in a daze) *Inability to recall certain parts of the event *derealization *depersonalization Experience the traumatic events in one of the following ways: recurrent images, thoughts, dreams, illusions, flashback episodes, or a sense of reliving the experience; or distress on exposure of reminders to incident Marked avoidance of stimuli that arouse recollections of the trauma (thoughts, feelings, conservations, activities, people, places) Marked symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal (difficulty sleeping, irritability, poor concentration, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, motor restlessness) Causes distress in various aspects of person’s life (work, family) Clipart from A Bit Better Corporation. No Federal Endorsement intended.

PREVENTION Maintain Exercise Program Practice Relaxation Techniques Sleep Schedule Eat Healthy Plan for Recreation Activities Limit Alcohol Use (Drink Responsibly) Utilize Support System (Family, Friends, Unit) …even when you don’t want to

CONTACT INFORMATION Life Skills Support Center and Family Advocacy: 764-6840/2427 After Hrs (via UCC): 764-6800 Located in Bldg 74 (Aerospace Medicine Bldg)

QUESTIONS

PERSONAL & FAMILY READINESS ACHIEVING MISSION READINESS … THROUGH PERSONAL AND FAMILY READINESS 764-3990

EFFECTIVE REUNIONS Overview What is an effective reunion? What is the best time to address reunion? What can we do to help the process? What are some points of emphasis?

EFFECTIVE REUNIONS What is an effective reunion? The process of reintegrating the service member and family back into a stable and “normal” period of one’s life. Notice that a reunion is a PROCESS … not a specific act !! Sure reunion consists of a specific act but it is much more in-depth than that. Why is this important? - How well the reunion goes can often result in how well the member readjusts back into a valuable member of the Air Force. Why is reunion such a tough phase of the deployment cycle? - Lots of reasons which will be discussed later but one of the big reasons is that it is probably the most overlooked. The Bottom Line …. - Family separation is a way of life for military families. Being able to successfully conduct missions is paramount. That’s why we’re here! It always ties back into READINESS !!

EFFECTIVE REUNIONS Reunions effect people ... Military Member Spouses Children Single Airmen Co-workers Brief overview of the different players.

MILITARY MEMBER & REUNION Possible thoughts and feelings ... Sense of relief Proud of accomplishment How spouse may have changed How will the children react Financial worries Loss of importance to the family Loss of freedom Work reunion Plus many more! Sometimes member underestimates the effects of change. Often, the member believes things will be exactly the same as before they left.

SPOUSES & REUNION Possible thoughts and feelings … Relieved! Proud of accomplishment How they are perceived by returning spouse Loss of freedom How will children react Stability of relationship Possible resentment Plus many more ! Lots of pressure … They take over the family leader role without help from the spouse. Single Parent, Money Manager, House custodian, etc.

Remember kids are still developing ! CHILDREN & REUNION Possible thoughts and feelings ... Happy! Possibly resentful Wonder if Dad/Mom will leave again Clinging Will want to “talk your ear off” Worry about how things will change Remember kids are still developing ! This reunion process with kids can be greatly enhanced by talking with them throughout the deployment cycle. Often thought that kids just “roll with the punches”

SINGLE AIRMEN & REUNION Possible thoughts and feelings … Proud of accomplishment Wanting to reestablish living situation Financial Concerns Social Life / Significant other Work Reunion Changes in friends Often overlooked ! Married folks come home to their families … Single folks come home to their dorm room … BIG DIFFERENCE !!!

Possible thoughts and feelings … CO-WORKERS & REUNIONS Possible thoughts and feelings … Happy … friend returns Relieved due to more help Possibly resentful Feel under appreciated Change in work roles Personnel changes Be aware of these ! People who remained behind felt a little left out of the glory. Long hours to make up for manning shortages contributed to stress.

Communication and Patience are the Key ! EFFECTIVE REUNIONS Some things to consider … Be Realistic ! Show appreciation Respect changes Allow for couple / children time Reestablishing intimacy Avoid the “Who had it worse” game Communication and Patience are the Key ! Field of Lillies Analogy Lawn Mowing Story Checkbook Squabble Everyone goes through the separation in their own way Who had it worse … always good for an argument!

QUESTIONS

Force Health Management

POST-DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT PURPOSE: Assesses any changes to your health that may have occurred while you were deployed Determines the need for follow-up action

FINANCE

BLOOD DRAW