Saul Gonzalez reports from California.
SAUL GONZALEZ: Few places in America are as touched by the war in Iraq as Camp Pendleton, California, the sprawling Marine Corps base just north of San Diego.
The marines that train and live at Camp Pendleton have served multiple tours of duty in Iraq, and many of them have been killed or wounded in the conflict.
Camp Pendleton, like other military bases, is also a community, home to thousands of military families who face financial and emotional challenges brought on by war. When they need extra help, many of the families turn to this woman.
FAYE BELL (Director, Military Outreach Ministry, speaking to unidentified woman): And this is an information sheet kind of about what we're doing.GONZALEZ: Faye Bell, a former navy pilot, is the director of Military Outreach Ministry. It is a Presbyterian-affiliated organization that provides aid and support to Camp Pendleton's enlisted marines and their families, regardless of their faith.
Ms. BELL: Whenever they come to us, you know, we don't want them to come humbly to use our services. We want them to know that we are doing this out of gratitude for what their families are sacrificing, what their husbands that are deployed are sacrificing, and what their kids are sacrificing. We really want people to freely feel like we are patriots that support them and their efforts. And we also do it because it's our Christian duty to help others.
GONZALEZ: The ministry's highest profile work at Camp Pendleton involves the operation of a food distribution center at an old on-base warehouse. Ms. BELL (to volunteers in prayer circle): Let's get our hands together and let's make a circle of prayer.
GONZALEZ: Before it opens, volunteers are led in a prayer by Bell.
Ms. BELL (praying with volunteers): We ask that you keep those who are in harms way safe and keep your loving hand on them, guiding them back to their families safely.
GONZALEZ: At the center, marines and their spouses can come and stock up on the essentials free of charge -- bread and biscuits, canned goods, baby food, and fresh produce. This help is deeply appreciated by base personnel, like Corporals Terry Pulman and Jericho Garcia.
Corporal TERRY PULMAN: It really does help, you know. It's nice, you know, these people provide this service and they usually get a really good turn out. And we really appreciate it.
Corporal JERICHO GARCIA: Especially when you have a wife that's at home with the kid, you know. And it definitely helps out financially.GONZALEZ: The ministry also organizes parenting classes, religious counseling sessions, and social gatherings for young wives, many of whom are living outside of their hometowns for the first time and must fend for themselves while their spouses are overseas.
Ms. BELL (to unidentified woman): Did you hear about our Moms' Club? Okay, well, you need to know more about this than anybody.
They move from all over the country and some out of the country. They move here to this area all alone. They know no one. And then they have a child and their husband deploys and that leaves them there all by themselves. That's basically what we are here for is just to keep a sense of community going and let them know that there is a place for them.
GONZALEZ: With many enlisted marines making between $15,000 to $21,000 a year, money is also a big concern for these families.
TINA MCDERMOTT: It's hard, it's really hard. And actually finance is one of the things we struggle with a lot.GONZALEZ: Tina McDermot, whose husband is a Navy corpsman, is familiar with the unique pressures of the home front and the importance of being stoic.
Ms. MCDERMOTT: You just have to be really strong and hold it together. You have to do it for your husband, because when he's in Iraq he does not want to hear all about the stuff that's going on at home. He doesn't want to hear all the problems. He just wants to call and know that everybody is okay and everything is fine and you are still paying the car payment. I can tell you I was definitely weak before, where things started to fall apart in our marriage. And I was, like, you know, what I have to do is pull it together for the kids, for my husband. And we just have a really -- like a really good bond.
Colonel SAM MUNDY (Commanding Officer, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit): There's a wealth of resources out there that you can tap into while we're deployed. 
ASIA CLARK: Definitely. Since we are expecting our first child, then he's not going to be here when the baby comes. You know, this is a great way for us to get contact information so that way we can contact each other just in case something happens while I'm in labor or something like that. 
Col. MUNDY: The way I characterize it is that family readiness is important; personal readiness is important. So they all work together for the common good so that they can be relieved and know that their wives and husbands are taken care of while they're gone. 
Chaplain JENSEN: I would hope that they would be more encouraged, that they would be able to meet their responsibilities with a certain strength that has been, you know, enhanced because of their worship experience. 
