We Serve Too is an idea that military spouses are equal partners in the military lifestyle. I heart data.
By bringing our community together, uniting grassroots efforts, military service organizations and our spouse community we can advocate for change. Here is some data collected by and about military families and service members:
Let's talk retirement. What is it like for military spouses? I want to talk to those who have made the transition and those who, like me, don't know what we don't know. Expert guest Anna Larson will provide important resources and help answer any questions that come up. Register for one of our March 28th Conversations here:
"'You’re at the president’s table,' my friend Tracy hurriedly shared as I walked into President and Mrs. Bush’s private dining room at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. Earlier in the day, I had shaken his hand and instantly forgotten my name. Here I was sitting two places away from a man whose presidency left an indelible mark on my military family and the nation. As a journalist, I wanted to ask him about the war on terror; instead, I told him a story." Thank you to George W. Bush Presidential Center for this amazing opportunity.
Read the article The Struggle For Freedom .. Read Nov 18, 2022 The Struggle For Freedom Welcome to The Struggle for Freedom, a monthly series about democracy and human rights activists abroad and why supporting them is the right thing for Americans to do, strategically as well as morally.
03/08/2024
Thank you to National Military Spouse Network and USAA for the opportunity to share my military spouse career journey! It's always a pleasure to talk to through career strategies with Sue Hoppin!
How can a female military spouse possibly summarize the experiences of male military spouses? I was beyond intimidated to write this article. So I turned to the data and set up as many interviews as I could.
Their stories revealed certain patterns of behavior. My Military.com column highlighted many of those patterns. Keep reading below to see what else I learned.
(Expanded Article) - read my military.com column and learn what did not make it into the article.
02/28/2024
I write about what's wrong with the military...a lot.
It could be easy to assume I dislike being a Navy spouse. Nothing could be further from the truth. Showing you care doesn't mean narrowly focusing on the good while ignoring the bad. Those who don't care walk away.
Thank you to Jenny Lynne Stroup, Natalie Ealy and Corie Weathers, LPC, NCC, BCC and others for being willing to share the bittersweetness of this lifestyle and why you too think military life is worth it. Military.com
Research shows that military spouses who feel a sense of belonging within the military community have a greater sense of overall well-being.
Military friends - let's talk PCSing. Register at the link below & SHARE with your local communities. I want to understand the highs and lows of this process.
I have a 10 year old. She is creative, kind, sensitive and passionate. Her mind is simultaneously artistic and scientific. I can’t imagine loving you more M&M. 🥰
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Acknowledging the sacrifices made by military spouses is not a new idea. What is new is the idea that sometimes if enough people unite under an inspirational thought that it can turn into action.
How did we get here?
In the mid-1900s military spouses did not look very different than their civilian counterparts. The majority lived lives as stay-at-home wives and mothers. They moved with their husbands and faced many challenges. But yesterday's challenges are not today's challenges. Today, military spouses are over-educated, under-employed and underpaid. We live lives as temporary single-parents, juggling work, parenting, marriage, friendships and the military lifestyle.
We sound like everyone else, but there is a catch.
Civilians have the right to “vote with their feet.” They select a home based on its school district, proximity to public services, safety, etc. They pay taxes on that home, investing in that local community. This process incentivizes local leaders to keep their towns safe and housing markets competitive.
Where things get especially tricky is when military installations and civilian communities collide. The result is an influx of money and people into the local community. This military population require goods and services but are not required to pay local or state taxes, unless they happen to be a resident of that community.
The business of community coordination is left in the hands of military leadership and local/state government to ensure community support for military members and their families. However, it is not the primary mission of base leadership to advocate for military families. Their job is to run a base. And it is not always possible for military families to enact change when they do not have voting rights in the districts in which they reside.
We do not belong to the military: We are “dependents”
We do not belong to our communities: We struggle to connect.
It is time that laws catch up to us, to support us for who we are today, not who we were 50 years ago. We cannot expect families to be able to properly support our service members if the government does not support them. Military family issues need to be corrected through comprehensive legislation, not band-aids.
