The National Guard Looking for 1 Million Facebook Fans

A nod to Milblogging.com for passing the word along. The National Guard is closing in on 1 million fans on its Facebook Page. When the Marines were nearing 1 million, I posted it on this blog to encourage those so inclined to sign on and hit the Like button. Now, here’s an opportunity to help [...]

Debt Ceiling, Budget Debate Concerns Troops in Afghanistan

Marines and soldiers at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan and in Kandahar this week got a chance to ask questions of Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he visited bases throughout the country. Did they ask about operations, tactics or policy? No. The chairman was peppered with questions about the Congressional [...]

A Report from Afghanistan: Reconstruction Continues

Their nicknames are Backcountry and Slick. They are the public information officers newly assigned to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Western Afghanistan. I talked with “Backcountry” today. He’s deployed Air Force Lt. Mark Graff, formerly stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. Graff loves to hunt and fish in his native Illinois woods [...]

The Mission Continues for Wounded and Disabled War Vets

After the United States entry into WWI, there was a song that focused on returning veterans. The refrain: “How are you going to keep them down on the farm after they’ve seen Paris?” A century later there’s a different refrain being repeated by many of the wounded or disabled war veterans from the Iraq and [...]

An Army Mom Transitions from The Citadel to Ft. Benning

I’m living in the in-between times of being the mom of a cadet at The Citadel and being the mom of a newly commissioned second lieutenant in Armor branch training at Ft. Benning, GA. My son graduated in May of this year. With his graduation, I passed off my volunteer parent baton to a new [...]

An Army Spouse on “Dusting Off My Perspective”

I spent a good few hours this morning making ribbon and fabric rosettes for a headband for a dear friend of mines soon to be born daughter. I logged into Facebook to post the pictures for her, so I could pack them up for their long journey to Europe. Just as I posted them to [...]

Deployment’s Emotional Cycles: Stage 1 for an Army Wife

  Anticipation of Departure for the service member and spouse is different from what I experience as a military mom.  The first stage of the emotional cycle of deployment is a very busy time for the soldier and his or her family and brings mixed emotions. The service member is away from home frequently due to extensive training and preparation which touts the reality of the [...]

Seeking Military Spouses to Serve as Ambassadors

  It’s a volunteer position which means there’s no pay, but a YourMilitary.com Ambassador gets free training on business software and an opportunity to become a leader within their military community in return. YourMilitary.com is looking to enroll more than 240 military spouses who  will answer questions from relocating families, contribute to an online blog and attend local events. [...]

U.S. Women Win Bronze at Military Sports Games

By Fred W. Baker III American Forces Press Service RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, July 23, 2011 – The U.S. women’s sailing team took home the bronze medal yesterday here at the 5th International Military Sports Council’s World Games. This is the third medal that U.S. teams have garnered in the competitions, all earned by female [...]

Seven Is Too Young to Join the Army

This entry, originally dated July 20, 2011,  is courtesy of Bloomingdale Patch Columnist Lynn Nankervis, writer of The Brady Bunch Plus One blog. By Lynn Nankervis Today I sat in an Army recruiter’s office while a camouflage-wearing, big-muscled, tough-talking soldier insisted my 7-year-old son was ready to serve his country by enlisting in the military. [...]