The Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) program is a quality-of-life program that directly supports readiness by providing a variety of community, soldier, and family support activities and services. MWR offers worldwide support through a comprehensive network of programs and services at each installation-from family, child and youth programs to recreation, sports, entertainment, travel and leisure activities. The mission of MWR is to serve the needs, interests, and responsibilities of all people in the Army community-soldiers, their families, civilian employees, military retirees, and other eligible participants-for as long as they are associated with the Army, no matter where they are located.
- Regular Army: Active Duty
- Regular Army: Retired
- Army National Guard: Active Duty Under Title 10 USC or Title 32 USC (Full-Time National Guard Duty)
- Army National Guard: State Active Duty
- Army National Guard: Drilling
- Army National Guard: Retired
- Army Reserve: Active Duty
- Army Reserve: Drilling
- Army Reserve: Retired
The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.
"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."
The families also change while the Soldier is deployed.
"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."
When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.