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New and Old Adventures for the Military Family

Old adventure!A military PCS is always an adventure!  In fact, “military lifestyle” is a synonym for adventure.  Finding new fun things to do in your new community after a PCS can be challenging for a military family! Heading outdoors, new schools, new jobs, getting out the front door, off the installation, exploring social opportunities, meeting new friends, visiting local highlights, browsing new malls, walking new trails and playing on new park equipment can be the best of times.  But last week I had the greatest time exploring an adventure from the past!

Charleston, South Carolina was a wonderful place to live but the summer’s were hot and humid and each year I looked forward to some annual leave and visiting family in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.  Family time was the best but I wanted to explore the many mountainous trails in the park during the fall when the crowds were gone, the temperatures were wonderfully cool and the leaves were changing to their fall colors.  So I always saved at least a week of leave for September so I could find the challenging but peaceful trails that I loved to hike.    

New Adventure!This year it was great because we went twice within two months > the first for a celebration of a 90th birthday for our family’s patriarch and the second was just a getaway for me and some sister time for my military spouse.  The first visit featured family time hikes and the second was alone time for me, featuring one challenging hike that I had done while on active duty several years ago.   An old adventure with a new image around each bend of the trail.

Reliving old adventures while getting out the front door and meeting new friends can be a salve for those wounds that come from being the new person on the block, the newest employee, helping children with a new school or the loss of friends at the last installation.  It can be simply a familiar routine, the same cup of tea or visiting old friends.  While finding those new adventures take some time for the familiar as well. 
Family time!

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Dale Kissinger, ie. “Col K” is a co-founder of MilitaryAvenue.com and retired Air Force pilot who served with the best of the military community from the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force. He flew combat rescue and special operations helicopters, fixed wing trainers, special operations airlift and retired while flying the C-17 as the Vice Wing Commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord AFB.

He served his country during conflicts in Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan.With military experience and a Masters Degree in International Relations, Dale leads MilitaryAvenue’s government relations efforts, where he works to build close ties with senior level military administrators as well as government-sponsored military family support and service groups.

A member of a proud military family that created MilitaryAvenue.com to support the military members and their families, he enjoys the continued military ties associated with MilitaryAvenue’s blog, “Our Letters to You: A Military Family Blog.” He has contributed numerous articles on current events; veteran support issues; military spouse and veteran employment; and military community outreach from corporate America. Dale is also a frequent participant with the DoD Blogger Roundtable at DoDLive.

Photo Credits:  MilitaryAvenue byUnknownonTuesday, September 17, 2013Military Life:,,,,,

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