The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act

November 4, 2009 By Claire
Posted in Military News, Spouse and Family

I know this has been on the table for sometime — it started a couple of years ago.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)President Vice Admiral Norb Ryan, Jr., USN-Ret, praised Congress for its action to approve the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act and send it to the President for signature into law.

“MOAA is proud to have worked with congressional leaders for two years on this important legislation to allow military spouses the option to elect the same state of domicile as their active duty spouse,” said Ryan. “We’re grateful for the leadership of Rep. John Carter (R-TX) for shepherding it to a successful vote in the House of Representatives on Nov. 2, and to Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA) for their efforts to win Senate approval earlier this fall. Their bipartisan efforts will make a huge difference for military spouses.”

The new legislation would let the spouse claim the servicemember’s state for voting, tax, and other purposes. Under current law, many spouses must change their residency when the servicemember is reassigned to a different state.

“This is fantastic news for our service families worldwide,” said Rep. Carter. “We should have done this long ago, but at least we are now on track to have a new law in 2009.”

“This legislation is one small way we can help ease the burden of military families, who make sacrifices everyday to support our men and women in uniform and to keep our country safe,” said Senator Burr.

“What a great way to kick off Military Family Appreciation Month,” said Joy Dunlap, MOAA’s Deputy Director of Government Relations. “Our thanks go to all the spouses and servicemembers – past and present – who spoke out on this issue.”

MOAA’s president spoke at the bill’s introductory press conference, and provided testimony, briefings, e-mails and phone calls to Hill staffers. Most recently, MOAA highlighted every legislator’s support status in the November issue of its Military Officer magazine.

SOURCE Military Officers Association of America

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What’s Love Got To Do With It?

By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family

I was very saddened the other day to hear a young military wife openly talk about playing with fire. She’s not admitted to an affair, but she is talking herself right into one by trying to convince herself that she is entitled to affection and she deserves some sexual satisfaction while her husband is away.

She is younger and part of the crowd we are coming to know as the “entitlement generation.” The entitlement generation does not understand certain things about the real world — the world outside of hover-parents who rescued them, schools who give out unearned “As” and video games that make them think they can be a real rock star. Outside of all of those things that color their view of the natural world are consequences. Someone has to pay the piper and when it comes to playing around with sexual fire, there are a lot of consequences to be had.

I have heard people say that an affair “just happened!” I don’t buy it. Affairs don’t just happen. Bad boundaries, many choices, and selfish motives are in that mixture. Yes affairs happen, and they take a lot of planning — whether that planning is conscious or just below the surface it is still an act of the will. Unlike video games, we can not simply re-boot life and start over when we mess up. We take those messes into our future with us. Some people do learn from their mistakes and once they were burned they never played the game again. Those people gained wisdom. They still had to deal with the consequences though.

You do not have to have a full-fledged sexual fling to lose your sexual integrity. Sexual integrity begins with the boundaries that you put around yourself and your household that clearly state “I’m married and I don’t even go there so leave me alone.”

I was once chided by male colleagues in the work place who said “Don’t tell the nasty jokes, Claire just walked in!” To which I thanked them for respecting my boundaries. Call me a prude, but my husband never worries about where my mind and heart are. You know what? The consequences of those boundaries are peace in my home, and a pure marriage bed. Those are things money can’t buy, but affection from any other source could destroy in a minute. No thank you.

Integrity, or “inner-grit” as a friend of mine used to call it, means that there is a congruency between your stated values and your actions. Hypocrisy is the opposite of integrity. Hypocrisy is a discord between the values and principles one claims to have and the person’s actions. It’s funny that we so often ascribe the title “hypocrite” to a person of faith who fails to live up to their values, but we don’t call adulterers and cheaters the same. They are hypocrites.

The most standard of wedding vows include a statement of undying love and fidelity to your spouse. I know there are variations, but for the most part — the vast majority of us promise to keep ourselves only for our spouse and we promise to do this even when times are crappy. We promise that money, illness, and difficulties will not cause us to falter on the vow of “forsaking all others.”

