With Military Divorces Up 42 Percent, Reinforcements Are Needed

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- While U.S. troops are fighting for our freedom, they're losing the fight for their families. The divorce rate among military couples has increased 42 percent since the Afghanistan-Iraq wars began in 2001.* Thousands of couples have endured multiple deployments resulting in years of separation. Research reveals that plans to pursue divorce or separation increase with each subsequent month a service member is deployed.**

Nonprofits FamilyLife and Military Ministry, along with the Grammy-nominated bands MercyMe and Newsboys, have joined forces to fight for the marriages of the troops fighting for our freedom with The Art of Marriage Ops campaign.

"We believe that marriage is the most important commitment a couple can make," said FamilyLife President Dennis Rainey. "When this bond is threatened by divorce, we know it often takes outside forces to keep love alive."

The Art of Marriage Ops gives military couples desperately needed reinforcements as they battle post-traumatic stress disorder, injuries, unemployment, re-deployment and other stresses that come with military service.

"When troops return home, civilians think 'OK, that's it. It's over.' But that's not true," said Valerie Gaff, a former Air Force senior airman and wife of Air Force Master Sergeant Todd Gaff. "The stress on our marriage of 13 deployments since 9/11 has been immeasurable."

The Art of Marriage Ops is a one-and-a-half-day video event that offers couples like the Gaffs a chance to reignite their passion, reclaim their love and rekindle their faith. The expert insights and real stories help couples communicate and uproot problems that can destroy a marriage. It's worked for more than 100,000 couples, reuniting broken marriages and helping those on the brink of divorce fall in love again.

Media interviews are available with military marriage experts, including Master Sergeant Todd Gaff and his wife Valerie. For additional information, visit DeMossNews.com/CCCI.

For information and resources to help military couples, visit TheArtofMarriageOps.org.

For 35 years, FamilyLife, the global nonprofit leader in marriage conferences, has helped build strong marriages worldwide. Currently at work in over 75 countries, FamilyLife has drawn more than 2.5 million people to its marriage events.

*MilitaryNews.com, Dec. 14, 2011
**Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, July 2009

SOURCE FamilyLife

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED