DES MOINES — Brady Wulf grew up here in Iowa.
But in August 2016, he started a new journey. He became a member of the United States Marine Corps.
Right now, he’s stationed in North Carolina, but that doesn’t keep his mom, Jennifer Fletcher, from worrying about what might happen in the future.
“There’s so much uncertainty and there’s so much news that you don’t know what to feel and I just know that right now i have this feeling in the pit of my stomach, this uncertainty and anxiety and you have to wait and see,” Jennifer said.
When Brady joined the Marines, Jennifer joined Blue Star Mothers of America.
“Not only is it a support group but we do service projects. We just did care packages. We sent over 200 care packages to deployed service members around the world,” Jennifer said.
A big resource military members and their families have found is chaplains.
“All the different programs that the Guard provides, we do our best to connect those families to whatever it is that they need,” said 1st Lt. Lucas Murphy, a chaplain with the Iowa National Guard. “It’s kind of like a one-stop shop.”
News like what came out Wednesday night in the Middle East can be upsetting to military families.
“I think the worst thing is not knowing, I think our job is to provide the calm and peace to the people that are reading the headlines that they don’t really understand the full context of,” said 1st Lt. Murphy.
Military families both at home and abroad may have lots of questions about the renewed and escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran following the assassination of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
President Trump announced Wednesday a new wave of economic sanctions against Iran after it fired missiles towards U.S. bases in Iraq.
The Iowa National Guard tells Local 5 they have two units in the Middle East, but the federal government determines their exact location.
“The greatest service non-deployed chaplains can provide to deployed Service Members is the peace of mind that their loved ones are being cared for and supported,” 1st. Lt. Murphy said.
RESOURCES FOR MILITARY MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Additionally, TEGNA affiliate WKYC has tips on how to talk to your children about what’s currently happening between the U.S. and Iran.