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“Shoulder to Shoulder” Suicide Prevention Stand Down
“… we should be standing “Shoulder to Shoulder” with our soldiers and their families on Thursday!” A day to reflect, a day to plan for the future, a day to remember those lost, a day to consider that we are not immortal or invulnerable… I remember during my days as an airman taking “safety down days” after a particularly tragic series of flight accidents to do just that. To highlight behavior health during Suicide Prevention Month the US Army is taking a “Stand Down” tomorrow focusing on “… good health, teammate involvement, risk reduction and resilience training.” See Photo Credit BelowThe Blogger Roundtable had the opportunity to speak to Sergeant…
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Register to Vote /TODAY/
Did you know that deployed it takes about 45 days for deployed military personnel and military & families stationed overseas to register to vote absentee, receive their ballot and mail it back in? That means that they have until September 23rd to request their absentee ballot. If they register after September 23rd the deployed solider very likely will not receive an absentee ballot to vote in the November 6th general election. These are the people that are fighting every day for the American people. Defending our rights of freedom, choice, and opinion. It only seems right that we do our part to ensure they get the right to vote. Deployed personnel must fill out the Federal Post…
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Homework Help
From Kindergarten through High School, homework is a recurring theme through the school year, usually met with loud, obnoxious groans from around the world. If you struggle, like I do, with motivating, encouraging and helping your kids to ‘get the job done’ here are some great resources. What can Parents do to Help with Homework?As millions of children return to school, the burden of homework and new schedules can often lead to anxiety and almost certainly new amounts of stress. This is not only true for the children, but for their parents as well. Homework can be frustrating for students and for parents as well. Research shows that parents can play an…
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The Sad Truth about the Recent Effort to Raise Tricare Fees
“In fact, the medical budget saved $500M in 2011 and $708M in 2012 from what was budgeted!” Saying Goodbye! See Below for Photo CreditWe are a military family blog team! We care about the team – the military team! Yes, we write about their family needs, job search ideas, issues for veterans and post numerous articles about the military lifestyle and its unique challenges on MilitaryAvenue.com. Today I write as a member of that team with a bit of anger toward the military leadership that we normally so appreciate (I did let this sit for a while so I did not use any inappropriate language, etc). The Department of Defense…
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Posthumous Silver Star to be presented to the family of U-2 Pilot, Captain Gary Francis Powers on Friday
“Best Father’s Day Present Ever” Capt Gary Powers – See Below for photo creditsWhat does a Silver Star presentation have to do with Father’s Day? To the Power’s family, Friday is a correction to history, a heritage that can be reflected on with pride and a celebration of a father who was a Cold War hero. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz will present a posthumous decoration to the U-2 pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. On Wednesday, we spoke with Gary Powers, Jr about the upcoming ceremony and how it had impacted his family during a DoDLive Blogger Roundtable. The…
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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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Supporting your Military Child
There is no doubt about it. Military children are strong, resilient, and adaptable. But it can be a very stressful lifestyle and when there are resources that can help transitions, PCSs or deployments just a little easier it is important to share them. Here are 10 of our favorite resources out there for your family. Military Family Support is what we are about! 5 great resources for your military child going through deployment: ‘We can be together when we are apart’: Some easy ways for babies and toddlers to stay connected from Zero to Three when a loved one is deployedIdeas for Children While your Loved One is Deployed: Here are some ways author…
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Afghanistan: “Things are Good, not Great”. DoD Blogger Roundtable
He is what we would call a straight shooter! Maj. Gen. John A. Toolan, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, met with the DoD Blogger Roundtable to discuss Afghanistan after returning from a year in command of U.S. Marines and allied forces in the Helmand and Nimroz provinces of Afghanistan. He provided a sobering but positive perspective of the situation next to the borders of Pakistan and Iran and the general was ready to share his thoughts on the current events in Afghanistan with the roundtable bloggers. Celebrating opening of new women’s centerSee Photo Credit BelowImagine a new cell phone network connecting villages, additional and improved roads laid down to make it…
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How the U.S. is Helping Others! Pacific Partnership, DoD Blogger Roundtable
USNS Mercy off Indonesian Coast – Photo Credit BelowIt was a visual I clearly saw as Captain James Morgan reminded us of the 2004 massive earthquake and tsunami and the tragic events and impact on the Indian Ocean countries (has it really been almost eight years?). The destruction and human misery was beyond our understanding. The plight of the survivors with no water, no food, raw sewage everywhere, clothes sometimes stripped off them and trying to find family members who had been separated was just heart rendering. The fantastic international response also reminded me of the Haitian earthquake and how the US military supported the effort to save lives and…
