Iraq – Over on the Frontlines, Not at Home

The last American soldiers have left Iraq. That is excellent news.

The problems have just begun at home. This is not news to military spouses.

Many of the thousands of soldiers who have served in Iraq have not deployed just once. They’ve gone three, four, even five times to the desert frontlines.

Roadside bombs and IED attacks have left wounds on their bodies and their minds. Suicide rates continue to skyrocket as they try to return to normal life.


Farewell eArmyU

In 2001, laptops were too expensive for most soldiers to purchase. College classes were offered mainly on physical campuses. And the notion of going to school online was foreign, and well, strange.

Ten years has turned the traditional notion of higher education upside down. Technology has created lecture halls on dining room tables and in barracks rooms. Students are logging in to class, rather than walking there. And eArmyU, well, it served us well, but the antiquated system has reached its retirement age.


Marine Corps TA Changes

The amount of tuition assistance the Marine Corps is offering its’ troops has changed, and not for the better.

As of Oct. 1, 2011, the following rules apply:


Post-9/11 GI Bill Changes are Here!

In April we told you about the upcoming changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill expected to take place in August.

August is here and the changes are upon us.

Many of the changes were designed to make the benefits available to more veterans and streamline the process. For anyone using the program, it means paying attention to the fine details as you apply and use the benefits.


Is commuting the fast lane to divorce court?

I have blamed long commutes for ruining evening plans, stripping my budget of extra money to pay for all that gas and contributing to my lack of sleep. But a new Swedish study claims longer rides to and from work may also help destroy marriages.

The report collected 10 years of data for more than 2 million couples in Sweden. Of those couples, those that had at least one partner traveling more than 18.6 miles a day, each way, were 40 percent more likely to separate. As you might guess, the divorces happened in the first few years of marriage.


Calling All Female Veterans

Women serve. Women fight. Women are injured. The VA is finally not just noticing but reaching out to female veterans.

This summer the VA began calling every female veteran by phone to personally talk with them about health care and services available especially for them as women. Officials estimate there are roughly 1.8 million women veterans living today.


Study Determines the Most Stressed Women in the World

As you’re racing across town to reach the tail end of the school pickup line in time, after zig zagging between errands and making a to do list for tonight in your head, ever think for a second that you must be the  most stressed woman on the planet?

I mean we have PTA meetings, doctor appointments, birthday parties to plan, full-time jobs, online classes and dinner to serve while it’s still hot, right?


Velcro made my husband a happy man tonight. Or rather the soon-to-be lack of it.

This week the Army announced that soldiers will no longer be required to Velcro many of their patches onto their ACU shirts - camo uniforms for the uninitiated. Instead, they’ll be able to sew them on, just like in the good ole days.

And, he can finally ditch the itchy, uncomfortable black beret that leaves the ever sexy red indention across the front of his forehead. He’ll be able to don a patrol cap – camo hat for you civilians.

These small changes in uniform had my husband practically dancing in his seat.


No More Pencils, No More Books

Happy summer! For many of us that means trying to entertain our kids all day while we work, take class, clean and ever so slowly mark off the days until school kicks off again this fall.

But seriously, summer is fun. In our house, with four kids underfoot, summer means our kitchen looks a bit like an arts and crafts studio, the backyard is covered in water balloons and oozing popsicles and the television is always on too loud. It’s two months of organized chaos.


New VA Programs, Giving You the Help You Need

The number of service members seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan climbs every day. With that count the number of military spouses who suddenly find themselves in the role of caregiver, single parent and primary breadwinner for the household also rises. There is often too much for one person to handle alone. For a spouse who also has to attend school or re-enter the workforce, the days can be overwhelming. 

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