Long deployments for military reserves strain families

ATHENS, Ohio -- Dining out is out for Michele Fish these days. She's cutting back on weekend trips and watching what she spends on clothes.

And while there's less money around, with her husband deployed by the Army National Guard, there's more to do -- like watching over the couple's boys, ages 4 and 5.

"It's very draining," she says. "We have our moments when you feel like it's the end of the world." But, she adds: "We'll make it."

Anthony Fish, her husband, is one of 212,560 reservists and guardsmen on active duty, either overseas or for homeland security, according to a Pentagon count released Wednesday.

That's down from a high of 224,528 on April 30. But with no clear exit point for U.S. troops in Iraq, the number of reserves on duty may stay elevated for some time.

While reservists can be activated for up to two years, some relatives back home say deployments this year have already left them struggling financially and emotionally.

Fish, a military policeman in the National Guard, is expected to be away from his family and job as a police lieutenant in this southeast Ohio city for about a year. He was activated for the Iraq war in February and, when his unit wasn't needed overseas, redeployed last month for homeland security duty.

At the Athens police headquarters, items that were on Fish's desk now sit on a windowsill: his gold nameplate, a calendar, three golf balls with the word "Dad" inscribed on each.

Meanwhile, in the field, Fish is making several thousand dollars less than his regular salary, forcing his wife to cut back on expenses.

Jay Farrar, a former Marine Corps officer and now vice president and military analyst at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the situation reflects the changed nature of the military.

The Guard and Reserves have been needed for specialist functions, such as civil affairs, in recent conflicts dating back to the Balkans, he says.

"It isn't one weekend a month and two weeks a year anymore," Farrar says. "There is no such thing as a 'weekend warrior' anymore in the Guard and Reserve. These people operate so much more as part of an overall security framework."

Lives on hold

That means more people putting lives on hold.

Lynn Brinker shut down her husband's home improvement business in Columbia, Md., when he was sent to Texas soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Mark Brinker, also a military policeman, returned last September, then was called up in March and sent to Kuwait and Iraq. "He has no clue when he's coming home," she said.

His business was idled again.

"People are moving on to other contractors," his wife says. "Every day he's gone, I worry 'Will he be able to get his business on track?"'

Army Sgt. Travis Hattaway, away from home since Feb. 28, has missed the milestones of his 7-month-old son, Darby. His wife keeps a video camera handy.

"He did miss his first Easter," says Sarah Hattaway, of Kansas City, Mo. "He missed crawling and standing and teething.

"There are definitely some days that make me feel like a single parent," she adds.

She said his absence takes more of an emotional toll than a financial one because her husband's military pay equals the $30,000 he makes as a restaurant manager.

Military pay is based on rank and years of service, and is unrelated to what reservists make in their civilian jobs.

In Amherst, N.Y., at least six of the town's 700 employees were called overseas. That means more work hours for some others who cover the gap, says Susan Grelick, the town supervisor. The community has spent about $87,000 in overtime in the police and recreation departments.

"The impact on the town isn't just the missing employees," Grelick says. "The fact that they are not here is constantly reminding us that we are in a war situation and how serious the situation is."

Lynn Brinker, a part-time social worker, estimates her family has lost about $30,000 because her husband's military pay is half of his civilian pay. She cashed in $7,000 worth of savings bonds meant for their children's education, took out a $15,000 bank loan and borrowed $15,000 from a relative, which she has repaid.

But there's more than money at stake. The couple have three sons, ages 13, 10 and 5.

"They're going through a very hard time with their father gone," she says. "Nobody else's dad is missing, just theirs."