Army Household6

Have you heard about the latest ad by Motrin that has a lot of moms up in arms??

I have to admit  when all this reared its ugly head on Twitter … I couldn’t understand what everyone was so up in arms about. Initially I thought, I must be misssing something here. I mean I haven’t thought of “babywearing” (back then it was called carrying your baby) in at least 7 years.

I didn’t think it was offensive to moms everywhere. I don’t know .. Am I a bit out of touch since it has been so long? (Full Disclosure :Both my kids are in elementary school now )

The thing that struck a chord with me was the “official mom” label! I have seen some babywearing moms look down on non-babywearing moms for not wearing their child. Maybe they physically can’t, maybe they “bond” in other ways, maybe the child can’t be put in a sling,etc for medical reasons, maybe they don’t want to.. the list can go on and on.

Why must we look down on people for not doing what we do?  I’m sure we have all seen situations where ‘bad parenting’ is screaming out but this my friends is NOT it!

This “discussion” is just like the us vs them discussion that many mothers have been having for years. (childcare options, breastfeeding, vaccinations, homeschooling, etc)

It’s a PERSONAL choice that each family makes  for itself and ALL of us need to respect that choice. (wow this sounds a lot like my last political rant doesn’t it?)

Parenting is hard enough by itself … why do we have to make it more difficult???

So, what do you think ? Here is the link  again in case you missed it!  : )

I know the election is over and we have a new president-elect, but I just came across the video (Hat tip : Spouse Buzz ) of the teacher talking about the elections, Obama and McCain. I understand talking to children about the political process and teaching them how it all works. I believe in teaching them all about the process. Heck, we did this with our own kids and had an indept conversation on the elections, why it was important to vote,etc. I am completely in favor of a “mock election” for them to cast their vote and to have an open, generic discussion about . I think it can be done in a very neutral, benign way.

This however is an example of WHAT NOT TO DO

The Cumberland school district in Fayetteville, NC (where this occured) has issued a written statement on their website as the Superintendent issued this video statement via YouTube

I’m thoroughly infuriated by this as a military parent! I can’t imagine what those kids were thinking and feeling especially that one girl whose father was a US Soldier. Military life can sometimes be hard enough and then you have to endure this at school! There was no need at all to bring up that point especially in the manner that the teacher was saying it.

This is just one more thing to add to the “pro ” pile for homeschooling both of our children next academic year. We were planning to homeschool our oldest due to some special needs and anxiety issues but I’m seriously considering both kids now.

I’ll be posting updates as we come across them… Let’s hear your thoughts, opinions,etc.

I spend a lot of time at Walter Reed Army Medical Center doing Family Readiness Group (FRG) work and its also where my husband works. Their motto is “home of warrior care”. They do just that every single day, not just one month a year.

I’ve seen it as a visitor and I’ve also seen it as a patient.Warrior Care is just not for our active duty/reserve/Guard servicemembers .. it is also meant for their family members too. I was diagnosed with a super infection that was contained within in my arm. They took awesome care of me, even keeping me an extra day to make sure the antibiotics were working.

The Department of Defense and all the different military branches has declared November as Warrior Care Month. They are trying to bring awareness to all their various medical and non-medical services.The VA department has created a website that highlights some of the programs and resources out there no matter if the patient is one of our warriors or one of their family members.The focus however is always placed on our wounded warriors, for they have made great sacrifices for our freedom. .

Click here for their website, WarriorCare.mil

Speaking of Wounded Warriors and their families, if you would like to be part of the rapid reaction time to

Bryan (@thegrok ) and Chris (@chrisbrogan) are using social media to have some fun on Halloween and raise some money at the same time.

You can follow the rules HERE

The best part is that TOP 3 Companies voted on in the comments get the money that is donated! There are a lot of great organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families like Homes for Our Troops, Soldiers’ Angels, Project ValourIT and many many more.

So get to it!

It’s been an intense, crazy-busy couple of days around here but in a good way! I have to say that I’m so proud of EVERYONE for jumping into action when it counted! Your cards, letters of encouragement,etc are definitely doing the trick and lifting Hunter’s spirits.!

I also wanted to mention that Hunter will be receiving a visit this weekend from actor Gary Sinise, whose making a trip up to the VA Hospital to visit with some of the guys at the VA hospital and Hunter is one of those lucky ones! : )

I’ll continue to be working on this directly with with Hunter’s foundation, Hearts for Hunter. The website is under construction right now and will be ready to go on Monday, October 27th!

All future updates about Hunter, his foundation and his progress will be over there… so head on over and check it out.

The biggest HAT TIP goes to 1SG Brian Disque! Brian made sure that one of his soldiers got the help and support that he needed by letting the blogosphere know about Hunter’s situation. Brian certainly is a shining example of what a 1SG should be!

