Left behind during deployments, troops' loved ones turn to prayer, community
Selena Hernandez’s husband, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, has been in the Middle East for several months.
His deployment was planned. The couple was able to spend time together, and the soldier got a chance to say goodbye to his two dogs.
Hernandez said her heart goes out to the troops who were deployed last week, who left home on a moment's notice.
“It was quick. It was — go,” Hernandez said. “To just be surprised like that, that hurts.”
More than 4,000 members the 82nd Airborne Division are in the Middle East now. They were deployed as reinforcements after a U.S. drone strike killed Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani.
With tension escalating in the region, families left behind are turning to prayer.
“I don’t think there’s anything else that I can do,” Hernandez said. “Just pray and speak goodness over him.”
Jonathan Fletcher is a teaching pastor at Manna Church, which has a congregation of more than 8,000.
About 70% are connected to the military, so when soldiers got called out, so did the church.
“It’s more rare for it to be rapid,” Fletcher said. “Everyone responding to the rapidness of this last one – but there’s always someone stepping into harm’s way. We always stand in a posture to support our military.”
Fletcher said the church has a number of prayer and social support groups for spouses of deployed soldiers. That support can ease the pain of a long deployment.
“It’s a really beautiful thing to watch, to see somebody’s whose husband has 15 deployments speaking to a wife whose husband is on the first deployment.
Hernandez’s husband is on his first deployment. She said she hopes those protesting military action understand its importance.
“Just know, like, freedom has a price, and our soldiers are the ones that are paying for it,” she continued.
