THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Regarding Sandra J. Dorsey's ``Army families have it tough, too'' (letter, Nov. 23): We are not in a contest as to who has it the toughest.
I am married to an F-14 commanding officer. A squadron of F-14s is deployed technically for six months; however, there are predeployment workups which have separated families with as little time together as 10 1/2 weeks prior to deployment. In other words, in a 13-month period, these families may only see each other for 10 1/2 weeks and this is not consecutive.
There are also times when many families have orders to do back-to-back deployments, or they have unaccompanied orders. These are not complaints; they are just the facts and the way Navy life works.
I am proud of my husband, his career and all that he contributes to something in which he believes. When we are separated, I miss him terribly because he is my best friend.
When one marries a man or woman who serves in any of the armed forces, the spouse, too, signs on to that service, and being separated is just a part of that agreement.
It is unfortunate that Mrs. Dorsey feels the Army doesn't offer any support to its dependents, but what is stopping her from starting a support group? There must be others who feel this way, and Mrs. Dorsey would be helping them as well as herself. She may find the support is there, just not in the places she has been looking.
ELIZABETH S. VOETSCH
Virginia Beach, Nov. 25, 1995 by CNB