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5 PCS Tips Before the Movers Arrive
Today’s guest post is from Army Wife, mother and blogger at RecreateAndDecorate.comWith PCS season quickly approaching, many military families will be moving worldwide. Moving is known to be one of the most stressful events we encounter. However, planning ahead can reduce unnecessary stress and help your move run smoothly. Here is a list of tips that you can do in advance that will help eliminate some stress during your next PCS.1. Decide what items you will be packing and moving yourself then separate them from the rest of your household goods. If you are moving overseas, make sure you keep your passports and other essential paperwork out of sight…
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Change of Command: Celebrate Parade Rest
Although geese fly in formation, they did not waddle on the parade field at Scott AFB. No goose steps. The left feet hit the turf on the beat of the bass drum. Flights, squadrons, groups and wings presented polished top notched personnel, as always, ready to shine and report to General Welsh, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Our military has a time honored tradition to uphold precision and honor in a way that showcases the challenge of working together. The step by step, in step march of men and women blends the missions the training and the esprit de corps of individual squadrons, groups and wings: they…
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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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Three Veterans in the Same Room
US Marines DoD PhotoOur country has a problem with military service. Less than 1% of our population is physically and mentally capable of serving in the armed forces! An interesting statistic but it does not hit home to most Americans. Then we find after serving so many can not find employment. Finding those who have successfully transitioned is always a great story. Last night during a medical test at the University of Michigan Cancer Center, it was surprising to find three veterans in the same room and two of them were employed there as technicians! One an Army retiree, served 26 years; the second, a former Marine (well always…
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From Military to Civilian
I just returned from a great visit to USAA in San Antonio and had the pleasure of meeting a lot of great people, seeing a lot of great things up USAA’s sleeve and doing some super networking with fellow bloggers, military spouses and financial gurus. (In fact, I frequently thought, “How was I so privileged to be invited seeing the room was full of such-experts.”) What a wonderful opportunity! The visit culminated with their 9/11 remembrance, “America’s Resolve”. Our emotions were tested and kleenex placed at the end of every row. Even saying the Pledge of Allegiance tugged at my heart and that was just the beginning. We listened intently to the keynote speaker; bated…
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“Too Sweet a Deal”? You Decide!
The military lifestyle is a tough road! No one can deny that but many civilians do not understand why it is tough either! Long deployments, extensive TDY/TADs, frequent relocations (PCS), and caring for our families despite these conditions are frequently misunderstood. Also largely misunderstood is the impact on the lives of Reserve Forces including the National Guard and Service Reservists. Yep, some civilians may even ignore these situations but I think the major issue is education. How do we tell our fellow citizens that we are stretched as a community and in some cases would like them to “cover our 6 o’clock” for us? Checking 6 is when another aircraft…
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Protecting American Lives and Property: The Air Force Reserve Command – DoD Roundtable
Protecting American Lives and Property: The Air Force Reserve Command – DoD Roundtable It is easy to forget the quiet professionals, not to recognize those who treat you politely or give you great customer service. Sometimes we are too busy or we just fail to respond when we should say thank you. This could not be truer than for three Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) C-130 aircraft missions that we rarely hear about because they are quietly and professionally doing their jobs in the background of natural or manmade disasters such as hurricanes, large fires, insect infestations and oil spills. They mitigate the disasters with unique (and sometimes venerable) equipment…
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Week in Review: Week of January 9 – 15 (Military News) #MilitaryMon
Popular Articles for the week of January 2nd through 8th on MilitaryAvenue.com: PCS Allowances and Entitlements – Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH): is an allowance to offset the cost of housing when you do not receive government-provided housing. Your BAH depends upon your location, pay grade and whether you have dependents. BAH rates are set by surveying the cost of rental properties in each geographic location. The rates are established such that members in each pay grade, independent of location, pay approximately the same out-of-pocket expenses. … Ways to Cut Home Energy Costs – If you’re like most homeowners, you’re looking for ways to lower your monthly utility bills as…
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Critical Care for Our Heroes – DoD Roundtable
A Flying ICU! When one of our service members is injured we take care of them! The services have an entire system of combat rescue, medevac and airevac to move the heroes to hospitals with top notch facilities and medics to care for them. We all pray that no one has to be placed into this responsive system but knowing it is there and saving lives is reassuring. For part of my career I flew combat rescue and C-17s involved in these missions and know personally how seriously the aircrews and medical personnel take supporting our wounded heroes. During a Bloggers’ Roundtable we learned about an expanded role in the…
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Renting or Buying? How to Make that Decision during a PCS!
As we get ready to celebrate the Holiday Season, military families know what the next “season” is going to be! “Waiting for orders season” for about one third of us each year and most orders arrive in the late winter/early spring for a summertime PCS! Unless you were the Kissingers, who seemed to get a lot of “you will appreciate this assignment”, so don’t complain about the 2 week notice type of orders. But with the PCS comes the difficult issues of what to do about housing! Certainly tough choices for a military family and we thought it would be a timely subject. MilitaryAvenue has a long standing relationship with…
