In the military, they prepare their men to be the best they can be in the face of any obstacles they may encounter while deployed, or any other orders they may receive. But no one prepared them to be separated from their loved ones. Nearly half of the men deployed and serving our country are married and just under half are married and half have children (insert quote and demographics table). So what does this mean for these men? Does this make them bad parents because they are deployed, or does it just mean they can't be involved in their child's life in the usual way, as see every day, asking them how their day was, missing vacations and birthdays and big moments in their children's lives, etc. During a single soldier's deployment cycle, many emotions and factors play a role, especially for fathers. The first stage of the cycle is the pre-deployment phase. This represents a lot of stress, both for the soldier and the family members involved. Indeed, the interval between the discovery of their deployment and the actual departure of some soldiers can be very short and limited between notification and deployment, or even very long, both delays can have a huge effect depending on factors such as whether the parent is single or divorced and how many children or whether the family is expecting its first child. The second phase is that of foresight. _____________________. Then comes the most difficult moment of all, that of saying goodbye. The saying “it’s not goodbye, see you later” is not necessarily as true for military personnel and their families. When saying goodbye to children, some soldiers often avoid all this and leave while the child is sleeping... middle of paper ... as well as ethnicities. The men were interviewed about their experience as a soldier and a father and how they dealt with it all. The questions were created from four different sections, their perception as a fatherly relationship with their child before their deployment, how they communicated with their child(ren) while deployed, and what the experience is like when they reunite with their children . Based on the question and answer sessions, the __ found insight into the different ways a father can become involved in his children's lives, defined as cognitive, affective, and behavioral. (thick packet) Works Cited DeVoe, ER, PhD., & Ross, Abigail, MSW, MPH (2012). The parental deployment cycle. Military Medicine, 177(2), 184-90. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1000457474?accountid=38003