FORT HOOD, Texas — Family members eagerly awaited the return of their Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th ADA Brigade at the West Fort Hood Gym Sept. 26 here.
After a 12 month deployment in Korea, the troops of 4-5 ADA returned home to a gym full of family members, screaming and jumping for joy at the sight of their loved ones.
Among those family members was Maggie Van Hassel who is married to 1st Lt. Jason Leung-Van Hassel, the platoon leader of C Battery, 4-5 ADA.
"When I finally saw him my emotions were relief, excitement and joy. I keep thinking someone needed to pinch me because I was not sure he was really home," Van Hassel said.
While Van Hassel's Soldier was deployed, she found it helpful to make sure that she had a good support system to rely on with people who understood what she was going through.
One place spouses and other family members can look for a support system like this is in the unit's Family Readiness Group. An FRG is a group that helps families get involved with their Soldiers' unit and puts together activities that help support the Soldiers and families of the unit.
Families can experience a variety of ups and downs during their Soldiers deployment, and certain aspects of life become harder while their Soldier is gone.
"I think the hardest thing was not having him around to share the little things in life. Something would happen, and I would think Jason would love that. Then I would remember he was not here to share it with," Van Hassel said.
Even though having a member of the family deployed is a challenge, it is also a growing experience for everyone involved. While Maggie Van Hassel's husband was gone she had to learn how to take care of situations that her husband would normally handle, such as car maintenance.
When family members return home, sometimes it can take practice and planning to become a cohesive family again. It is important for all members of the family to be understanding and patient with each other while adjusting to life back in a family environment, and it is important to "let your family help you make good decisions," said Col. Jimmy Jenkins, the commander of 69th ADA Bde.
"I do not expect things to fall back into place," Van Hassel said. "I expect it will take some time to get back to a normal routine," she added.
| Date Taken: | 10.05.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 10.05.2009 17:12 |
| Story ID: | 39704 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 1,298 |
| Downloads: | 1,064 |
This work, 4-5 ADA returns from Korea, by SGT Maria Kappell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
