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Woman's Day

When Frank King, a National Guard helicopter mechanic, was deployed to Iraq last year just three days after his son J.T.'s first birthday, his wife, Lisa, hung several of his photos in the kitchen so that their little boy wouldn't forget his dad. Easing the strain on the couple's four older kids, ages 4 to 14, wouldn't be as simple. "I figured if they kept busy, they might not miss Frank as much," says Lisa. "It's hard to watch your kids hurting."

For parents like Lisa who are raising kids solo while a spouse fights a war thousands of miles away, day-to-day life can be tough. Thankfully, she isn't going it alone. In an effort to help the Kings and other military families cope while a parent is deployed, Lisa's community of Hastings, Minnesota, has banded together to show their support. From businesses and nonprofit groups to churches and folks in the neighborhood, the entire town is helping out in all sorts of ways.

Help on the Homefront

One of the first people to reach out to Lisa King was Hastings resident Vern Truax, a family readiness specialist with the Minnesota Military Family Assistance Center who routinely connects with military families in the area to tell them about available resources. "We want them to know that they're not alone," he says. Lisa was eager for some help, so Vern got the ball rolling. Thanks to the group Minnesota Veteran Family Support, Lisa's three oldest kids, Amanda, 14, Joshua, 10, and Elijah, 7, received free backpacks filled with school supplies. "I was surprised that strangers would do that for us," says Joshua.

The entire family was even more surprised when a St. Paul–based business, Twin City Tile and Marble, "adopted" them for the length of Frank's deployment. "We wanted to do something special for a military family," says Joe Becker, vice president of Twin City, who knew the Kings from church and submitted their name for the company's random drawing. The firm's 100 employees donated money to send gift cards and other presents almost every month.

Lisa used one of the gift cards to buy a webcam, which let Frank share last Christmas with his family via video. This holiday promises to be even better: Frank returned to Hastings in July. "The support I received from the people in this town helped me get through each day until he came home," says Lisa.

The Little Things that Count

Kim Olson was initially embarrassed to ask anyone for help. With her husband, David, a specialist in the National Guard, stationed in Iraq since June 2007, Kim was juggling a full-time job and caring for her kids, Dylan, 9, and Brooke, 7. When she grew so overwhelmed that she couldn't keep up with chores, Kim realized she needed a hand. So she went online and found Minnesota First Lady Mary Pawlenty's Military Family Care Initiative, which links families of deployed troops with local volunteers. Her request: someone to mow her lawn.

United Methodist Church in Hastings sent Pat Walker, a parishioner: "I was happy to do it." When a storm damaged part of the Olson home, Pat found reputable contractors to come in and make repairs. "There's a spirit of helpfulness here, and it's contagious," he says.

Vern Truax also took the Olsons under his wing. "Vern always said that I could call on him, day or night," says Kim. "One time I was trying to get to a parent-teacher conference, but I didn't have anyone to watch the kids. Vern and his wife volunteered to babysit. It gave me peace of mind to know he was there for us, 24/7." But Kim's real peace of mind will come in April when her husband is scheduled to come home.

Giving Back

Having a spouse in Iraq takes a toll, but having a child there as well can almost be too much to bear. Lori Schultz, whose husband, James, and 24-year-old daughter, Heidi, were both deployed earlier this year, has a town full of people to help her through it. "Friends and neighbors call and say, 'Can I come over and help with anything?' " says Lori, who also has two teenage sons. "They'll fix dinner or make repairs around the house. One time a friend took my sons to an amusement park for the day. Little things like that really mean a lot when your spouse and child are in harm's way."

Lori also volunteers as a family readiness leader and meets with other military spouses to share information. "This is my daughter's second deployment, so I know what's available in our town," says Lori. "I'll tell someone, 'Here's a plumber who'll fix your sink for free' or 'Here's a sports team that'll give you complimentary tickets to its games.' "

She should know. Four years ago, during Heidi's first deployment, Lori received just such a gift: free tickets to see the Minnesota Swarm, a local lacrosse team. She, James and their sons were enjoying the game, unaware of the surprise in store. At halftime, Heidi's face flashed on the giant screen—she'd recorded a video for her family from Iraq. "I got choked up," says Lori. For a moment it was almost like having Heidi there, and Lori will hold tight to the memory until her daughter's and husband's deployments end next summer. "I'm going to hug them and never let go."

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