On Personal Security Issues of Soldiers from Polish Military Contingent in Iraq

Going on a mission undoubtedly constitutes a real threat to the stability of a military family. The fact of being temporarily separated, together with all the related emotional problems, seem to cause a number of dysfunctions in the partners’ relations. The departure of the spouse for a mission is an important social phenomenon which creates a new situation in which the widely acknowledged patterns of family behavior do not guarantee the fulfillment of the family’s needs. Hence, there is a necessity to renegotiate family roles and their scope. In the families of soldiers who go on a mission it is the wife who takes over all the duties and the responsibility for the family’s general wellbeing. They have to face the dull reality: paying the bills, making renovations and bringing up children. When back home, the soldiers take over the man’s responsibilities. From one moment to the next, they have to became fathers, husbands and the heads of their families again. Unfortunately, it is difficult for both spouses to cope with such a situation.