Kiona Smith-Strickland

Getting The Most Out Of Military OneSource

The Department of Defense offers military families a comprehensive resource for all aspects of readiness, resilience, and even recreation. The program, called Military OneSouce, is meant as a virtual extension of on-base services. It offers one source of easily accessible information, resources, and services for military families. For example, Military...
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Building Resilient Relationships with Army Strong Bonds Retreats

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I enjoyed a romantic weekend getaway at a local tourist spot, complete with catered meals, outdoor activities, great relationship-building sessions, and a nice evening out. We made some new friends and came home with great insights about ourselves, each other, and our...
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Choosing an Online School: Safety Tips for your Education

For service members or military spouses seeking higher education, online programs often sound like the perfect choice. Online classes are portable, so you don’t have to transfer every time you move, and mid-semester PCS or deployment orders are much less likely to wreck your transcript if you can take your...
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Financial Aid For Military Spouses (Part 2)

Part 1 of this article covered financial aid options which are available to everyone. As military spouses, we face unique challenges in our educational pursuits; fortunately, we also have access to unique resources to help fund our educations, such as Career Advancement Accounts and a number of scholarships specifically for...
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Putting the Right Spin on Employers’ Assumptions about Military Spouses

Military spouses face some serious challenges in the job market, especially compared to our civilian counterparts. A 2007 study by the RAND Institute found that military spouses consistently had higher unemployment rates, lower wages, and slimmer prospects for advancement than civilian spouses with the same education, experience, and demographic profile....
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Financial Aid for Military Spouses (Part 1)

Education is the best way to increase your employment opportunities and your earning potential, and for many people, learning is a worthwhile goal in its own right. The bad news is that the cost of higher education is steadily increasing. The good news is that college can be affordable; financial...
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Veteran’s Guide to Final Arrangements, Part 1: Burial Allowances

Death is a subject most people prefer to avoid, but talking about it can help you ease the strain on your family when the time comes. By discussing your wishes ahead of time, you can avoid leaving your loved ones unsure what you would have wanted, and you can ensure...
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Relocation, New Friends, and Long Distance Friendships

A host of recent studies have examined the effect of frequent relocation on children and adolescents. Military families relocate significantly more often than civilian families, and service members’ kids are not the only ones affected. Leaving close friends and established support networks, and bidding farewell to friends as they leave for...
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Three Great Ways to Observe Veterans Day

Veterans Day is a week away. It should be a time for all Americans to reflect on the sacrifices of our service members past and present, but for veterans and their families, the day is especially significant. The holiday falls on a weekend this year, which offers more time than...
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How to Protect your Family: The Basics of Operational Security

Military families are familiar with worry. We know better than anyone in the world what it feels like to know that someone we love is far away and in danger, and that we are almost completely unable to protect them. Fortunately, there is one thing we can do to protect...
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