-
Happy to be Home! DoDLive Blogger Roundtable
Photo Credit: Real Warrior Campaign“Happy to be Home”Normally you start a blog with the beginning and work your way to the end; today, I started with the closing comments of Master Sergeant Aaron Tippett, US Army. The Blogger Roundtable had the opportunity to interview and listen to the comments of an American hero and how he dealt with the challenges of PTSD. Listen up military spouses! He responded to his spouse after she saw the cumulative effects of multiple deployments. Stay in touch with your spouse! His advise for spouses was, “be there, listen, be supportive,” but don’t push it, each soldier is different. After his wife encouraged him to…
-
May is Military Appreciation Month
“… being part of the military tradition and all of the hoopla!” This month is Military Appreciation Month and while it highlights an opportunity for government leaders, civilians, neighbors, extended family and businesses to thank our men and women in uniform, their families and veterans; we should take a moment to appreciate ourselves too! The military lifestyle is tough and we share a unique perspective on world events. Yes, we have/had jobs where our families watched CNN or other news to see where we might be going next. How many prayers have gone up for our safety, protection and success? This month is a great opportunity to reflect on what…
-
Career Road-map for the Military Spouse
a Department of Defense Roundtable Maps are good. Especially when you are in unknown territory. You can reference them as you plan a trip across the country, or glance at a map (perhaps your GPS) as you make your way across town. We need maps unless we want to wander… aimlessly. As a military spouse we often find our way into new territory. A PCS (again), a deployment (again), a family to raise, a spouse who is quite frankly married to the _______ (fill in your branch). When we are plotting out this course called ‘life’ and we want a career to be a part of that it often…
-
My Inspiration, the Veteran in my life
Veterans Day, a day to honor and thank veterans, has come and gone. However, the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate a veteran should never be passed. As an Army National Guard wife I swell with pride whenever my husband wears his uniform to serve our country. When I remember deployment and months that I have been without him I shed a tear but then think to myself we did it! When I think about how his very basic need to serve has driven him to do just that, and to do that with honor, I remember the many qualities that attracted me to him so many years ago. But my pride in my husband stems much further back…
-
A View of Military Family Security and the Washington Naval Shipyard Attack
See Photo Credit BelowDo you feel safe on or near your military installation? News media coverage of the two attacks on military installations (Washington Naval Shipyard and Ft Hood) and Islamic terror attacks in Kenya and Pakistan against foreigners visiting a mall and Christians in church have again raised awareness of personal and family security. Last week’s Washington Naval Shipyard murders and the Fort Hood terrorist attack in 2009 against our soldiers remind us that it is a turbulent world in which we live. A downright scary world for some and our military community is certainly in the limelight. The Department of Defense is starting a couple of reviews to…
-
A change of view, a new perspective
Check out this handsome guy. He is the definition of Enthusiasm.Brand new glasses and he is seeing the world a little bit clearer. But let me tell you how EXCITED he is about his new view. His excitement about his glasses is quite contagious. You can’t help but smile as he talks about no one recognizing him at school tomorrow, who is going to comment, how he can. not. wait. for a new school day. A little chuckle wells up as he asks for another wipe to clean his glasses. And as he says, “WOW, I can read the clock now!” you know that change is good. How about your new…
-
A “Soldier of Finance” Review
Soldier of Finance author, Jeff Rose“Why are you struggling with finances?”Looking for a new approach to financial matters? How about reading a book organized for the military community mindset? The first question a military member says in basic training, “Why am I here?” fits right into “Soldier of Finance” as author Jeff Rose, Certified Financial Planner opens the mission with how he got there and why. A member of the Army National Guard, Jeff served a one year combat deployment and explains how the Guard trained, matured, instilled drive and gave him a purpose. His faith leads the way but the soldier comes out as the book guides you through…
-
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…
-
Taking Life by the Reins
It was going to be a long week without my main squeeze. Hubs had JAG training at Fort Belvoir for a week and I knew for sure we would miss him. Truth is, it’s hard when your best friend leaves, even if only for a week. (And yes, I have done the year long deployment… but that’s not my point. Sometimes, I miss him when he is only sitting in the other room. Get it?) When he proposed that we tag along I admit I was a bit nervous at first. Tag along? Hang out in a hotel with the kids all week? Hit DC with just me and the kids, tackling…
-
Military Deployment: Waiting for Dad to Come Home
Books! You find a good one and you jump into it, lost in another world. A good book can teach you sympathy, empathy, show you that you are not alone or that the world is much bigger than you. Sometimes it is nice to know it’s not just you… and when a military child is missing his or her Mom or Dad a good book about other children coping with separation can be just what they need! I had the pleasure of reading a new book by author Kristin Ayyar. She is an Air Force wife, mom, author and so much more. The title is Countdown ‘Til Daddy Comes Home and shows how…
