Stressors of a Services Member: Sergeant First Class Olivares
(Olivares, Rodolfo. Personal Interview. 26 Oct 2016)
On October 26, 2016, I sat down with Sergeant First Class Olivares to ask him a few questions about his deployment and the different stressors he encountered, and how he handled those stressors. We met at a coffee house—enjoyed a cup of coffee—and spoke about his personal experience with the military and his most recent deployment which occurred in 2015–2016. He was open with his personal experiences within the armed forces. He wasn’t able to talk in detail about the work he did in Iraq due to his work being confidential, which says a lot about the importance of his job in the military. Hopefully this interview with Sergeant First Class Olivares will enlighten families about the stresses of being deployed, being removed from their families, and placed into an environment that is high stress.
Interviewer: Sergeant Olivares how long have you served in the military?
Olivares: I have served a total of 21 years in the military. Sixteen years in the Marine Corps, and 5 years in the Army.
Interviewer: How many times have you been deployed?
Olivares: I have been deployed four different times. The last two deployment were to Iraq from 2002-2003 and 2015-2016.
Interviewer: You have stated that you have been on four deployments during your time in the military. What are some of the different stressors you have encountered throughout your deployments?
Olivares: My first and second deployments were quite a bit different than my last two deployment. I was a single Marine with no children, who was focused on the job at hand. My last two deployments I had a family of my own to worry about, which added additional stress to my deployment. Also there was a lot more leadership and role responsibility the last deployment versus my first.
Interviewer: What were some of your thoughts and concerns about your family when you received your deployment orders?
Olivares: Compassion. I felt it was something I had to do to advance in my military career, but I knew the added stress it was going to cause my wife and children. It wasn’t a surprise last time, so it didn’t have the same feel as the time before, when I knew I was going to battle in the front lines as a Marine infantryman and know that my chances of coming home to my family were not in my favor.
Interviewer: Once you were overseas, were you able to communicate with your wife?
Olivares: Yes, this last deployment we spoke on the phone almost daily. It was very nice. It was much different than my first 3 deployment where we were only able to communicate through letters and satellite phones, about every 3 months.
Interviewer: Were there times you felt your wife was under a lot of stress? If so, how did that make you feel? Did this impact your job?
Olivares: Yes. I felt helpless as I was deployed and could only talk with her through it. My job performance was not usually affected as I tended to finish my work prior to communicating with her.
Interviewer: What stressors did you have to face while on deployment?
Olivares: Toxic leadership, stress of making the right decisions as to not harm innocent parties, and making sure that my reports were accurate and actionable.
Interviewer: How did you deal with those stressors?
Olivares: Speaking with my wife and going to the gym was my resiliency. I felt like I was closer to home hearing her voice, and the gym just helped me stay in shape and forget that I was there for a while.
Interviewer: Did you feel like technology helped you through your deployment?
Olivares: Technology was different this time around compared to my last deployment in 2003, plus my mission was different so it allowed me to speak with my wife more often..
Interviewer: How did you feel when it was your time to come home?
Olivares: I was nervous, anxious, and excited.
Interviewer: Were you stressed about your return home?
Olivares: A little, as I didn't want to change in her eyes in a negative manner.
Interviewer: How did you feel when you saw your family for the first time in a year?
Olivares: Once I saw my wife pick me up at the airport, I felt at ease. Seeing my kids also furthered my ease. It was very nice to finally be home and loved in person again.
Interviewer: How is your stress level now that your home?
Olivares: Eliminated for the most part. A lot of my home stress had to do with adjusting to my return to my civilian job. However, that ended up to be an easier transition than originally thought.
Interviewer: Did your family relationships fall back into place or do you feel like some relationships are strained?
Olivares: There was an adjustment period as I still felt some resentment from my wife that I left to begin with.
Interviewer: Are there situations that are causing stress within your family now that you have returned home?
Olivares: There's this little dog named Zuko. My wife purchased him while I was deployed and we are still getting used to each other. It’s an alpha versus alpha situation.
Interviewer: How did the military prepare you to come back to the states and live a civilian lifestyle after deployment?
Olivares: The military continuously conducted resilience training before, during, and after deployment. Also, the military was able to provide a lot of information in regards to benefits. One of the many benefits that helped my family a lot when I returned was the Soldier and Sailor Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Through the SCRA I was able to benefit and save many thousands of dollars by being refunded on higher interest payments.
Interviewer: How are you working through your stress now that your home?
Olivares: Not much stress, just working out, and vacationing with the family. We seem to be spending more time vacationing than we normally have and it's great.
It was great sitting down with Sergeant First Class Olivares. The time he spent answering the above questions gave insight into the service member’s life and just some of the stressors he had to face during deployment. “The stressors of military lifestyle can become very normal, and just a part of life. This lifestyle is not for everybody, but some families can adapt and become a strong independent family"(Russo,Theressa. 2015). Some military members and families don’t handle the stressors of military life very well sotthe Army has provided a network for families to depend on while your service member is deployed or relocated for a certain period-of-time.
References:
Russo, Theresa J., theresa.russo@oneonta.edu, and Moira2 Fallon."Coping With Stress: Supporting The Needs Of Military Families And Their Children." Early Childhood Education Journal 43.5 (2015): 407-416. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
Picture 1: Olivares, 2015
Picture 2: Olivares. 2004
