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New beginnings! Are you ready?
The new school year, a PCS this summer, a new job/employment, a deployment return or departure, a new or revitalized faith, a new workout routine, a wedding, a birth, a health crisis … all can be new beginnings for the military community. So how do you help yourself during new “stuff”? Remember the Old! It gives us strength to remember what helped us in the past. Looking at old pictures is a great way to enjoy old friends, family times, previous assignments, etc. More important though is the support emotionally and physically we get from the routines that we created to cope with the military lifestyle. The new school…
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Today’s Teachers: Frontline of Defense for Military Children
Today’s Guest Post is from Levi Newman of Veterans United Network Today’s military children have to adapt to more stressorsthan ever before. Their parents are deployed more frequently and many kidschange schools anywhere from four to twelve times during the course of theirparents’ military service. It’s a stress many outside the military are unfamiliar with,especially teachers. The biggest service we can offer to these children andtheir teachers is to preparethem both for these transitions. And while the children can ask theirparents how to prepare for these changes, who is there for the teacher? You may be thinking, “What does a teacher need to know aboutthe child’s move?” Well, it really depends…
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Military Kids Website Also Helps Parents, Educators
Technology has come a long ways since I was a military-brat PCSing around the world in the 80s and 90s. I didn’t have to deal with year long deployments but I remember Dad being gone for six months at a time for training and schooling. Fast forward a ‘few years’ and I watched my husband head off to Iraq with the Ohio Army National Guard. I had a few print pamphlets and a couple of Internet articles I could share with teachers that weren’t accustomed to having military-children in their classroom but there wasn’t much more support then that.I am so glad to see our military families getting the support they need! The Defense Department…
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Protecting Your Hard Earned Tuition Assistance – DoD Blogger Roundtable
Fairy tales often start like this: Once upon a time… But our military benefits are not the things of fairy tales, they are earned and deserved! Some colleges have been less than honest with our service members while taking their benefits. It only takes a few to leave a bad taste. I can personally relate as: Once upon a time, a Lieutenant signed up for an advanced degree program, drove 100 miles roundtrip for classes, spent hours studying and preparing for assignments while working a more than full time job and then received orders overseas. Two courses completed, in the bank for when the next opportunity arose several years later.…
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Spouse employment! Veteran employment! DoD Blogger Roundtable!
I have to admit being a bit behind. I should have written this last week but a little bit of taking on too much, my mind on personal issues, the political season and of course, writer’s block just all combined to make the blog a bit behind schedule. Why too busy? More work than one person can do led to priorities. Why the political season? I guess I am concerned that veteran and spouse issues might be used as a political wedge during a tough presidential campaign. Sensitive to the lead guy in the military (the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) criticizing retired, separated veterans for their activist…
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Congratulations to the 2012 FINRA Military Spouse Fellows!
This is a flash news announcement! Congratulations to 50 military spouses! The team at MilitaryAvenue has talked frequently about military spouse employment and training opportunities, provides resources for our military community and when we see something that is helpful we are eager to share it. So here goes… Since 2006 fellowships have awarded to 1,200 military spouses!This is truly a success story for fifty military spouses! Yep that is five zero! All 50 have been selected to participate in the FINRA Investor Education Foundation’s 2012 Military Spouse Fellowship. MilitaryAvenue interviewed the President of the Foundation, Ms Gerri Walsh in May and wrote about the Foundation’s efforts to help military families…
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Military Spouse Employment – Exciting Times! DoD Blogger Roundtable
Startling statistics: 26% Unemployment and a 46% Wage Gap for Military Spouses!* See Photo Credit Below or Click on MapServing with pride is how most feel about their time in the military. The members with families have some great benefits but definitely challenges are at the forefront. One of the biggest challenges is spouse employment! This was one of the most frustrating parts of military life for our family. Transferring a license from state to state, finding the right contacts to open a door, being told that a federal union member had priority during overseas assignments, repetitive short (2 years or less) assignments and little lead time for job searching…
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Month of the Military Child and a Get Together
The Month of the Military Child provides a great focus on a special group of Americans! One unique way to enjoy military kids: Good friends traveling across many miles to see each other. Military brats will always find a way to get together. MilitaryAvenue’s Dan had very special guests: friends from high school and on into adult hood. Both guys were young when they met at Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland and when follow on PCS assignments for their parents brought them together again in Virginia, the friendship bonded. Now, both have wonderful children of their own which we held, hugged, laughed about and told stories before we digressed into…
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The Small, Fine Print
How often do we take the time to read the small, fine print? Last weekend we had a great offer extended to us for a getaway weekend from a national corporation (HGVC) to a city which many consider to be a fun place to visit. Las Vegas, here we come! We came to visit and find memories. Two of our kids were born here while we were stationed at Indian Springs (now Creech AFB) and then a pregnant PCS 34 years ago. That was another story about military life and overseas assignments, birth with a doctor speaking a different language, etc., but I get way off this story. Sunrise over…
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Week in Review: May 8 – 14, 2011 (Military News) #MilitaryMon
Popular Military Family Articles for the week of May 8th – 14th on MilitaryAvenue.com101 Ways to Thank a Military Spouse – Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day! In honor of the spouses that work so hard on the home-front I’ve compiled a list of 101 Ways to Thank a Military Spouse! It is about Respect, Love, Admiration, Appreciation, and a simple Thank You. Enjoy! … It is Military Appreciation Month at Home Depot Year Round! I am excited! I heard two veterans talk about the company they work for and what it was doing for the military community with employment opportunities, veteran housing grants and military discounts at their stores! This is…