from KPCC in California – click here for full recording of the show

Can I earn enough to pay the bills?
How can I take care of the kids and work at the same time?
Can I keep the household running without my wife?
He always fixes the car, but now that he’s gone…
He’s so changed.
She needs help.
We miss him.
We miss her.
I feel so alone.

Military families face so many challenges, many amplified by the unknown: finding and keeping a good job, caring for children, staying connected while separated by thousands of miles, helping a loved one who has returned from the war with wounds to the body or brain. Every family has a story; we would like to hear yours.

Guests:

Tom Tarantino, senior legislative associate of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; retired Army Captain and veteran of tours in Iraq & Bosnia

Tim Kahlor, father of Ryan Kahlor, an Army sergeant who served two deployments – 26 months, in Anbar province, Iraq, working with both the Army and the Marines. He left for basic training on March 18, 2003, the first day of the Iraqi invasion. He was 19 years old at the time. Ryan returned with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, hearing loss, nerve damage in both arms, a detached retina, and back and neck injuries