Week in Review: Week of March 14 – March 20 (Military News)

Here are ten of our most popular military-related articles for the week on

MilitaryAvenue.com:

Face of Defense: Guard Members Skate in Roller Derby:  Some soldiers will do almost anything to stay in shape.  Three soldiers from the Oklahoma Army National Guard are lacing up their roller skates, strapping on elbow and knee pads and taking to the rink as members of the Oklahoma City Red Dirt Rebellion Rollergirls.   For those new to the sport, this isn’t the roller derby of the 1970s, when practically every move was choreographed as in professional wrestling. …

Two New Government Rules That Help Military Families: The U.S. government has issued two new rules this month that will help certain military families. The first, from the Social Security Administration, ensures that a servicemember’s combat duty will not affect the calculation of benefits for family members who qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The second affects federal employees who want to take leave to help out a family member who is deployed. …

Photographer Depicts Iraq’s Economic Growth: A former White House staff photographer who started photographing Iraq in 2003 said yesterday that comparing old images to recent ones presents a picture of staggering economic growth there.  Tina Hager snapped her first photo of Baghdad from Air Force One while accompanying then-President George W. Bush on a surprise Thanksgiving Day visit to meet with U.S. troops. A few years later, she moved to Dubai as a freelance photographer documenting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Online Degree? Buyer Beware!: In the last few years enrollment in for-profit online colleges has exploded in the military community.  Service-members can take classes even when deployed. But is that online degree really worth it? It depends where you got it and what the college required of you to get it. ….

Faces Behind the Hero: Sarah, Army Brat, Navy Wife: This week’s “Face Behind the Heroes” is, Sarah. She is an “Army Brat” turned Navy wife! I felt an instant camaraderie as I am an “Air Force Brat” turned Army wife. Some of just can’t get away from the life :). Sarah has a lot of great thoughts of the support you can find on base. Have you utilized on-base / post support? Put it on your ‘To-Do’ list today! But first we hope you enjoy reading a few thoughts from Sarah, this week’s “Face Behind the Hero” …

Coping with stress: The other day my 1st grader got off the bus, dragged himself into the house, snagged a snack and sat down for homework. All routine. Except for the awful look of frustration on his face. After inquiring what was wrong I was informed that the bus-driver was a sub that afternoon and she was MEAN. Grumble, Grumble, back to homework.  Couple minutes later I look back and there were tears streaming down his face. More questions and he is still very-focused on that mean bus-driver, clearly homework was not in the forefront of his mind. …

U.S. Cyber Command Preparations Under Way, General Says: Preparations for the formal establishment of U.S. Cyber Command are under way, a senior military officer reported to Congress today.  The formal launch of the new organization is awaiting congressional approval of its commander, Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said in a written statement submitted to the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces.  …

Farmers Markets, Garage Sales, Crafts Shows… OH MY!: Spring will soon be upon us! Sometimes that is hard to remember with still a couple of inches of snow on the ground here in northern-Ohio but my mind can QUICKLY take me to warmer weather; time outdoors; getting to know the community after the lazy days of winter! To many military families Spring can mean getting out and getting to know their community for the FIRST time.  What is big in your community? Farmers Markets? Parades? Concerts in the Park? These are great events that military families WANT to know about! …

What a great idea!: We recently received a great homemade gift from our son Dan and his wife Becky to commemorate all of those PCS and other associated moves while on active duty! It was a sign post to place in the yard or on the street with all of our previous home locations spelled out with the distance in air miles to each from our current home! What fun it is to see the sign and realize all that it means.  Each little sign indicates an American military family gathering its belongings, cleaning up a house, selling one on occasion or passing a base housing inspection on another! …

Military Families Gain Access to Free, Online Tutoring: The Defense Department has launched a free, online tutoring service for servicemembers and their families. The site offers round-the-clock professional tutors who can assist with homework, studying, test preparation, resume writing and more.  Marine Corps and Army families have had access to the program for more than a year. Seeing the value, Defense Department officials decided to expand the service to encompass all servicemembers and their families, officials said. …
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Moving Tools, Our Moving and Relocation Tools for Military FamiliesbyLeanneonSunday, March 21, 2010Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Popular Articles