Kiona Smith-Strickland

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Homecoming

The day your service member returns from a deployment is one of the most anticipated events in your relationship and the life of your family. You probably want it to be perfect for your loved one. No matter how much you plan and how great your intentions are, it’s not...
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5 Things Nobody Tells You About Deployment

My husband just returned from his second deployment as a Soldier; it was his third total, since he did one as a Marine prior to a stint as a civilian which led to the Army. It was my first. As the year progressed, I realized how many things I wished...
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Veteran’s Guide to Final Arrangements, Part 3: Grave Markers

Read Part 1 of the Final Arrangements series here, and Part 2 here. Marker Types and Materials The VA will provide each deceased veteran with an upright grave marker in granite or marble, or a flat grave marker in granite, marble, or bronze. Upright grave markers are two-to-three-inch thick slabs...
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America’s Homeless Heroes

The most recent survey released by Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that over 136,000 homeless veterans spent at least one night in homeless shelters sometime during 2009; on any given night, over 75,000 veterans sleep in homeless shelters or on the streets. Other sources...
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How to Leave a Job Gracefully

If you’re a working military spouse, you know that we get a lot of experience at leaving jobs when Uncle Sam sends us elsewhere. Even though we don’t get a real choice in the matter, we can choose to be responsible, considerate, and helpful when we break the news and...
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Veteran’s Guide to Final Arrangements, Part 4: Cemetery Options

You can read Part 1 of the Veterans Guide to Final Arrangements here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. National Cemeteries Any veteran who meets the eligibility criteria may be buried in a National Cemetery. The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains 131 National Cemeteries in thirty-nine states (and Puerto...
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Veteran’s Guide to Final Arrangements, Part 2: Memorial Items

In addition to burial allowances, grave markers, and veterans’ cemetery interments, the families of deceased veterans are also eligible for a couple of memorial keepsake items: a burial flag and a memorial certificate signed by the President of the United States. (Read part 1 of the Final Arrangements series here)...
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Disaster Readiness for Military Families

No matter where you live, you live with the possibility of some type of natural disaster – a blizzard, an earthquake, a flood, a hurricane, a tornado, or a wildfire – or man-made disaster – a blackout, a nuclear or chemical plant incident, a pandemic, or a terrorist attack. These...
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We Can Do It: 4 Challenges and 6 Solutions for Military Spouse Education and Careers

Do you ever feel like being a military spouse is a full-time job all by itself? During my husband’s last deployment, I often said that I had two full-time jobs; one required keeping the office at the local funeral home running smoothly, and the other required assembling and mailing care...
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Need Someone to Talk To? A Guide to Getting Help

They used to call being married to a soldier “the toughest job in the Army.” Now more than ever, it still is, and sometimes we need some support. As military family members, it is important to remember that although most of us do not deploy or face combat situations, we...
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