Deployment Survival | S3 E6

The Mary and Jerry Podcast

Mary and Jerry discuss how military families can prepare for deployment and readjust when a spouse returns, drawing on Jerry’s four Navy deployments and a demanding year of workups on the USS Enterprise. They emphasize getting paperwork and finances in order (will, power of attorney, SGLI, joint accounts, budgeting), having hard conversations about worst-case scenarios, and maintaining an emergency fund for inevitable breakdowns like appliances and cars. They share practical ways to stay connected, including videotaping a deployed parent reading children’s books, numbering letters in the pre-internet era, and creating continuity through shared routines like reading the same book and praying together. They highlight the importance of community support, honest communication about roles and chores, getting counseling when needed, and recognizing the challenges of reintegration, especially when the returning spouse tries to take charge or feels disengaged. Connect with us and our podcast on Instagram @themaryandjerrypodcast Support the work of the show and get bonus content by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=17005526

About Podcast

Made a few mistakes in life? Facing challenges, you don’t know how to navigate? Wondering what to do next? What direction to take? We are Mary and Jerry Lenaburg and in our 35 years of marriage, we have been through a lot of challenges. Through our experiences and poor decisions, we have gained a lot of wisdom on what not to do. Join us each week for unscripted conversations on marriage, faith, brokenness, family life, parenting, and anything else you want us to talk about. We promise you will laugh and maybe even shed a tear or three. Our goal for this podcast is to provide encouragement and hope through our stories and chats with those who have impacted our lives. Send in your questions, comments, and topic suggestions to us at 571-354-0351. Mary and Jerry Lenaburg have been married for 35 wild, unpredictable, and insanely wonderful years and are parents of two children. One in heaven and one earth side who recently upgraded them to grandparents 2.0. They have been through nearly every challenge a married couple can face - military life, addictions, burying a child, burying their parents, financial and job challenges, and housebreaking a puppy, twice. Along the way, they have learned many important lessons about faith, family, and how to build a lasting marriage. They have appeared together on EWTN and regularly speak to engaged and married couples all over the United States. Connect with us and our podcast on Instagram at @themaryandjerrypodcast