How to deal with son going to Afghanistan?

My son, 19 is heading to Afghanistan this Friday (after a two week stay in Kuwait) He had been in the Army now for 6 months. I would love to hear from others who are or have had to deal with their loved one possibly being in harms way. What kind of advice do you have for me to not worry so much or relax just a little..I know I will worry but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks bunches!How to deal with son going to Afghanistan?
I just returned from Afghanistan in late June. You have already had a lot of good advice.



I would encourage you to stay active and find other people to talk to on message boards, chat, etc. Facebook has a USFOR-A (US Forces Afghanistan) page where you can follow progress. ISAF and 82nd Airborne also have pages. Yes, some of it is negative, but there are also a lot of good stories not covered by the regular news.



You can also stay active in his deployment by sending him things. I don't know his MOS, but maybe he has a computer. You can send him games, DVDs, etc. Just keep in touch.



Understand that he won't be able to tell you much about his experiences there. That is one of the hardest things for loved ones and the Soldier. Just keep him updated on things at home and always remain positive. Also constantly remind him how proud you are of him and that what he is doing is the right thing.How to deal with son going to Afghanistan?
My son has been to Iraq twice. He could end up in Iraq or Afghanistan at any time. It is not an easy thing to deal with. Your best hope is to keep up as much communication as possible, mail, e-mail, satellite phone if you can afford it.



Every unit has a family support group. You might consider contacting them. They can be of great help.



If at all possible, avoid watching the news. That is probably what will affect you the most. Other than that, there is not much you can do.



If you feel like talking, my e-mail contact is on my Yanswers profile. Prayers are with you and your family.
Its not as bad as you think. He will be over there for some time but every day it gets more and more stable. You only hear the bad on the news but a lot of the people support us over there. As long as he wears his Kevlar he should be safe. If worst comes to worst Kevlar can stop Ak47 rounds which is what the Taliban uses. Everyday roadside bombs go off and out of hundreds of bombs only 1 or 2 soldiers every day are injured. Even those people in the roadside bombs have a good chance of coming home alive. The way medivac's are he will be at a hospital minutes after being injured. You usually have a medic or corpsman to fix you up if that were to happen. ITs not as dangerous as the media makes it. A lot of units dont even see combat these days. Just keep praying for him and he will be alright.
It isn't easy, but the best thing you can do is offer your unconditional support. Send him emails, real letters, and care packages (not stuff that melts). Let him know what is going on with relatives and friends. He will be homesick and will appreciate the news.
Thanks so much for doing what you do. It'll be harder for you at home than it will be for him over there, if that's any comfort. He's with a group of highly trained guys. Everyone would lay down their lives for each other. That's not just a cliche. He's serving with some of the best human beings our country has to offer, and I mean that. I served with them myself.



Pray for him. Write him real letters on interesting stationary. Ask him what his platoon or troop or whatever would like, and send them boxes. (We always requested coffee, but we were a little older and we were desk jockeys, the young kids like energy drinks more most of the time.) Don't be afraid to seek out counsel from a trusted religious leader or counselor. In fact you may be eligible for some free sessions if you need them. Contact Military OneSource.



http://www.militaryonesource.com/MOS/Arm
i suggest showing your son all the support he can stand. be proud that he is serving. keep him informed of whats going on at home. when he comes home for R%26amp;R, spend some relaxing time with him. u will miss him. but keep a positive attitude. dont think he will get shot and all that negativity. before long, he will be back home.
Just know he has a lot of expirienced leaders looking after him. He's well trained and knows what to do. 18-25 year olds have a 2.2X greater chance of being injured or killed here in the states than we do in Iraq or Afghanistan



Army Infantry Sergeant
Just know that your country has trained him well and he has pleanty of people looking after him....more people die in car wrecks back in the states then in combat in the middle east.

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