GREGG K. KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARBULLETIN.COM Floyd Davison of the Family Advocacy Program at Schofield Barracks uses hand puppets to get children whose parents are deployed to Iraq with the 25th Infantry Division to talk about their feelings. CLICK FOR LARGE

Schofield Community Service Center reaching out

Programs help families of Schofield soldiers cope with long deployments

THE STAFF at Schofield Barracks' Community Service Center has a good idea about what to expect after 7,000 soldiers return from their deployment in Iraq: babies. Lots of babies.

The center's human resources specialists who help the families of deployed soldiers say past long-term deployments show that they should expect about 800 babies will be born to Schofield families after the soldiers come home in the fall. And at least 300 babies will have first-time dads.

To aid expectant mothers, the Army offers programs ranging from neonatal care to parenting skills, said Brian Dougherty, who works at Schofield's Community Service Center. There is even a "Boot Camp For New Dads," a 3 1/2 -hour workshop that helps fathers through tasks such as changing diapers. And there are other programs to help the new fathers understand what their wives are experiencing.

When more than 7,000 Tropic Lightning soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004, it was the first time since the Vietnam War that the 25th Infantry Division had sent soldiers into combat. Last summer more soldiers were sent to Iraq, many of them veterans from the 2004 campaigns.

From those wartime deployments, the Army and Schofield Barracks officials have instituted a myriad of programs, ranging from neonatal care to help in filling in what one Army spouse has described as the time spent "rotting away waiting for my husband to get back."

It's not an easy chore.

Despite the many programs, Community Service Center staff have to work to make sure the families know what is being offered.

GREGG K. KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARBULLETIN.COM Nicole Dekok, who heads the family readiness group for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team's 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, shows one of the baby dolls used by Schofield Barracks' Community Service Center classes on parenting for first-time parents. CLICK FOR LARGE

At a recent round-table discussion at Schofield Barracks with spouses and Army representatives, Michelle Ridlon, whose husband, Sgt. Mark Ridlon, is on his first deployment, said it wasn't until she was halfway through her husband's tour in Iraq that she learned of the many services available to her as an Army wife with two young children.

"In the beginning, it was chaotic," she said. "I didn't know what to do."

Elizabeth Thunstedt, whose husband, Sgt. Keith Thunstedt, is in Iraq, said she works full time for the Army and has no children. There are many wives like her, Thunstedt said, who were looking for things to do.

Sarah Horrigan, whose husband is 1st Lt. Kevin Horrigan, said living in an island state has its own unique problems. "You can't just get into your car and take a road trip to meet your family," she said.

She works for the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation program, which has a "Blue Star" deployment discount card for Army restaurants, bowling alleys, and fitness and recreation centers. In addition, there is one big activity each month. "The idea is help these spouses get out of the house and have fun," Horrigan said.

Floyd Davison, who works for the Army's Family Advocacy Program at Schofield Barracks, said one group that is the hardest to reach are children. "Kids just won't talk," he said.

To break the ice, Davison and his team of social workers use hand puppets.

The use of a gray shark hand puppet got an 8-year-old boy to open up. "He told the shark that he was mad because his dad was going to miss his birthday again," Davison said.