Keeping ourselves true to that vow starts with our relationship with others. Inappropriate emotional ties with people of the opposite sex when you are married is wrong. You are not entitled to sexual satisfaction. You made a vow. You made a promise. Your vow and promise is only as good as your willingness to sacrifice and work to keep it true.

Of course there are the consequences of adultery that must be taken into account if someone insists on playing the game. You can count on these things – maybe not all, but at least a few:

• loss of emotional and sexual intimacy with your spouse — a loss you may never recover due to broken trust.
• financial stress and strain after divorce since many marriages that suffer infidelity ever fully recover.
• the probability that you may cheat and divorce again if you do not deal with the reasons you cheated in the first place.
• the suffering of your child(ren) if you have them. No child goes unhurt in marital discord and divorce.
• increased risk for depression
• increased risk for suicide in the family

If we feel entitled to immorality then we must remember that we are also entitled to the negative consequences that are always tagged on with those choices. I can’t believe that a little selfish excitement is worth the payment that will be demanded by natural consequences.

If you are wife on the home front who is struggling with resentment and loneliness due to multiple deployments, then please reach out for good support. Find those around you who value fidelity, but who understand what you are feeling and going through.

Never fool yourself into thinking that you are exempt from temptation. You are human. You are going through massive stress and strain. There is no shame in any of that. Find a way to get the support you need in a way that strengthens your own character and builds your family up.

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VA On Twitter

By CJ
Posted in Veteran Benefits

The Veterans Administration has some new Twitter accounts.

The main page:
http://twitter.com/DeptVetAffairs

Individual administration pages:
http://twitter.com/VeteransHealth
http://twitter.com/VAVetBenefits
http://twitter.com/VANatCemeteries

Each administration is staffing and writing its own tweets. On the main one, it’s Brandon Friedman, Director of New Media, and VA speechwriter Jim Moore who are sharing the duty at the moment.

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Female Pilots Train Iraqi Males

By CJ
Posted in Military News

In a sign of times – and the progress American forces have brought to the nation of Iraq – female troops are invading the male dominated world of the Iraqi military. Historically, women have not been permitted in the military and their place in society has been reduced to education and other menial positions.

However, women are training the Iraqi military just as much as the men are. And it’s working! Check this out from U.S. Air Forces Central.

by Senior Airman Alyssa C. Miles
U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq — A female Air Force pilot deployed from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., works in a male dominated environment training Iraqi helicopter pilots.

Capt. Kacey Grannis, 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, is the Iraqi air force’s first female Mi-17 instructor pilot at Camp Taji, a job which she describes as one of a kind.

“My primary duty as an air advisor is to train, advise and assist their pilots by expanding their knowledge base,” she said. “I’m an American Air Force pilot flying in an Iraqi air force bird built by Ukrainians with an Iraqi co-pilot in a combat zone. Everything from the challenges we have to deal with, to the rewards that we reap from our relationships with the Iraqi co-pilots and the sheer ‘cool’ factor of the flying we get to do is rather unique.”

In the Iraqi military female pilots are scarce, and upon notification their new advisor would be female, some Iraqi pilots doubted Captain Grannis’ ability to handle the helicopter’s large frame. However, the captain decided to let her skills speak for themselves.

“There have been other female air advisors, but not in this air frame,” she said. “For the guys I was flying with, I think they were maybe not really sure what I could do, but they were at least willing to let me fly with them and let me demonstrate my skills. I was fortunate enough to have the best training in the world, so I was able to do what I know how to do. I believe I’ve garnered the respect I needed.

“One of my very good friends here is a member of Squadron 4’s leadership,” the Sturgis, S.D., native continued. “He’s one of the most experienced Iraqi pilots here – he’s an absolute wizard in the Mi-17 and he’s known for being skilled for hovering without the flight control assist system. When I first got here, he wanted to fly with me to kind of gauge my skills. As we were out flying, I asked him if we could do some hovering with the auto pilot off, simply because I knew it was something he would find valuable if I could do it properly. I feel like the fact that I was able to one – do it, and two – do it well, I feel like he responded well to that.”

