Switchfoot band members talk about surfing at Camp Pendleton and how fans in the military have inspired them.
At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country`s prior actions,here`s a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country. I’m sure these probably aren’t true stories, but they could be.
1. JFK’S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60′s when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded “does that include those who are buried here?
DeGuale did not respond.
You could have heard a pin drop.
2. When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.
He answered by saying, ‘Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.’
You could have heard a pin drop.
3. There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying ‘Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?’
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: ‘Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?’
You could have heard a pin drop.
4. A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, ‘Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?’
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, ‘Maybe it’s because the Brit’s, Canadians, Aussie’s and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.’
You could have heard a pin drop.
5. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.
“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.”
The American said, ‘The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.”
“Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France!”
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ”Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
Posted in Military History
This was originally posted at Christian Military Wives Magazine. The author who submitted the article is Jocelyn Green. Jocelyn and her co-authors of the Battlefield and Blessings series will be our guests on You Served Spouse and Family Highlights on Monday, January 18th. I will post an announcement for the day and time of the show within the next couple of days. In the meantime, enjoy the article! There is a lot of great information in it!
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by Jocelyn Green
Finally, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Deployment is almost over! How do you prepare for the transition immediately following the homecoming reunion?
Former FRG leader Shasta Erts recommends this list of 37 things to keep in mind for that post-deployment transitional period. She received this from a group called Wives of Warriors at a PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) event. Thanks for sharing, Shasta!
1. Normal has changed for everyone.
2. Be patient-it takes time to get into a routine.
3. Soldiers haven’t been on a vacation.
4. Expect your household to be different.
5. Keep life as simple as possible.
6. It takes time to re-adjust to one another.
7. Go slow.
8. Communicate feelings. Encourage them to share feelings, but give them space if they aren’t ready yet.
9. Anxiety is normal.
10. Discuss frustrations.
11. Accept that we are all different.
12. Take time to re-adjust.
13. Initial discomfort doesn’t mean your spouse is unhappy with you or the family.
14. Communicate ahead of your spouses return about radical changes in your physical appearance (once a red head now a blonde.)
15. Communicate about changes in discipline of the children.
16. Assume you’ve both been faithful to one another unless strong evidence indicates differently. Then seek wise counsel.
17. Be open about changes that have occurred in your life- spiritual –emotional- and physically.
18. Avoid the “who had it worse game.”
19. Be prepared that they may not want to go out much.
20. Try to avoid the tendency to overspend during this time. It will cause financial hardships that will add extra strain to your marriage.
21. Remember intimacy and sex are not the same thing. There can be an initial sense of awkwardness and plan may not be as romantic as you envisioned.
22. Accommodate-accommodate-accommodate. Meet small requests-like eating favorite food three times a day.
23. Listen-look-listen. Be aware of what’s going on.
24. Old problems don’t disappear. It you were having marital problems before he left, seek help.
25. Take time to share expectations and concerns before spouse returns home.
26. Soldiers sleeping patterns may vary.
27. Spouses may need space- let them have as much time as needed.
28. Let them quietly slip back into being dad. Don’t expect them to come home and immediately resume all of the discipline.
29. Realize we will never understand all our spouses have been through.
30. He will never understand totally what we have experienced as the head of the household.
31. Military spouses may have nightmares-don’t panic. If it appears to be long term, encourage them to seek help.
32. If a soldier doesn’t want to talk-don’t push.
33. Teens may feel displaced. They have had extra responsibility while dad has been gone. They may feel like they are giving up control.
34. Your children have probably been your sole focus while dad has been gone. Try to give them extra attention. Also, anticipate them (especially young children) not feeling comfortable sharing mom.
35. Dad may not feel comfortable babysitting. Give them space to adjust to new babies.
36. Remember reintegration for spouse and soldier is difficult, even for the strongest couples, try to focus on all the things you love about your spouse and not the things that bother you. If their habits bothered you before they left they will bother you ten fold when they return. Stay focused on the positive characteristics that make you love your spouse and let go of the small things that annoy you. They are not important. Having your spouse home alive and well is all that matters, everything else can be worked through. Don’t give up!
37. Just take it a day at a time and figure out where everything falls into place and move forward. It doesn’t have to be exactly like it was before, it can be different and better if you let it.
Jocelyn Green is the author of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and co-author of Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan. This post originally appeared on her blog at www.faithdeployed.com.
Posted in Spouse and Family
Alex, the writer of Army of Dude, has 2 very well thought out posts on what it’s like to go back to college after the military and how to get through the process smoothly.
