Author Archives: Claire

This was written by a friend of mine and posted at Wives in Bloom. This is a military family who has seen multiple deployments and their resiliency and joy through it all is inspiring! Take a moment to read Carlie’s reflections. What are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving Holiday?

Thanksgiving: A Lifestyle, A Choice, Not Just A Holiday

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by: Carlie Kercheval

Thanksgiving.

When most people hear this word, the first thing that comes to mind is a massive table -full of food shared with family and good friends. Or maybe some people think about the Pilgrim’s and Native American’s celebration of their first successful harvest in 1621. Either way, it is a season that most American’s thoroughly enjoy.

But my suggestion to you, is that thanksgiving should be a lifestyle, rather than a seasonal holiday. I know sometimes it is hard to be thankful when things don’t seem to be going your way. I know it is difficult to be thankful when your husband is thousands of miles away fighting a war – AGAIN – when he could be home with you.  CONTINUE READING

First of all I am very proud of Amazon.com! They ranked number one with a 25% Veteran hiring quota! So, this year when I order for Christmas I will enjoy sending my business to Amazon that much more! My husband DBS also works at Eastman Chemical Company and they ranked 61! I know Eastman was very supportive of DBS when he joined the military and when he came home from the military.

G.I. Jobs 2012 Top 100 Military Friendly Employers^®

The Top 100 Military Friendly Employers list is a priceless resource for transitioners mapping out a new career path. Use the list to make this crucial mission successful.

CLICK HERE TO SEE LIST

Please pass the following information on to any military families who home school their children. The following excerpt is from HSF’s website:

New Military Fund

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We have been blessed to have Star Henderson and Tara Crooks of Army Wife Network on our radio show in the past. You can hear the archived interview HERE. Below is an article from care.com where Tara shares her top tips for beating holiday stress:

An Army Wife’s Top Tips for Beating Holiday Stress

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Source LINK:

Tara Crooks knows all about the unique challenges military spouses face during the holidays, but she says that’s no reason not to celebrate. Mom of two young girls and co-founder of the Army Wife Network, Crooks believes in creating fun around the holidays no matter how hard it seems. In the spirit of the approaching festivities, Tara shares these great tips to get you in the holiday spirit.

1. Salute your soldiers. In addition to saluting their dad whether he is home or away, the Crooks clan makes it a point to honor all military families on Christmas. “We always hang a sock for the UNforgotten soldiers,” says Tara.

2. Let gifts come from you. In the Crooks’ home, Santa brings the unwrapped gifts while the parents offer wrapped surprises. “I always make sure the girls know the presents are from Daddy and Mama, and that he is with us even if he isn’t physically present,” says Tara. Continue reading →

I found the following on Country Magazine’s blog. World War II military spouse, Ila Cox, is highlighted in the magazine for November. The following are a few memories that weren’t included in the article. What a vastly different time we live in today when our Nation is at war and so many citizens live in such luxury they can forget what our military faces daily. Amazing.

On the Home Front (EXCERPT)

Story by Ila Cox, 

When her husband, Jack, was sent to Asia in World War II, Ila Cox of Monticello, Mississippi, found work in a defense factory. In our special Thanksgiving issue, Ila shared her memories of life on the home front. Here are a few that didn’t make it into the magazine:

You couldn’t buy a new car, and even if you did it was difficult to keep one on the road. There were no tires to buy because the Japanese had cut off the supply of rubber from the Far East, and our entire supply had to be dedicated to the military. Fixing flat tires was a constant struggle. Continue reading →

When I had a loved one who was deployed it was a very special and fun way to give a ‘shout out’ from home!

Once again, Stars and Stripes is here to help you send free Holiday Messages to your family and friends. Messages will appear online (and overseas in our print newspaper if you choose), so your loved ones will be able to see your message no matter where they’re deployed or stationed. (Messages sent to recipients located in the U.S. will only appear online and not in print.)

Sending a message is easy! Click Submit Message above and then select either Text or Picture Message. Enter your message and submit — that’s it. Once your message has been approved for publication, you can also search or browse messages by edition or recipient name. Click on the publication tabs below or the Find Messages button above.

Messages received by Nov. 28 will appear in the newspaper edition of your choice (Eur, Mideast or Pac) on Dec. 17th. Any message submitted after November 28 will appear online only and not in print. Continue reading →

A new study has been done.

Another new study, I should say.

Now they are saying that children of the deployed are at a higher risk for participating in violence. Here’s the link to the news article about the study.

I will hold my judgement until I see the study and how the population was chosen. A few years ago another “new study” was released that said military spouses were more likely to abuse kids when a spouse was deployed.

They based the conclusions on the likelihood to abuse a child on a population of people who had ALREADY been referred to child protection services before the study (and recidivism is very high in those who have already been referred in the civilian sector too) The researchers were drawing conclusions on the entire military community based on a sub-section of people who were already at high risk for committing abuse. Continue reading →