The stages of deployment

When I arrived here in Bagram, I was provided a briefing which detailed the "Stages of Deployment". These are well-recognized, well-studied, reproducible stages that almost every soldier, sailor, airman, or marine will progress through during a year's deployment to a war zone. I found them very interesting, especially since James and I have been at different points in our deployment cycle. (I have said all along that during his R&R, we had different goals since I was pre-deployment and he was mid-deployment, but until this briefing I didn't know that anyone had actually studied the concept.) Some sources say there are 5 stages, some say there are 7, still others say there are 11, but all agree as to the general idea. (I must clarify that these stages are those experienced by the deployed member, not the spouse, family, or friends left at home. Those stages are different, better understood, and, arguably, more difficult.)

James and I are a bit unusual as far as these stages are concerned. Not only are we a dual-military couple facing separate deployments during the same year, but his stages of deployment were thrown off somewhat by the fact that I got orders to deploy and therefore he returned home so quickly for R&R. My stages will also be different since I (supposedly) will be in theater 6 months rather than 12; therefore, I have experienced the honeymoon phase through fourth-month slump, then skipped to the topping out phase and the 11th-month slump since I will not be afforded mid-tour leave. So these stages obviously need to be individualized for each military member depending on his/her circumstances and the length of the tour.


THE STAGES OF DEPLOYMENT


The Honeymoon Phase - Occurs immediately upon arrival to the deployment zone. Feelings of excitement and high expectations abound. Begin to feel initial separation from friends and family. (See posts entitled "Arrival in Bagram" and "My first package!", which describe my initial feelings about Bagram.)


The Wilting Phase - Excitement wears off. Begin to miss luxuries of home. Begin to really miss friends and family. Wonder if you can do this for X months. (See post entitled "One-way conversations", in which James describes the trials and tribulations of the internet in Baghdad. My post "Father Time" also describes the Groundhog Day effect of time in the theater of deployment.)


The Leveling Phase - Become adjusted to the daily and weekly routines of the deployment zone. Understand that you're going to make it, if only by surviving one day at a time. Begin to pursue personal objectives outside the workplace, e.g. physical training, classes, knitting, learning a language, teaching, etc. (James has made a practice of getting in shape and running races like the 15k and 5k, and I have been involved in various types of medical training at the medevac hangar and the Korean hospital on base.)


The Fourth-Month Slump - Physical and emotional exhaustion sets in. Become bored with long days at work and the "groundhog day" effect in which every day is just like the next which is just like the next ..... (James' post "One-way conversations" may actually belong under this stage; because his R&R was forcibly moved up a few months secondary to my deployment, he didn't exactly follow the typical algorithm. He may not have had a "leveling phase" because he only spent 3 months in theater before returning home for R&R.)


MidTour - Mid-tour leave approaches. Soldier gets some much-needed relaxation. Understands that its all downhill from here. Elation ensues. (See "A Child's Dream" in which I attempt to describe the fun we had at Disneyland during James' R&R.)


Post-R&R Blues - Difficult to say goodbye to family and friends a second time and return to the difficulties of deployment. (See post entitled "Back on line, back on duty"; here James clearly describes his difficulty in returning to work after his trip to the US. I also experienced some difficulty getting back in the swing of things after my 9 days downrange at Fire Base Lilley; one might equate this experience to R&R for the standard 12-month tour. It took me around 10 days to reintegrate into Bagram life, and many of you noticed that I didn't blog much in June when I returned because of my difficulties with reintegration.)


Topping Out - After 7-9 months, the light at the end of the tunnel draws near. Feelings of excitement take over as soldier imagines returning home. Moments of euphoria are punctuated by continued long days at work. (This is probably my current stage, although I am also feeling some of the "11th-month slump" anxiety, below. My post about the friends I have made at Bagram echoes some of the "topping out" emotions: I saw everyone around me leave, which made me excited to know that I would be the longest-standing physician at the hospital, but also sad to see so many friends move on to bigger and better things. This is the exciting-but-exhausting part of the tour. I think this is likely where James is as well.)


11th-Month Slump - Just before the tour ends, a feeling of anxiety takes over. Has everyone changed since I left? Have I changed? How will the kids respond to my return? What if they don't know me anymore? Questions clog the mind and temper the excitement of the "topping out" phase. (I am already beginning to feel the stress of redeployment. For us, this phase is doubly nerve-wracking because we're BOTH coming home within a few weeks of each other and we've BOTH changed and grown during our deployments. We also have a lot to do when we return - James has to move his stuff from Delaware, Tita and Matt have to move from CA, the house in Texas has to be turned back on and filled with food .... meanwhile attempting to have some time to reintegrate as a family. James and I talked about the challenges that lie ahead yesterday on the phone, and it seems quite daunting. You'll probably hear more about this as my redeployment date draws near.)


I hope this gives you some insight into what James and I have gone through, are going through, and will likely go through in the coming months ...