The first post addresses the financing.
For example….Choose Wisely:
Whether you’re on Chapter 30 or Chapter 33, you have 36 months of eligibility (36 months to attend classes, not three years of school). Going full time, you can squeak out a degree in four years if you waste as little time as possible. Avoid the temptation to choose courses pertinent to your degree when you start school. Almost everyone changes their degree at least once, and you don’t want to be stuck with useless credits and diminishing months of eligibility. Start out with basic courses that have to be taken to fulfill any degree plan. Good places to start: English I and II, US History and beginning science courses. Consult with your school counselor to nail down what classes satisfy the basics that align with your chosen major, then go back to your certifying official to double check your schedule to make sure all your classes will be certified.
The second post addresses the “being a student” aspect.
In choosing your friends among fellow classmates, Alex has this to say in the section titled Let the Right Ones In:
Popular culture is replete with images of the maladjusted veteran, from Rambo to Travis Bickle to Red Forman. These characters are ingrained in our national conscious and typically become placeholders in the event someone doesn’t personally know a veteran. When these sources are taken at face value, war veterans are invariably crazy, depressive, easily startled, quick to anger and alcoholics. We come from broken homes, trying to escape jailtime and were too dumb or poor to go to college after high school. The best way to combat these silly notions is to let people get to know you, the person, before you, the veteran. Those stereotypes aren’t going anywhere soon, so the best idea is to take the concept of guarding your veteran status in the classroom and carry it over to blossoming relationships. That way your service and overseas experience complement your personality and don’t define it. Revealing too much at one time can damage a friendship before it takes off. Just like in the classroom, take it slow. If they are worth keeping around, they’ll understand why. We have met our lifelong friends already; we can afford to be picky
He really does an excellent job dispensing advice in these posts, so if you are returning to school, take a few minutes to read through them and get an idea of what you are in for and how to deal with certain situations.
Posted in Uncategorized
The following was submitted to me as an op-ed. It was written by Lt. Col. Paul Capicik (USAF ret.) of American Sentinel University. In the piece Lt. Col. Capicik, a 26-year military veteran, covers a variety of important topics to servicemembers transitioning to military life including how to prepare for a transition, training for a civilian career, and landing that first job.
How to Begin the Transition from Military to Civilian Jobs
One of the most important facets of any service member’s life is the transition out. Especially as it pertains to finding a job, the transition from a military to civilian career will require planning and preparation. So how do you begin this transition?
Identify What will Affect your Transition
• How well you have prepared yourself prior to leaving the service?
• What type of job do you want to pursue?
• What is your location flexibility?
• What is your family status?
Three Keys for Preparing Yourself for Transition
I speak regularly with service members who tell me that they want a job that’s different from those they’ve performed in the military. How do you prepare for a job you’ve never done before?
1) Start planning your career before leaving the service. Don’t wait until you are about to leave the service before you start planning for the type of career you want. Explore industries and job options early, then narrow down your options. Get the training you need in advance, whether that is a degree, a certification, internship experience – or all of the above.
2) Determine the skills you’ll need to distinguish yourself. While everyone in the military has a job to do, there is a significant shortage of jobs in the civilian world. What will set you apart in your job search? The answer is your military service, degree-specific training, applicable certifications, and work experience.
3) Start interviewing before you leave the service. Don’t wait until the last minute to research where the jobs are and what fields are hiring. The best of all worlds is to be hired and have the job waiting for you before you get out.
Personal Traits can Create Advantages
• Companies like to hire veterans. Many companies like to hire former service members because they know the military teaches teamwork, discipline, responsibility for starting and completing a project, and leadership. Identify personal examples of where you contributed to your mission or service in these areas.
• Ability to relocate is an advantage. If you are flexible in where you relocate, you could have another advantage. It can be a significant incentive for an employer to consider you when they know that the military will pay to move you to their location.
• Consider family interests. Don’t leave your spouse and family out of the planning process. When you consider potential jobs, take into account schools, health insurance, and lifestyle for them. The better you plan for their move, the more likely they will have a successful transition, too.
Transition Resources are Available
There are many resources available to help you think about and plan your transition. Here are a few good ones:
• Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/tap/main.htm (Note DOL offers this program in conjunction with DoD and VA)
• Military.com: http://transitionstories.military.com/2009/07/11-things-i-figured-out-about-the-civilian-workforce.html
• Veteran Affairs: http://www.oefoif.va.gov/
• Military transition consultant: http://www.bradley-morris.com/MilitarytoCivilianTransition.html
Remember the three keys to transition success: Degrees. Certifications. Experience. American Sentinel can help you with the training you need for an accredited degree or I.T. certification. Your military and off-duty efforts can provide the experience.
