As a National Guard wife, one of the hardest transitions for us as a military family is preparing to settle in once my husband returns home from deployment.

The transition from military service member to the civilian workforce can be tough, but is the transition easier for those with higher rank? Look at the veteran employment initiatives that exist in corporate America and you be the judge.

Former Marine spouse Mallory Martinez and her husband may still be newlyweds, but Mallory has had her share of military life. From living apart for close to 3 years, 2 deployments and the new transition from military life to civilian life. In this interview, Mallory opens up about how she deals with the stresses of military life as well as the joys.

So much of the struggle with PTSD, when you get past the anger and the nightmares, is trying to piece together the relationships that you have left behind. I have spent the last 18 months learning to rebuild those relationships.

Adjusting to R&R after a 15 month deployment is not exactly easy. Army National Guard soldier Christopher Mariner said, “Some much needed R&R is in order; I am just not so sure what I am going to do with the spare time”.

PTSD sufferer Roy Smith has learned, “Understanding you have a choice is one of the most important steps to winning your freedom from the hell that is PTSD.”

Sleep for most people is something they look forward to at the end of a long day. The same used to be true for me. All that changed once I went to war. Then the nightmares found me and sleep ceased to be a respite from the day’s stress and fatigue. In the intervening years, I have learned a fair amount about sleep and dreams and especially nightmares.

Think of when your soldier returned home from their last deployment, the anxiety of getting back to normal and moving forward as a family. Did you feel like the process of getting back into a routine took forever? If there was a program that helped you and your soldier get back on track as a couple, would you participate?

Few people would say that parenthood is easy. However, it is even more difficult when you are a parent with PTSD. I know firsthand just how difficult being a parent with PTSD is and have my angry daughters to prove it.

Once your soldier has returned from deployment, you may be very eager to get into a routine. But what if your soldier is not? Do they seem more distant, angry, stressed or are they avoiding conversation? The excitement of homecoming can blind our reality, and in many cases spouses will either ignore the signs or just not know how to handle the situation.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is becoming more common today with soldiers returning from single or multiple deployments. PTSD is a very severe anxiety disorder that if left untreated can have devastating consequences for the soldier as well as their families. So how do you know when your soldier needs medical attention?