Captain Grannis, who has more than 50 hours in the Mi-17, trains Iraqi pilots who have many more hours in the aircraft than she.

“Pilots as a whole tend to be competitive and respect number of hours and skill level,” she explained. “The dynamic itself is very interesting – the pilots we fly with have a lot more experience in the aircraft specifically than we do; there are definitely things that we have as coalition advisors to learn from these guys. They are definitely the experts on the aircraft systems and the performance handling characteristics. However, we’re not necessarily trying to teach them how to fly, we’re trying to teach them how to employ the aircraft in ways that are different from what they’ve done in the past.”

Outside of the learning environment, the Iraqis have come to view Captain Grannis as family.

“I get a lot of attention because I’m a female, but it’s very respectful attention,” she said. “A lot of times these guys kind of treat me like their little sister which is a great honor to me because I know in Iraqi culture, family is very important. I’m honored that these guys consider me a sister. But I tell them ‘outside the aircraft, I’m a woman, inside the aircraft, I’m a pilot. And because I’m your instructor pilot, you’re going to do what I tell you to do.’”

One student who has responded well to the Captain’s training is Iraqi air force Capt. Jabbar, who says he has no qualms working with another female advisor “if they are as talented as Captain Grannis.”

“Captain Grannis is the first female pilot I’ve worked with,” he said. “She’s a very good instructor and she has good experience for training and teaching. She always gives good advice and she never gives up.”

With the training he and his peers are receiving, Captain Jabbar has high hopes for his country.

“We’re making good progress with our training, and I hope the Iraqi air force is a strong air force for this country,” he said. “I wish peace for Iraq and I wish the Americans a good and happy life, and I hope they wish the same for us.”

Captain Grannis does.

“This has been a great experience,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to have been able to come here and meet all these great people. I’m honored to work with the officers, warrant officers and airmen of the Iraqi air force. Without exception, every one of them is highly patriotic and dedicated to the job they’re doing and dedicated to the idea of a free peaceful Iraq, and I think that’s amazing.”

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Hairless for Our Heroes

By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, Patriotism

Soldiers’ Angels Volunteers Vow to Shave Heads for $100,000

Pasadena, CA November 3, 2009 – Members of Soldiers’ Angels’ volunteer leadership have raised the stakes on this year’s online Valour-IT Veterans Day fundraising competition, which helps provide America’s wounded soldiers with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports their physical and psychological recovery.

Divided among four “virtual teams,” a wide variety of bloggers and other New Media mavens have been competing online since October 26 to inspire the most donations to help wounded troops by Veterans Day, November 11. If the teams of online fundraisers can blast through their collective goal of $140,000 and bring in an additional $100,000 in donations, founder Patti Patton-Bader and National Communications Director Shelle Michaels have promised to shave their heads in honor of the achievement.

In just over four years, Project Valour-IT has given 4,100 voice-controlled laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, and has supplied additional items that may be a surprising fit in a recovery regimen–Wii game systems and handheld GPS devices.

“This project changes lives,” says Patton-Bader. “Wounded heroes say that being able to use a laptop helps them feel whole again. Physical therapists are actually designing therapy sessions around Wii Sports! And something as normal as a handheld GPS reduces stress and helps a hero cope. With all that this project can do for our heroes, I’m happy to shave my head if it will motivate donations!”

Each of the devices Valour-IT supplies helps restore confidence and independence. Voice-activated laptops reconnect the wounded with the world and develop self-confidence by showing soldiers they can continue to be engaged and productive despite their injuries. Physical therapists report Wii Sports and similar programs are extremely beneficial when used in physical therapy settings. Wounded personnel with short-term memory loss due to TBI and severe PTSD use GPS systems to keep from getting disoriented when they move on to more independent living.

