| Military combat veterans and their families face many challenges. While most studies have focused only on the veteran, the spouse/significant other's story offers a unique perspective, as they have watched the soldier experience the combat deployment not only as a soldier but as a loved one. This view gives them a deeper understanding of what combat asks of our soldiers and our military families. The objective of this case study was to explore the viewpoint of spouses and significant others regarding the experience of recent combat soldiers from a Family Systems/Systemic perspective. Thematic analysis uncovered seven major themes with five sub-themes, which were: a) negative transformation of soldier, b) military life, with sub-themes of: a. financial issues, b. extended absences, and c. impact denial, c) relationship issues, d) personal growth of the women, sub-theme of: priorities in life, e) impact on the children, sub-theme of parenting, f) unconditional love, and g) fear of the unknown. This case study found that while the participants considered military life to be extremely stressful, the majority of them would "do it all over again" because they loved their men, and their men loved being soldiers.;Although this study is not generalizable to all military couples, mental health practitioners/military organizations may use these results to consider expanding mental health services as a necessary and critical part of a military family's successful deployment and post deployment preparations. |