I invite you to add your suggestions and experiences about transitioning and finding a new career.
Posted in Life in the Military, Veteran Benefits
We’ve updated the Facebook fan page a bit over the last week and highly encourage everyone to check it out. The highlights include a new RSS/Blog module in the top box module that will pull from the main blog here and the radio show feeds so you can stay up to date directly from Facebook. If you’re a fan, you’ll also see blog entries appear in your news feed! We’ve also updated our profile picture and it is much more spiffy.
Not a fan? Become one and you’ll be the first to hear about special interviews from CJ and Troy that aren’t live during our Thursday show and you could even call in to speak with that guest live!
Posted in News
Are you looking for someone important who you just can’t find? Have you exhausted every means available in finding an old friend, military buddy or life-altering mentor?
I was contacted by an LA Casting Director who has been hired to find people that are looking for important peoples from their past. If you have a heartfelt need to reunite with a lost loved one for a personal and compelling reason they want to hear from you.
I have talked with numerous veterans from the Vietnam War to current wars who have expressed their desire to reconnect with someone they’ve lost contact with since coming home. The stories of our military veterans are some of the most compelling stories in the country and people need to hear them. It would be good for the public to see what we mean to each other and the lengths we have gone through to reconnect with those who may have saved our lives in combat or brought us from the brink of self destruction at home.
If you would like to participate, email jason[at]cornwellcasting.com now! Please include a recent picture and one paragraph about your story.
Last night we had Parks Stephenson from the NOVA special “Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor” on You Served Radio. It is a awesome show and the experts, analysis and investigations they performed to correct one of this most important historical days in our country’s history.
You can watch the entire show, commercial-free at http://video.pbs.org/video/1377494854
I encourage you take some time and watch it. They leave no doubt that a Japanese mini-sub invaded Pearl Harbor and was successful in attacking battleship row. The real surprise will come at the end when you see how we had this sub in our possession at one time not long after and we didn’t even know it.
Posted in Military History, Video, You Served Radio
Three days ago, JP over at milblogging.com put up the announcement that Registration is now open for the 5th annual Milblogging Conference in Washington, DC April 9th-10th. Panels and panelists will be getting announced over the coming days and weeks so stay tuned to milblogging.com or here as we will do our best to carry any updates here. Below is the context of JP’s original posting.
Registration for the Fifth Annual MilBlog Conference and Party is now open. Seating is limited and registrations are on a first-come/first-served basis. The conference registration fee is $50.00 per person and is non-refundable, but is transferrable. The fee gives you access to all events:
Friday, April 9, 2010
- Kick-Off Panel
- Opening Night Cocktail Reception (light fare)
Saturday, April 10, 2010- Pre-Conference Breakfast
- Conference
- Awards Ceremony and Party (full dinner and two drink tickets)We have reserved a block of rooms at The Westin Arlington Gateway hotel, site of the 2010 MilBlog Conference and Party. The rooms are $150 per night. There are a limited number of rooms and they are on a first-come/first-served basis. You may want to reserve your rooms as soon as possible because the conference will be held during The Cherry Blossom Festival this year, so rooms will fill quickly. To book your rooms under our block rate, click here.
Posted in Milblog Conference
I have friends who have benefited from this program! Please take a moment and see if you qualify and if this is something that can help you or a friend. As always, please pass it along!
The National Military Family Association recognizes the unique challenges today’s military spouses face in pursuing additional training or education. Frequent moves make it difficult to complete programs and establish a career. We are here to help ease the financial obstacles that accompany pursuing a higher education.
The Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships are awarded to spouses of all Uniformed Services members:
Active Duty
National Guard and Reserve
Retirees
Survivors
The scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board for:GED or ESL
Vocational training
Professional certification
Post-secondary
Graduate school
In-class or on-line
Full-time or part-time
A valid Military ID is the only requirement to apply for our program. Scholarship selection is based on your completion of some survey questions which will help us advocate for education changes on your behalf, short-answer questions, and an essay question which will help us get to know you better.
Posted in Charities/Contests, Spouse and Family
You Served's Claire talks about the life of a military spouse - the hardships, the joys, and everything in between.
Join the discussion in our new Spouse and Family section!
