1. Professor Erin Sahlstein's Research On Military Marriages

3. The analysis was based on communication with army couples before, during and after the deployment in the Afganistan or Iraq.

4. The statistical sample for the research was made of 50 Army wives.

6. She has already done a study on the long distance relationships.

7. Army, however, is pretty specific.

8. The separate research was needed.

9. There are plenty of hardships for the army penpals due to all the restrictions posed on them.

11. The time before the deployment is stressful for both.

12. Once the husband is deployed, the wife has to be both the mother and the father.

13. All the hardships of the family fall on her, while he is half a world away, risking his life.

15. When they do, there is a problem that they live in different worlds.

16. Sometimes he wants to talk what he is going through and she doesn't; more often, he can't talk about that, and she wants to know.

18. Some handled it better, others worse. There were plenty of variations.

19. The women that already had this experience took it easier then the ones that were new to this. Although the adaptation was easier, it was still needed.

21. Every family reacted differently.

22. Each family handled it differently.

23. For each family, there were hardships.

24. Every soldier needed to reintegrate, and needed the support of the family.

26. Problems at school were evident while the father was away.

27. The wives didn't have much trouble in their communication with children. However, the children were witnesses of their paretns' troubles.

28. It often puts more pressure on the kids than they can handle.

30. One method of communication is often not enough, and they have to be flexible with it.

31. This entire process is difficult for the families, and all the support they can get is welcome.