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Help for your PCS Finances!
PCS Post at MilAve_Col_K DrivewayIt is summer PCS season and one third of our military is relocating to a new fun spot in the sun! With a PCS many obligations and military requirements come at a new unit plus a completely new area for some to explore. But first, we have to get there … quite the challenge for many, routine for others, occasionally heart wrenching for military brats, saying good bye to friends, planning to travel, find a new home … screech on chalkboard for our budget sometimes. Need help to work through the finances of a PCS? During an interview with a well known and respected leader in…
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A Chaplain’s Walk through Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) – DoD Blogger Roundtable
Summer is here! Our Nation somberly celebrated Memorial Day with parades, cemetery services, speeches about sacrifice and news articles and opinion pieces about service. We also had picnics, barbecues, time off from work and family gatherings. During one of our family times the topic of discussion centered around Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) and how it was treated from WWI and WWII through Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and now Afghanistan. With a number of veterans in the family ranging in age from WWII, Korea and Vietnam, plus the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; it was a lively discussion. I was reminded of Colonel Chris Robinson of the Deputy Director for Psychological…
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Have you Heard about Blue Star Museums?
Blue Star Museums Kicks Off on Memorial Day! What does that mean to you, a member of the military community? If you are an active duty, National Guard or Reserve member or family member, you have access to more than 1,600 museums this summer for free! Right, we agree, what a great program. This is the third year for this program and it started with 900 museums and is growing each year as the Arts open their doors wide open to the military community. FREE entertainment for your family on a crazy summer schedule! Maybe you just PCS’d into a new area and need something for the family to do. …
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Fathers Day Messages and Care Package Ideas
Three Cheers for Dad!!Whether the Dad you adore is biological or adopted, active duty or a civilian, Stars and Stripes wants to help you pay tribute to him by posting a free message for Father’s Day (June 17). Visit fathersday.stripes.osd.mil to enter yours. If your recipient is overseas and your message is received by May 29, it will be published in the Stars and Stripes newspaper of your choice (European, Pacific or Middle East edition). All messages will also be available online as soon as they are approved. Please be sure to read The Fine Print, which explains our deadlines and other details. Happy Father’s Day to all of our Dads,…
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Recognizing another Vietnam Hero – Specialist Leslie Sabo earns Posthumous Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor was posthumously awarded by the President of the United States to U.S. Army Specialist Leslie Sabo killed while saving the lives of his friends and fellow soldiers on May 10th, 1970. The Blogger Roundtable spoke with members of his company and platoon to discuss the events which led to Sabo receiving the Medal of Honor – 42 Years after he was killed. They talked about his heroics on that day after they were ambushed in eastern Cambodia. Accepting the award was Sabo’s widow, Rose Mary Sabo-Brown. The Sabos had been married during his short leave from Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) and honeymooned during 30 days of…
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Summer 2012 Bucket List
Summer Vacation is soon upon us. A time of year I LOVE! The lack of routine is so refreshing but amazingly enough becomes a little old after only a few weeks (and depending on the moment, sometimes only after a few days). So this summer my boys and I have created a ‘Bucket List’. Things we all want to do in the course of our lazy-days of summer. Somethings are things I want to do as a family. Some things are dreams. Others are already being planned. This is our list of plans, ideas and joys for the summer: Ride our Bike to Tasty Freeze Have a backyard game of kickball Catch fireflies…
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A Reflection of my Own Stress
I was running a morning errand when I saw the car screaming in reverse down the driveway. I tapped my brakes not knowing if she saw me. She slammed on hers to avoid hitting me. I saw the 2nd grader in the back seat, her daughter. I could see the mom YELLING at her daughter. Hands were in motion, up in the air. Mom was flabbergasted over something. It was 8:05am and I knew that kids were considered tardy if they arrived after 8:10am and we live about 5 minutes from the school. It was easy to draw conclusions but I don’t know what was happening exactly in the car that followed…
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What is the Department of Defense Doing to Help Military Spouses Find Jobs?
“A Senior Engineer” with General Dynamics at Pearl Harbor, HI and “Part Time Bartender” for Hilton Worldwide Chicago Downtown – what do they have to do with spouse employment? Military spouse at job fair – See below for photo creditThe Military Spouse Employment Program (MSEP) kicked off almost a year ago and has more than 440,000 jobs available for a military spouse to search through for their specific needs. The DoD Blogger Roundtable spoke with Robert L. Gordon III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy) as he highlighted the many successes of MSEP and how it has improved the lives of the military community. With a…
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Father’s Day Care Package Ideas
Sending a letter to Dad Kids say the darndest things! It is the truth. I got some wonderfully done papers for Mother’s Day from my first grader. My favorite line on one was, “What my mom likes best about being a mother is _____.” His response was “Being the boss”. Who knew being bossy was so much fun, right?! 🙂 I would amend his answer to include giving hugs, kisses, sharing smiles and tickles, ‘Rise and Shine’ and ‘Goodnight Moon’ and every hour in between … but I’m sure he just ran out of space 😉 Now it is time to move from Mother’s Day and on to Father’s Day,…
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‘Muffins for Mom’ and the Super-Teacher
This morning I had the distinct pleasure of joining my 1st grader in his class room for ‘Muffins for Mom’. A Mother’s Day celebration with his classmates. What an honor! We walked down the hall hand in hand before the school day started. We enjoyed muffins and juice (my juice of choice was coffee), artwork and tic tac toe, smiles and hugs. A mother could not ask for a better way to start the day! Let me tell you about Mrs G, C’s first grade teacher, a beautiful example of a teacher there to help her students shine. Before the first grade year started an acquaintance and I were at the park talking. …
