Look up in the sky! Is it a HH-60 no…… Its…..

November 27, 2006 on 8:31 am | In Resources | No Comments

Santa. Yeah!!!

Just visited Blackfive and found this great post about NORAD tracks Santa.

I remember as a child that I would place a bowl of water with carrots and celery for the deers and Santa would get a large cup of Hot Chocolate and a snack to tie him over during his trip. Later I would be escorted to bed. Of course I would untuck myself & go to the window. I would look for Rudolph’s red nose up in the sky. Once I would see it. I would watch it for a little while and hurry off back to bed because Santa doesn’t arrive to your home until you are fast a sleep.

Isn’t it great to be young….to see the magic that surrounds us.

NORAD (North America Aerospace Defense Command) has been doing this project since 1955 when Colonel Harry Shoup received a wrong # from a child asking “where’s Santa”

On Saturday, your kids can call Cheyenne at 1-888-HI-NORAD, email NORAD at tracking@noradsanta.org, or email Santa at northpole@officialsantamail.com.

Join in on the fun and share a little magic with others

 

 

 

Learning a new language

November 26, 2006 on 8:58 pm | In Resources | No Comments

Being in a military community you’ll realize real quick that they have their own language.

For example

a “CRO” is not a black bird but a Combat Rescue Officer.

a “ATL” is a Assistant Team Leader

a “pipeline” Has nothing to do with surfin’ but with personnel flow from sources of procurement to their point of use.

a “pillbox” is not what your grandmother keeps her meds in but a small, low fortification that houses weapons.

a “run” is not a cardio activity but a flight of one photographic reconnaissance aircraft during which photographs are taken.

What’s amazing is after a while of being in the military world you will start talking in their language too.

For now while you are learning here is the DOD Dictionary of Military Terms.

Have fun learning~ Denise

 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

November 25, 2006 on 8:41 pm | In Resources | No Comments

PTSD is a psychological condition where the mind and body are reacting to specific stressors experienced in combat. Rates for PTSD were highest among units that served deployments of 12 months or more and had more exposure to combat. And while rates were much lower for troops returning from Afghanistan than Iraq — with 6 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom veterans surveyed PTSD symptoms — PTSD remains prevalent in these units as well. If you or someone you know is exhibiting post-deployment readjustment or PTSD symptoms — sleeplessness, nightmares, excessive startle and hyperactivity, anxiety, mood and anger swings, significant behavioral changes — help is available. Contact 911 if the behavior becomes reckless or dangerous — or — call 1-800-827-1000 for the nearest VA, Vet Center, VA Hospital Post-Deployment Clinic or state-funded contracted providers in your area

The War in Iraq- 

Below is a list of information currently available from the National Center for PTSD on war. For more information, click on the related links and/or search the PILOTS database for a more complete listing of articles available on this topic.

Continue reading>>

Reading List

November 25, 2006 on 4:19 pm | In Resources | No Comments

The books and articles cited here represent some

of the many guides to military living and military etiquette,

as well as a selection of military family histories and memoirs.

Continue reading>>

 

Materials and Publications.

November 25, 2006 on 4:16 pm | In Resources | No Comments
 

Booklets/PamphletsFamily Programs offers several helpful publications, as well as prints and artwork.

To obtain an AUSA Family Programs courtesy copy of any of the titles listed below, please e-mail familyprograms@ausa.org with your name, address, and phone number or call 1-800-336-4570 ext. 150 or 151. Materials will be made available on a first come, first serve basis. Please include in your e-mail the publication(s) that you are requesting and your status (i.e. Servicemembers, Family Member, Veteran, Retiree, etc.)

Loss and Change
Helping families who have experienced loss deal with the changes it brings

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
Learning the signs and getting help with the above

Adjustments Ahead
Serving your country in someone else’s country

Called to Duty
A practical guide for families

Guess Who’s Coming Home
Guiding your children to a happy reunion

Making Your Marriage Stronger
When you are married in the service helpful tips

Making More of Your Military Pay
Saving it or spending it, money matters

Returning Home
Making your reunion a good one

Service Families
Caring for your own while serving your country’s

Together Again
Planning for a happy reunion

When Service Brings Separation
Helping your family cope with deployment

You’re Entitled
A guide to service-related benefits

10 Ways to Stay Involved with Your Children During Deployment
A booklet for Military Families discussing 10 ways to keep that involvement with your children during deployment.

The Military LifeStyle and Children, Parenting Your Young Child and Successfully Parenting Your Teen
Three Different Booklets Designed to Help Parents with the Parenting of Their Children

Stay Involved
A Booklet Designed to Help Parents Stay Involved in Their Children’s Education

School and the Military Family
A Booklet About How to Prepare Our Children and Stay Involved in Their Education During Deployment

Moving and the Military Family
A Booklet Designed to Cover Many Aspects of Military Moving

Stress and the Military Family
A Booklet Designed to Examine the Stresses That Impact Military Families

Family Readiness
A Booklet Designed to Answer Questions About Every Day Military Life

Military Families: Money and Mobility
A Booklet now available through AUSA offers soldiers assistance to better understand the mechanics of military moves and financial planning.

Deployment and Reunion
A Booklet Designed to Help Families Deal with Deployments and Reunions.

