Kindness and empathy go a long way

A mother of three young children, whose husband recently deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division, is experiencing deployment separation for the first time. Others I met, have gone through 8 deployments where their Army spouse is gone to a dangerous place with no clear date of return. All of them have much in common- anxiety, but also kindness and empathy from their leaders in the Army, the state of N.C. and support organizations. Yesterday, the USO of N.C. and the Department of Veteran and Military Affairs for N.C., led by Secretary Larry Hall, hosted a military spouse listening roundtable to address concerns and challenges. The first lady of North Carolina, Kristin Cooper, daughter of a career officer, was there to listen and offer support as well. Not all problems were solved yesterday, but all who attended felt the kindness for which the USO of N.C. is known. Together with empathy for those around us, we will make life better for those families going through this deployment and future ones.

Jim Whaley