Keep your family’s home front safe during deployment

  • Published
  • By Army Staff Sgt. Matthew E. Winstead
  • U.S. Army Alaska Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  During deployments, military families are usually more worried about their service members in harm's way than they are for themselves.

However, civilian family members should take care to make sure that they are not needlessly advertising themselves as easy targets to those who would take advantage of them in a vulnerable time.

Some of the things military families might think of as simply showing support for their loved ones can also be some of the ways they can inadvertently make themselves vulnerable, said Army 1st Lt. Michelle Rizzo, of the 793rd Military Police Battalion at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

"There is a ton of personal information that people willingly post onto social media sites like Facebook," Rizzo said. "Things like where people are going, daily routines, where their kids go to school and where their spouses are deployed to are all too frequently posted online when they normally wouldn't offer up that information in a conversation."
While people may add others to their page in a "friend" status, that doesn't always mean they really know the people to whom they are granting access, Rizzo said.

Safety officials on base say you should be mindful of what you decide to post on personal social media sites and refrain from mentioning anything you wouldn't want a total stranger to know.

Avoid questions that could indicate you are currently away from your spouse for an extended period of time, as it may make you more of an appealing target for robberies or other crimes.

Carefully monitor your children if they are allowed access to the Internet - especially younger children, as they tend to be more trusting than adults, and may unknowingly give information best kept private.

Money matters
Another issue that can take families by surprise during a deployment is finance.
With the addition of extra money and the possibility of someone new assuming control for the paying of all bills there is the chance for some serious financial turmoil, according to Richard Bowman, director of the Defense Military Pay Office at JBER.

"While not the only issue that families may face, irresponsible use and mismanagement of the Eagle Cash Card (a reloadable debit card which allows deployed Soldiers immediate access for their funds in remote locations) is definitely one of the biggest issues that can quickly damage financial stability during a deployment," Bowman said.
Lack of communication about purchases back home and overseas can quickly lead to an overdraft, either from the personal bank of the service member's family, or from the bank that backs the Eagle Cash Card.

Both situations may involve several expensive fees and temporarily deactivate the service member's card while deployed.

"Enough overdrafts and unpaid charges to the card will result in the Soldier's pay being directly deducted to cover the costs," Bowman said.

The easiest way to prevent this is by simply balancing your checkbook and making sure you keep enough money in your account to cover your expenses.

For a deployed Soldier, the Eagle Cash Card can be used to withdraw up to $350 within a 24-hour period.

Communication with deployed family members before making large or large-than-normal purchases can help coordinate funds so that any deployment withdraws by the Soldier are covered, according to Bowman.

While deployments are stressful enough by nature, maintaining situational awareness while your loved one is away can help make the time apart easier to manage and keep stress at lower levels.

Family Readiness Groups are great sources of information for additional ways to safeguard yourself and your families. FRGs are just one of the many different methods the Army reaches out to assist families, Rizzo said.