CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Many National Guard Soldiers put their lives on hold when they deploy, leaving behind their jobs, routines and most importantly their families.
Leaving your family can be hard, especially when you miss significant events like a child's birth, birthdays and graduations. Resiliency and learning how to cope with the distance from your loved one is important.
This is where one of the Multinational Battle Group-East commander's effort comes into play and his enduring priority of a Soldier, staying ready and resilient to the force, is essential. There are various ways to cope with the stress of deployment and to remain resilient. Sometimes a morale event can help a Soldier release some stress.
"When Soldiers are resilient it allows them to be better fathers, mothers, better spouses and stronger members of the battle group team," said Col. Ros. L. Gammon IV, commander of MNBG-E. "USO events allow them to maintain that resiliency while overseas."
The United Service Organization (USO) tour, led by Gen. J. Frank Grass, 27th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, is helping to support Gammon's ready and resilient line of effort.
The National Guard Bureau took the lead of a five-celebrity USO event named USO's May Madness Variety Tour.
Grass said the performers and athletes wanted to take the time to say thank you to the Soldiers for what they are doing for Kosovo and the peace support mission.
"They need to hear that, they're here away from their family when times can be pretty difficult the longer you are away from your family, loved ones," said Grass. "It's an opportunity to come and say thank you."
As the National Guard's increased contribution to global missions continue, the Soldiers will also continue to face the stress that can come with those deployments; staying resilient will be key for both the Soldier and the family. Having programs in place can help alleviate some of the strain of these deployments.
"We have dedicated resources throughout the war to family support programs; the integration, beyond the yellow ribbon and now we are establishing a joining community forces program for each state," said Grass.
With the Soldiers deployed to Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo and a third of the way into their deployment, staying resilient and keeping morale up will be important for the success of the mission.