Family Readiness

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Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance May Help Some, But Not Many

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of the Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA) Program. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? You, gentle readers with your hands in your laps, are not alone. The program, outlined in Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction 1341.11, isn’t very well known. The website used to determine...
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MotoMail for Marines

Family and friends of Marines deployed to Afghanistan can send a physical letter to their loved one without leaving the house or paying for postage. MotoMail is a free, private and secure service that allows you to write a message out like an e-mail. Then, in Afghanistan, the letter will...
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Free or Discounted Child Care Agencies for Military Families

According to my father-in-law, Cokes used to cost only a nickel, everybody liked Ike, and the world was a swell place. Childcare was easy to find in this world also, since family was always nearby and you had known the neighbor’s kids their whole lives. Sadly, military people have never...
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Children and Homecoming

The homecoming of a service member is a major change for the children in a household. They have grown physically, emotionally, and socially during the deployment. They are not as skilled at coping with their stress because they have little life experience. As a result, they may become firmly attached...
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Is Your Family Ready? Five Steps To Prepare For An Emergency

Readiness is one of the most important goals that all branches of the military work for. Our military needs to be ready to fight, ready to deploy, ready at a moment’s notice to respond to a disaster around the world, or right here in America. But as a family, are...
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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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Homecoming Tips for Single Service Members

As a single person living in the barracks, you may have new roommates when you return, or you may have someone who has been living in your home or apartment while you were away. Perhaps you moved out prior to deploying and will need to find a new residence when...
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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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Care Packages, Part 1: What to Send

If you have weathered a deployment before, you are probably an old pro at sending care packages. This guide is intended for military spouses, parents, siblings, and friends who have little or no experience mailing packages to loved ones in combat zones. Here are some of the most popular items...
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The Strength that Lies Beneath: Our Children and their Dragon Hearts

Every year since we returned from Europe, our children’s schools have held assemblies to honor Veterans. Every year our children have asked their dad to attend. He refused to do so the first two years, but has been swayed since then by the righteous indignation of our children, especially our...
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