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War Hits Hard for Families of Soldiers Sent Off to Fight
Military deployments to Operation Epic Fury leave loved ones filled with worry and doubt. ‘I don’t actually know where he is.’
By Madeleine Rowley
03.11.26 — U.S. Politics
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“Mentally, deployment feels like dread.” (Courtesy of author)
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Deployment worry feels different. Physically, it feels like cold sweats and heart palpitations. That is exactly how I felt when I heard, while driving somewhere in the spring of 2024, that hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones were heading directly toward my husband’s location overseas.

“Ballistic missiles?” I remember texting him. “Please stay safe.”

Mentally, deployment feels like dread, usually followed by a quick reality check. I was pulled back to the present moment by my toddler daughter, who loudly requested “Baby Shark” from the backseat of the car. I switched the radio from news to my Spotify app. I zoned out. I sang along. “Baby Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo.”

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Madeleine Rowley
Madeleine Rowley is a former investigative reporter at The Free Press. She is a 2023-2024 Manhattan Institute Logos Fellow with previous bylines in The Free Press, City Journal, and Public. As a U.S. Army spouse for almost a decade, she's lived in six states and spent two years in Jerusalem, Israel. She currently resides on the East Coast with her husband and daughter.
Tags:
War
Military
Family
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