4MCA.com  /  Operation Reach Out: Suicide Prevention App

  1. Should You Move Home for a Deployment?

    When deployment orders come down for your soldier, it can be pretty emotional. You have a lot to do to get ready for them to leave. One decision you might have to make is if you plan to stay at your duty station for the deployment or if you plan...
  2. Doing it Again: How to prepare for yet another deployment

    This past week we got the semi-official news that my husband will be deployed again next year. I don’t consider anything official until he leaves, but this announcement most likely means he will be deploying for a fourth time in 2013. This deployment won’t be our longest with the Army,...
  3. 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...
  4. Care Packages, Part 2: How to Send Them

    Now that we’ve covered What To Send in a Care Package in Part 1, today in Part 2 we explain HOW to send it. Without a doubt the best way to go is USPS. They have priority flat-rate boxes (pictured) made specifically for those who are sending mail to APOs...
  5. Some Moms Wear Combat Boots

      It’s hard to imagine that not so long ago it was mandated that any women who served in the Armed Forces would be immediately discharged upon the confirmation of pregnancy.  In 1951, an Executive Order (EO 10240) signed by former president Harry S. Truman, clearly stated. “That any women...
  6. Bumper Stickers and Opsec: Caution for Military Families

    As military family members, most of us have been admonished about operational security (opsec in military-speak) countless times.  We are told- though not nearly enough of us seem to remember- never to post anything online about our spouses’ flight times, arrival times, or destinations; or anything our spouses share with...
  7. Parents of Servicemembers Share Experiences and Advice

    Parenting comes with its own challenges, but being the parent of a service member is even more complex. A small group of parents shared what they faced, and advice they have for new military parents. CONCERNS Charles Henckler, USCG ret., and his wife had concerns about their daughter’s safety and...