IKE Sailors Join Military and Family Life Counselor School Year Kick-off Meeting
28 August 2024
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW-3) Sailors and officers joined more than 50 Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLC) during a back-to-school kick-off meeting in Virginia Beach, Aug. 21.
The panelists participated in a two-hour discussion to answer questions from current MFLCs serving in the more than 62 Virginia Beach city public schools. Capt. Demo, command expeditionary facility dog that deployed on board IKE was also in attendance at the event.
This marked the first time Virginia Beach MFLCs had an opportunity to ask questions of military panelists.
The panelists provided valuable information and shared personal feedback from deploying on board USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for their nine-month deployment. The information provided to the
MFLCs was value added for the counselors to connect with military-connected children in the coming school year.
Navy School Liaisons, Melissa Nutter, assigned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and Deborah Patch, assigned to Naval Air Station Oceana coordinated this event to offer an insider’s view of the challenges experienced by service members and their families throughout deployment and reintegration.
“Given that 20 percent of the children attending Virginia Beach schools have a parent or parents serving in the military it is important for MFLCs to be proactive in their support,” Nutter said.
The panelists ranged in ages and rank structure and kicked off the discussion sharing their current roles and responsibilities as well as the ages of their children who ranged from elementary to college age. Some of the attendees had children attending Virginia Beach-based schools where the MFLCs are assigned.
Naval Air Force Atlantic’s Force Improvement Officer Terri Farricker participated in the discussion and shared her experiences raising her three children, ages 5, 6 and 7 with her spouse who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy.
She shared the give and take of managing the requirements for a military household and how to best communicate upcoming changes to her children.
“I have found that my children listen to our conversations, and relinquishing up control to my spouse especially when I know he is preparing to deploy again can be challenging,” Farricker said.
Understanding that struggle was a reason why Farricker spearheaded this first military panel discussion with MFLCs so they can better understand what military-connected children may be experiencing especially when their parents are preparing for a deployment, deployed or returning home from a deployment. In the past MFLCs have spoken with children whose parent or caregiver served in the military as well as spouses of military personnel.
The panelists were asked a myriad of questions, of which, one of them pertained to how service members coped with stress and handled their mental health during their nine-month deployment.
Farricker responded to the question first adding that Eisenhower leadership, at every level, “were so successful, in that they wrapped their arms around the issues and that is the credit to the Eisenhower and their team.”
Senior Chief Intelligence Specialist Jason Lagoe echoed that sentiment by adding a comparison to other prior deployments.
“The civilians who deployed on board IKE served as another person to reach out and talk to if needed,” Lagoe said. “I have had seven deployments, and this was a deployment that was different from others, the support for mental health was advertised on a regular basis.”
Lt. Cmdr. Heather Resue, who is currently assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Seven (HSC-7) and serves as a department head and aviation safety officer, discussed the benefits of the counselors to support her son before, during and after deployment on board USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Resue shared that MFLCs were a resource for her son prior to and during deployment. She shared that her son and other military-connected children were encouraged by their MFLCs to make posters for their parents.
“I kept that poster in my rack the whole deployment,” Resue said.
The MFLCs also provided the students with military-related books.
“My son had an opportunity to read a book to another class,” Resue said, which in turn provided him opportunities to answer questions of other children about what it is like to have a parent deployed.
Another panelist, Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate - Aircraft Handling Bryan Nutter shared that his most recent deployment was his third aircraft carrier and sixth deployment. He discussed his experiences reintegrating when he first returned.
“I have not had much trouble reintegrating because my wife has stickie notes around the house and steers me in the right direction,” Nutter said, who added that when he first returned, he felt detached because he was constantly around people when deployed. “I wanted to sit and be by myself.”
While the demands of home and work helped with his reintegration. Others had to learn how they fit back into societal norms.
Aircraft Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Curtis Rossoll shared that while deployed getting to certain locations on the ship took mere seconds or minutes as compared to returning to regular life filled with traffic and travel delays.
“Biggest reintegration was adjusting to a new schedule,” Rossoll said. “I had to account for time to travel from my residence to the ship and get readjusted to traffic, congestion.”