It's hard to forget the recent local tragedies involving members of our military.
An army wife was charged in late February with starving her infant daughter at Fort Leonard Wood.
Earlier this week in Dixon, an army recruiter fatally shot her retired army husband.
And then there are facts like these-
The divorce rate for army officers has increased by nearly 80% since the war in Iraq began in 2003, and child abuse in military families has risen by 30% since 2001.
But the army is working hard to combat those problems.
And families at Fort Leonard Wood who have lived and are living through deployments say it's doing a better job.
In part one of a special series, Joanna Small introduces us to the people who love the people who wear the uniform.
“The longer I've been in the more I believe this, that the military business is a family business.”
She said "I" but Usa Iverson isn't a soldier.
She's the wife of a soldier- this solider, Colonel Mike Iverson.
He's been in the military nearly a quarter of a century, almost the couple's entire marriage.
They've traveled the world together- so the army life is Usa's life too.
"I tell my husband my train is moving, you jump on when you come back, get off when you have to go,” Usa explains.
Colonel Iverson has to go again next week- to Baghdad.
Shanell Guardo's and Tricia Murphy's husbands had to go too, and it hasn't been easy.
“Point blank you have to make sure you're doing things to better yourself while your spouse is down range,” Shanell says.
And all three do.
Shanell and Tricia both work for the military, helping military members and their spouses manage their money and find jobs.
Usa is a volunteer for the red cross right on the post.
And they all take advantage of programs provided by the army and designed for those who stay home while their loved ones serve our country.
In addition to the services available for the spouses through the military, the ones we spoke with say just living a community of army families helps ease the pain of deployment.
Because Fort Leonard Wood is a surrogate family.
“I couldn't imagine being anywhere but here. You look to your right and your left and find someone in the same boat as you,” says Tricia.
Shanell explains, “we have a joke in this building- we're all alone together."
Until they can be together with their soldiers again.
On Monday, Joanna Small returns to Fort Leonard Wood, where she looks at some of the programs those spouses say have been successful for them.