Details of the current fundraising competition are available at www.soldiersangels.org and www.valour-it.blogspot.com. Donations can be made online at Soldiers’ Angels, or by sending checks or money orders to Soldiers’ Angels, Valour-IT Fund, 1792 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104.

Established in 2003, Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, veterans and military families. For more information, www.soldiersangels.org or 623-570-3903. 

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Highest Duty-A Review

October 31, 2009 By LL
Posted in Uncategorized

I have CJ’s permission to post my review here because Captain Chesley Sullenberger has military piloting experience and it coincides with the military content of this website. ~~Thanks, CJ, for your indulgence.

I was recently offered the opportunity to read “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters” by Chesley Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow. If you are unaware of who Capt. Sullenberger is, he is the airline pilot, known as Capt. Sully, who put that airplane down in the Hudson River in January 2009. We all saw the stunning images of this huge airplane floating on the water with passengers standing on the wings and ferries gathered around like sheep herding dogs, nosing in to save people.

So I want to start off asking you a question.

What kind of pilot would you like to have in the cockpit if things go squirrelly on you?

Words that come to MY mind are calm, deliberate, fast-thinking, analytical, experienced.

The passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 had all that in spades. Capt. Sully is well versed in many previous air accidents and has many years experience as a pilot. He understands the whys and whats of what happened in a lot of cases. He saw firsthand, with his military experience, some accidents and how easy it is to panic or to lose situational awareness. So he is a very self-contained man.

But that analytical, dry breakdown of facts and scenarios bleeds through in his writing. I had a hard time reading this book.

There were interesting tidbits of information scattered throughout the book. But the overall pace, language, and feel of the book was very hard for me to deal with. I prefer fiction to non-fiction to begin with. Fast-paced, action-oriented. That’s the style and kind of person I am anyway. But Sullenberger is very stolid. He comes across as impervious to feather-ruffling.

From beginning to end, we get very little feel for his emotional state. I thought his first solo flight would be one of those “woo-hoooooooo” things, ya know? With him being so young, age 16 I believe, I thought he’d let that youthful enthusiasm leak through and draw the reader in. But that was nowhere to be found.

Capt. Sully is very honest about his admiration of previous pilots, the man who taught him, his wife, the passengers, and his crew. He very much downplays his “heroism,” and comes across as uncomfortable with, but accepting of his current status as That Amazing Pilot Who Saved 155 Lives By Landing a Freakin’ Jetliner in the HUDSON.

Despite the writing style, I was interested in some details left out of the public stories. Capt. Sully has access to the cockpit voice recorder, so he can fill us in on what was happening between himself and his First Officer, Jeffrey Skiles. He takes us through the incredibly short timeline, literally seconds, of how he made the decision to put the plane down in the river. He talks about the letters from strangers or witnesses or even family members of those on his plane. All of this stuff is interesting and gives us a view of the lives he’s touched.

If you enjoy reading a first hand account of an amazing feat of piloting, go ahead and get this book. It is filled with stories of previous piloting successes and failures and could give you a glimpse of how fantastic his landing was, in the big picture. One thing he points out is that pilots are not even trained on how to land on water because 1–it is so rare and 2–it has only been done successfully a few times so there is little data on the “right” way to do it. Capt. Sully did his landing only on instincts and a general knowledge of those who had gone before and those who had done it. That right there is a good reason to go through the exercise of reading his account.

His book can be found here and it might make a good gift for those people in your life who enjoy non-fiction and who have an interest in flying or piloting.

For me, I learned a few things that I would never have known and so I don’t think it was wasted time to read Captain Sullenberger’s book. In the end, I know more about the airline industry (he makes some very pointed remarks about cost-cutting and potential effects of those measures) and I know that out there exists pilots who love what they do and with whom my life and the lives of my loved ones are cherished over the multi-million dollar cost of a jetliner. That actually gives me a lot of comfort considering how much I dislike flying and giving up my self-determining power to a stranger.

I feel weird ending this with a cheesy rating system, but out of 5 stars, I’d probably give it 3 for content alone. So that’s pretty good considering I’m a tough cookie to impress.

