Military families in San Diego try to stay connected with loved ones deployed to the Middle East

SAN DIEGO (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - As tensions rise in the Middle East, military families in San Diego are doing their best to stay connected with loved ones deployed in the region.

Jared McClurg is a U.S. Army Veteran and father of five children: three-year-old Sloane, five-year-old Harry, six-year-old Aurora, 16-year-old Alexis and 17-year-old Gavin, who just graduated from high school last week.

His wife, Morgan, is on deployment aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee.

She's been gone since March and when they can communicate with her, they just talk about what really matters.

"Just tell her that were here waiting. We know the sacrifices that she makes to make a better life for her and for all of us," McClurg shared.

Gavin is old enough to know what is happening in the world today saying, "It's really nerve racking because I hear all the stuff on the news about what's going on, and hearing that she's over there right now, it's kind of scary."

The Navy 5th Fleet, which falls under the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, shares deployment information with families on a need-to-know basis, and most times, husbands, wives and children know very little about the specifics of their loved one's mission.

McClurg served as an Army helicopter mechanic in Iraq. He knows what his wife is facing in the wake of this weekend's attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called Operation Midnight Hammer.

"I hope it's a lot easier than it was in Iraq, and it doesn't last so long...that people actually get to come home," McClurg expressed.

This is the reality this father tries to share with his children in an age-appropriate way.

"You can ask them and they'll say, 'Mommy's at work on the boat.' Thats just what we say,' McClurg shared.

McClurg only has a guess of when his wife will return with her ship. Maybe October or November, he says.

She missed Gavin's graduation, but she has inspired him to see a recruiter with his dad's help.

"A lot of my family is blue collar. A lot of them are union workers. Nobody else is a heavy equipment operator. So, I'll do that in the military," Gavin spoke.

A dad and his kids coping better together.