Staff Sgt. Michelle Johnson interviews Vicki Cody about her book, “Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide.” The book helps families cope with the deployment of their Soldier. Photo: John Reese
Posted on 01/31/2006 1:29:25 PM PST by SandRat
ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, Jan. 30, 2006) – The author of the newest book for Army parents, “Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide,” is not only the wife of the vice chief of staff of the Army, but she also has two Soldiers deployed to Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Michelle Johnson interviews Vicki Cody about her book, “Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide.” The book helps families cope with the deployment of their Soldier.
Photo: John Reese
Vicki Cody has seen the Army for the past 30 years, so she said it seemed quite natural when she wrote her book to help families of Soldiers deal with deployments and Army life from her personal experiences.
It all started when her oldest son deployed to Afghanistan and she suddenly found herself in a new role of not just being an Army spouse, but as the mother of a Soldier. She started to have some ideas then. He got back from Afghanistan and six months later, he was ready to deploy to Iraq and she realized there were parents out there who didn’t have the background and the experiences that she had. Within a few months her younger son was getting ready to deploy to Iraq also.
“And that’s when it really hit home that I have two kids serving in the Army and they weren’t just serving, but they were deploying overseas,” Cody said.
She realized there were people out there who didn’t have the background or experience that she had. There wasn’t anything out there for parents before her book, she said.
“I thought if I could write down some real easy, common sense things that would help guide them through the whole process,” Cody said.
The book not only informs parents about the Army, but it also includes acronyms and useful Web sites.
The main thing that Cody hopes people get out of the book is a sense of reassurance and comfort. She hopes that parents feel like they’re not alone.
“This booklet doesn’t have all the answers and the answers aren’t always right or wrong,” she said. “I never try to judge or tell people how they should feel.”
Cody’s biggest challenge in writing the book was finding the time to write it.
“When I would sit down to write, the words, the experiences just literally flowed out of me. I had no problem with that,” she said. “I always had the thoughts and ideas, but it was just finding the time to put pen to paper.”
Her family’s reaction to the book was positive. She said it gave them some insight into what she had been feeling and what others might be feeling too.
The most rewarding part of writing the book has been the feedback from actual mothers and fathers, she said. Since the book’s release in the fall, Cody has been able to meet people that she would have never done otherwise.
“I love it when I hear from parents and family members,” she said. “I know it’s making a difference and it’s working its way throughout the Army.”
For more information or to obtain a free copy of the book, call (800) 336-4570, Ext. 630 or send an e-mail to ilwpublications@ausa.org.
Something for all the Army families out there facing a Deployment of a loved one.
For families who are facing deployment or have a member deployed...
You can find a lot of this info by going to the Family Readiness page of the MWR site for Fort Drum. The Army is doing a pretty good job already.
Thanks, I have a son facing re-deployment. It always helps to hear from others in the same boat.
BTTT
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