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Halloween Safety Tips and Flu/Illness Tips

By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family

Do you have a fun night of candy hunting planned with your little ones? If so, here are some tips for general safety as well as tips for avoiding flu contamination since this year the numbers are up a little.

The following general safety comes from the CDC:

• Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
• Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
• Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
• Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
• Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.
• Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.
• Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
• Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
• Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
• Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
• Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook well.
• Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Otherwise, stay outside.
• Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Flu Safety (various sources):

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H1N1 Available to Military Families in November

By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family

I know that the opinions on the H1N1 vaccine is widely varied. I know my own feelings toward all of this is somewhat conflicted as well. Questions like “Should I get it? What about my kids?” really need to be explored with a trusted physician who knows you and your child’s health concerns, and if you read anything on the vaccine please be sure it is factual and not merely opinion.

There are a lot of legitimate questions about the vaccination, but I have also heard a lot of paranoid speculation that is unfounded as well.

The CDC has a lot of good, matter of fact, information about the vaccination — including information about the fears of the neurological issues that are linked to the old H1N1 vaccine.

I encourage you to read the CDC FACT SHEET, and talk to your Dr. You should have the vaccine available to you very soon, if you have not already had the choice of taking it yet.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 21, 2009) — H1N1 vaccinations are expected to be available in November for active-duty servicemembers and their families, according to the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command.

The best protection against both seasonal influenza and H1N1 — better known as swine flu — is vaccination, Army medical officials said. They said vaccines are safe, effective, and have minimal risk profiles. 

Army medical authorities urge everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine to be immunized as soon as it becomes available. 

Vaccine for active-duty personnel will be coming directly from the military vaccination suppliers and should begin to be available the first week of November, according to NARMC. Vaccines for family members will be coming from state health departments and may even be available prior to active-duty vaccinations, officials said.

Vaccinations for active-duty members and families are coming from the same manufacturers, but from different suppliers, authorities said. Vaccine supplies will arrive at different times, making it likely that servicemembers and family members will receive their vaccines at different times, officials said.

Initial supplies will be provided to those at highest risk: Pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age, health-care and emergency medical services personnel, all people from 6 months through 24 years of age, and persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

Sufficient novel H1N1 vaccine should be available for everyone by the end of the year, officials said. 

In the meantime, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommend that all hospitals deny entry to visitors who are sick with H1N1. Military medical authorities discourage those with symptoms of influenza from visiting hospital patients. 

Symptoms of influenza include fever together with sore throat, cough, runny nose or other upper respiratory symptoms that resemble “chest colds.” 

Medical authorities say the fever should be gone for at least 24 hours before considering any visit to a hospital patient.

Source Link

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Jack Nicholson Awarded Silver Star

October 30, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military History, Military News

Catchy title huh? Well, it’s true. Then-Capt. John “Jack” Nicholson, veteran of the Vietnam War, was awarded the Silver Star for actions over 40 years ago.

Dec. 27, 1963 had already been a devastating day.

Of the 240 men then-Capt. John “Jack” Nicholson was with, only 39 were able to walk away from an eight-hour battle with the Viet Cong.

But for Nicholson, the night wasn’t over.

He would lead his men to save the lives of nine people.

The Struble native’s actions that evening were honored this week at Fort Myer, Washington D.C. — more than 45 years later — where he was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest U.S. military honor.

Nicholson is now a retired Brigadier General. To read more of General Nicholson’s story, check out the Le Mars Daily Sentinel.

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Looking for America’s Best Service Heroes

October 29, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests

This October, every major television network has agreed to focus on public service, volunteering, and participating in the community. As a part of this effort, ServiceNation – a coalition of 200 organizations committed to promoting public service – has launched an exciting new contest. They are looking to find America’s best “service heroes,” individuals who go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. I figured that since many who read this blog know someone in the military, that there would be no shortage of potential nominees. It is worth a second to check out the link below.

http://www.servicenation.org/page/s/heroes

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