The Dandelion Diaries: An Army Brat Remembers
Dandelion Diaries

Welcome Home
A Guide to a Health Family Reunion

Your Soldier, Your Army: A Parents’ Guide
By Vicki Cody, wife of GEN Richard Cody, Vice Chief of Staff. Mrs. Cody turns her own 30-year experience as the wife and mother of Soldiers into advice and consolation for other parents with deploying children.

Torchbearer Alert: (In-State Tuition: Affording Educational Opportunities to Soldiers and Their Families)
(PDF, 306K) Examines the inconsistencies in higher-education tuition policies faced by soldiers and their families as they move from state to state.

Torchbearer Alert: (Addresses Impact Aid)
(PDF, 142K) Find out how Impact Aid funding affects the education of military children.

    Resources from AUSA

    November 25, 2006 on 4:07 pm | In Resources | No Comments

    Internet Resources

    The internet offers a wealth of resources for the military community. The following is a list of links to government agencies, private organizations and unofficial sites that may be useful to military families. AUSA Family Programs prides itself on researching each of these links, however, we do not necessarily endorse the information provided on each of the web sites.

    Continue reading>>

    Attention Military Spouses!!!!

    November 25, 2006 on 3:51 pm | In Resources | No Comments

     Military Spouse Education Resource Guide Now Available

    There is now a one-stop guide that offers information on starting your education, available scholarships and grants, and the many opportunities that are accessible to military spouses. NMFA has designed a Military Spouse Education Resource Guide to identify educational opportunities available to military spouses. Order your copy today.

    Military OneSource

    November 25, 2006 on 12:44 pm | In Resources | No Comments

    Sign up now for the Special Needs Parent Toolkit Webinar.  This new DoD toolkit has important information needed for families navigating the maze of medical and special education services, community support, and benefits and entitlements. Register here.

    Going over seas or currently stationed there…..

    November 13, 2006 on 8:46 am | In Resources | No Comments

     How to manage a long-distance relationship with the

    DMV
     

    Civilians who let licenses expire face the most hurdles

    By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
    Pacific edition, Monday, November 13, 2006

    CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — If you’re an overseas Defense Department employee trying to renew a stateside driver’s license, even an expired one, your life is going to be a lot simpler if you’re wearing a uniform.

    Not as much if you’re a DOD civilian.

    And probably not at all if you’re a DOD civilian who let that state license expire.

    All states have measures in place to honor a driver’s license until the servicemember returns home.

    “If your driver’s license expires while you’re overseas, and you’re staying overseas, you don’t have to worry about renewing it until you go back to the state,” said Master Sgt. Jeff Loftin, 18th Wing spokesman at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. Servicemembers who want to keep their stateside licenses current anyway can apply online or by mail, he added.

    There’s even a simple, one-stop Web site — www.dmv.org — likely to provide all needed information for each state and Washington, D.C., he said.

    On Marine bases in Japan, “servicemembers can always contact the Marine Corps Bases Japan Safety Office or visit their state’s department of motor vehicles Web site for information on their state’s licensing requirements,” said Gunnery Sgt. Chuck Albrecht, a public affairs spokesman.

    “It is up to the individual to contact his or her state’s department of motor vehicles prior to the expiration of his or her stateside driver’s license,” he said. “Requirements vary from state to state. Some can be renewed through the mail … some require a photo.”

    A dependent or civilian living overseas should contact that state’s motor vehicle department about renewing a still-valid stateside license. Most states allow for renewals by mail or online. Some require certified eye exams and other documents; others require little more than filling out a few forms and paying a renewal fee.

    Again, www.dmv.org may contain all the information needed. A private company sponsors the Web site, which has become an authority on stateside vehicle registration and driver licensing information. The site is supported by advertising, but there is no charge for the information.

    Civilian Defense Department employees or dependents returning to America with an expired state license may have to jump through more hoops. In fact, some states require returning civilians seeking new licenses to establish state residency and undergo written and road tests.

    Rules for obtaining stateside licenses for persons who have POV licenses but have never had a stateside one, or who have a POV license and didn’t renew their stateside one in the time required, vary by state.

    For example, servicemembers who have a license issued by the U.S. Armed Forces may drive in New York for a maximum of 60 days. Dependents who have only military-issued driver licenses cannot drive in New York.

    Also, a military POV driver’s license cannot be exchanged for a New York state driver license. If you have only a military driver license, you must apply for an original state driver’s license.

    One bit of good news about that POV license, though: Even if a person has let the POV license expire, all that’s needed to renew it is the expired license and a copy of the license-holder’s orders.

    Veterans Day Is Tomorrow!!!!

    November 10, 2006 on 3:55 pm | In Resources | No Comments

    Send an e-card to Veterans today. 

    Kids learning about Veterans Day.

    Take a look at the Poster Gallery and the DAV Poster.

    History of Veterans Day.

    Veterans Day frequently asked questions.

    A Message about Veterans Pride from Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson . Encourage Veterans to wear their military decorations on Veterans Day.

    A patriotic ceremony honoring America’s military members and veterans is scheduled for Saturday. November 11 at 11a.m. in Arlington Cemetery.

    Each year, the Veterans Day National Commitee recognizes select Veterans Day observances throughout the country and Washington D.C. that represent fitting tributes to America’s heros.

    How schools can participate in “Lessons of Liberty”

    Thank you to all Veterans especially to my Papi and my Husband…for the sacrifices that were/are given because Freedom is not free. 

    ~ Denise

     

     

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