I AM A FIRST SERGEANT
My job is people — Every One is My Business.
I dedicate my time and energy to their needs;
their health, morale, discipline, and welfare.
I grow in strength by strengthening my people.
My job is done in faith; my people build faith.
My job is people –EVERY ONE IS MY BUSINESS.

- US Army First Sergeant (1SG) Creed

Kudos to ParentsZone, Matt at BlackFive, Milblogs, Michelle Malkin, Some Soldiers Mom, Liberal Army Wife, Mark Levinfan.com, Calistalee , Jihad Gene, NiceDoggie.net, and Greyhawk and many many more! Also a big thank you to everyone who emailed others to let them know about it! You guys picked up Hunter’s story as ran with it! I’m so proud to be part of this awesome blogging community and our military family!

Also, thanks to the inspiration of Hunter’s story, I recently started a list called HASMO (Help a Service Member Out). It is an email list comprised of Rapid Response Team Members to be able to help out soldiers like Hunter and many others. It will also be available to help out service member’s immediate families as well.

HASMO already have some things in the works for other service members that you can help. We’ll be able to tell you more next week about it all. You can sign up for it on the left side of the page and its a free service!

So, thanks so much and keep up the great work for all the other soldiers, airmen, coasties, sailors and marines as well as their families! Also if anyone would like to help out with  HASMO, please email me at tammy.munson at gmail dot com

Hooah!
Tammy

Well I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who emailed me over the last 24 hours about PFC Levine. If I haven’t responded to you yet.. don’t worry I will tonight/tomorrow.

I received this email from Julie  with BlueStarMoms who visited with Hunter this afternoon .. so I wanted to pass it along..

Well, we already went today and just got back actually but we wouldn’t mind going again.  When I say we, I took my daughter-in-law and granddaughters too.  One of the staff did go in ahead and asked Hunter if he minded us coming in.  That was Hunters request to be notified ahead of time.

I figured that if he did not want visitors today that we would just leave what we had brought for him there for him to have and I understood his request. He let us come in because I told the nurse about my son serving in Iraq.  Tht seemed to make Hunter feel better.

We just stopped in for a minute and took a card, a box of See’s lollipops, some other candy and a small fimo clay frog wind chime. (FROG=Freely Rely On God) That made him sorta laugh, the wind chime. He said he didn’t know where to put it so we suggested over the a/c unit or hang it on the window that way he could know if the a/c was working or not.

I figured that he could use the practice in getting his other senses a little sharper while his eyesight was getting some work. The room was pretty warm though, and there was a soldier visiting him as well so I didn’t want to take up too much of his time.  I will call Stephanie later this week and see if he wouldn’t mind having us visit again, without the girls though. I would love to have you come with or meet me there.  I have a map now and it is pretty easy to get to.

He has a DVD player and an i-pod and told me he has all the music he needs, he is still pretty angry inside.  I know that later in life he will look back and think about us going there, it will be just a random thought but I hope it will be a good one.

Also, my granddaughters class is going to make a mobile for his room, that should help him with some eye coordination exercises without him knowing that he is actually doing them.

I did see that he had the DVD Gladiator (great movie!) so he has some vision.  He also had a watch on with a magnifier on it.  Also, the lollipops will help with the muscles in his neck which will in turn help with the face restructuring.

In fact, I am thinking that getting some crossword puzzle books and other items like that as well as some cards for other soldiers who are there would be worthwhile.  There were a couple who had no visitors and looked like they could use someone to visit with.

A HUGE amount of thanks goes out to to Trish of Email our Military (who originally posted about it) Vince Patton of Military.com as well as Caitlyn Scanlon (Military.com employee and member of Soldier’s Angels) for getting someone in touch with Hunter so quickly! This is what I love about our military family and of course for being a part of an AWESOME organization like Military.com !  : )

I received this information today (from Email Our Military) and it nearly broke my heart! (actually it brought me to tears)  I thought I HAVE to do something for this young man!

As many of us, who are living this life, know , we are one BIG military family. Well… one of our own needs our help!

For those not in the military…if you have ever wondered “what can I do for our wounded warriors”, well THIS IS IT!!!! You can read his story below …

If you would like to send cards, letters and/or care packages… please let me know. You can email me at tammy . munson @ gmail . com (don’t include spaces)

_____________________________________________

From 1SG Brian M. Disque

I know a young man who is in desperate need of help. His name is PFC Hunter Levine. He is 20 years old and hails from Houston, TX.

He was in my company and was wounded on 9 May, 2008 while conducting combat operations in East Baghdad. He received a very serious injury to his face, resulting in the loss of his entire bone structure, mouth, nose, and vision.

He was evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital where the doctors performed numerous surgeries to repair his

face. I was fortunate enough to attend a Purple Heart Ceremony at Walter Reed while I was home on leave in June. I was also able to meet with Hunter’s father Beau.

