Over the last decade, military families have been asked to sacrifice a lot. Fighting wars on two fronts, in Iraq and Afghanistan, have had major effects on the home front. Often the headlines do not mention the toll war takes on those left back home. Statistics show that military divorce rates are at their highest levels since 1999, and Florida military families are not immune from this startling figure.

On average, military personnel have been deployed between 24 and 36 months over the last nine years. That's an enormous burden for any family to handle. As major military operations in Iraq are coming to a close, many more families may face difficulty as personnel return to their homes.

The economic environment has been especially tough on military families. Spouses of military members are experiencing 26 percent unemployment, which is much higher than the overall national average. While there are efforts to help returning veterans, the rest of their family is often left out of policy changes.

The reality is that families dealing with a loved one returning from combat are under a tremendous amount of stress. If a service member sustains injuries in the line of duty, their families have even more to handle.

Divorce is a stressful experience, even without considering many things military families regularly experience. As a community and as individuals, we must take any necessary steps to ensure that family crises and divorces are resolved as amicably as possible. Florida's many military families will need all the support they can get as their loved ones return from their deployments.

Source: Politico, "Help for military spouses," Laura Dempsey, Jan. 12, 2012