Stripes is running a story about mental health checks for spouses of deployed soldiers:

Spouses face day-to-day pressure while soldiers are away and very little is being done for them at home, according to Rebecca Sinclair, the wife of 172nd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Jeff Sinclair.

“Are our spouses going to be OK? Not just healthwise — getting shot. Are they going to be the same person they were when [the soldier] left? After two or three deployments, there’s a chance they might not be,” she said...

“What exactly is the toll on our spouses from these repeated deployments?” Stetson asked. “The Army is putting a lot of energy into the impact of multiple deployments on soldiers. Maybe we need to have the same focus on the impact of multiple deployments on spouses and families.”

Comment: Families are the backbone of our nation's military. Healthy families strengthen and empower service members. Is it possible that the health of family members is equally or more important than the health of the service member in terms of readiness? Service members are more productive when their families are happy.