President Bush’s Advice: Read Blogs for War News

After a recent speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, President Bush was asked a very interesting question by a woman in the audience. Her husband, a military broadcast journalist, had come back from the war with positive footage of the rebuilding of Iraq but they were concerned with how the major media stations in the US were only reporting on the negative aspects of the war. She asked the President how people could get the words out about the positive occurrences in the Middle East. His answer was simple—the Internet and blogs. My husband has been deployed to the Middle East … Continue reading →

Reserve Education Assistance Program

If you read my last article about Military.com, you may have found helpful information for active duty personnel in obtaining help for college. Reservists have not been left out. The government just announced a new program called REAP (Reserve Education Assistance Program). This new program authorizes up to $28,000 in new educational benefits to National Guard and Reserve soldiers who served in the War on Terror or in a national emergency like Hurricane Katrina. REAP is contained in Chapter 1607 of the GI Bill. Administered by the VA, it may not be used with other VA educational benefits. To be … Continue reading →

A Valuable Military Resource

As military and military family members, we have a variety of resources available to help us that did not exist a generation ago. Prior generations relied on family, friends, churches, or other community support options to help them through deployments and other aspects of military living. Today, out of necessity, we have family support groups, a plethora of services on base, magazines, web forums, blogs, and a variety of web sites. One great resource I discovered that has proved invaluable to me is http://www.military.com. This site offers news, links to other sites, career information, pay information, etc. Do you want … Continue reading →

Happy New Year!!

The holidays are over and this year was special for my family. After an 18 month deployment, my husband returned from Iraq a few days before Thanksgiving. He immediately reacquainted himself with our kids and indoor plumbing. In the first few days after he returned, our excitement overshadowed any negative emotions left over from the deployment. I thought that since he was safe, life would return to normal. I now realize how naive I was. Reuniting families after long separations is more complicated that a kiss on the cheek and “here’s your dinner, honey.” Once intimate marriages now feel awkward … Continue reading →

True Team Spirit

I received a spam letter today and while they just wanted to sell me another product that I don’t need, they did have some interesting points about our society. Decades ago, most people knew their neighbors. Not only did most neighbors know one another, they were friends. They were the kind of friends who were there to watch your kids if you had an appointment. If someone in a family was sick or a death occurred, those neighbors were there to deliver home-cooked meals and lend a hand in any way. Most of the time, they were there at the … Continue reading →

Hello Military Families

It is an honor being a member of the Families.com team. My goal is to provide articles that open doors into the lives of all military and family members—active duty, retired, reservists, families of service members, and the public that supports the military—giving insight and helpful information for everyone. I hope you will stop by and visit each day. Take a moment to share your thoughts, ideas, questions, wishes, information, and stories. Whether yours is a story of surviving deployment or a great recipe, others will benefit from your hard-earned wisdom. Invite your friends and relatives to join in with … Continue reading →