Hunter was then transferred to a VA hospital in Palo Alto, where the best care for his vision would be available. He is a true fighter with a heart of gold.

Bad News

Unfortunately, I received some bad news from the hospital doctors. Lately, he has been resisting treatment and being somewhat combative with the hospital staff. He has had a few outbursts and the staff is real worried about him. It seems like a serious case of depression is setting in.

Although his wounds on the outside may look bad, they may never compare with the wounds he has on the inside.

I spoke with him on the phone this evening, and he seemed real down. The reality is that he still has a long road to recover and may never see again. This young man has everything to live for and is a true inspiration. He is exactly the kind of person we would all want in a brother, son, or friend. I feel obligated to try and rally some support for him. I know we have a lot of caring people out there who would love to do something special for an outstanding American who gave his all for his country.

Call to Action

If you know of any church groups, school room classes, or other benevolent organizations that would be interested in assisting this brave young man, please forward this message on to them.

He is a pretty typical young man, so he likes sports and other typical young men stuff. A small care package with some goodies and such would mean the world.

Again, please forward this message to as many people as you know. It would be so great if we can all give way together and show Hunter that his country will never forget his sacrifices or service. He is down and needs our help.

Thank you for your support, it means everything.

V/R,
1SG Brian M. Disque
C CO 2-30 IN

“Our Country, Not Ourselves!”

Sorry for the delay …

Most of the 2nd day of AUSA i spent with LAW of Parent Zone. We started off the day attending another Family Forum that mainly focused on the Army’s National Guard and Reserve component.

It was really interesting to see all the National Guard/Reserve families that were there. Since this forum mainly focused on them, there was a multude of information and resources available for them. General and Mrs Stultz talked a great deal about the how the citizen soldier see that their community if partnering with the Army and that gives them some comfort.

They also discussed how some soldiers and families were falling thru the cracks. It was also acknowledge how they don’t follow “family readiness” and the Army realizes that they need too.

The forum talked about “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program which was started by Minnesota National Guard after they realized things were lacking for the Reserve and National Guard soldiers after they came home as compared to the Active component.

Secretary Geren signed an order earlier this year that states spouses, children and parents of single soldiers allowed to attend re-integration programs at the Army’s expense to better prepare families to support  their soldiers when they do come home. They can anticipate additional training for the individual with a multitude of resources at their disposal.

During this family forum, they also talked a great deal about the Community Covenant. Basically, its the engagement of our communities with the Army .. to provide support for our soldiers within their communities.You can find out more information about it at Communitycovenant.army.mil It has lots of information about ways for community to support the military  and  best practices at state and local level.

After this, LAW and I headed down to the Expo floor to check out all of the vendors in the Family section of the expo. There were all kinds of awesome resources for families. One in particular, was Operation Life Transformed which is an organization that provides education and resources to our war wounded caregivers and military spouses through private and corporate entities.

After lunch with LAW, I headed back to Blogger’s Row to hang out for a bit. I eventually ran into my new media friend, Jim Long and got to chat with him for a brief minute before Gen Petraeus’ speech.

Gen Petraeus was quite funny! He was even cracking Chuck Norris jokes!  : ) Gen Petraeus talked all about the great work that soldiers are doing in Iraq , what it takes to sustain what they currently have, etc. It was truly inspring to hear that we are doing good and making a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people.

I ended up not attending Day 3 as I had some client things that needed to be taken care. Believe me I’d rather have been at AUSA!

I’m definitely looking forward to attending next year’s event! I highly recommend it if you can make the trip. Thanks Andi for give me the opportunity to attend!

I got to the event a bit early and was wowed at the site of the all the people that are here at the Washington Convention Center… soldiers, family members,etc. I haven’t made it down to the exhibitor floor yet as I stopped to watch the opening ceremony of conference. I have to say that was pretty cool.

Secretary of the Army Pete Geren was the keynote speaker. Sec. Geren spoke a lot about soldiers and their familes. He talked the strength of the Army were soldiers and families taking care of soldiers and families.

During the Press conference, GEN Casey talked about what they were going to do as an entity. THere was some brief discussion about what lies ahead. It seems that Gen Casey and the rest of the Army is going to focus on the Army families, among other things.

The thing i was most impressed with are the number of initiatives that they have proposed that will help all Army families, not just the Army spouse and the Army brats under 18. For we all now that the “Army family” extends beyond just that. It includes soldier’s parents, brothers and sisters

After the big press conference with Secretary Geren and GEN Casey, I ventured down to the Expo floor. I was completely wowed at the amount and caliber of the  vendors that were there not to mention the amount of “brass” that was there . Everytime I turned around I was bumping into some member of Senior Army Leadership.  : )

The highlight of the day was definitely meeting Mrs. Casey. I tried to ask a question during their presenation and didn’t get a chance. I approached her Aide about asking a couple of questions to her. We talked for a few minutes about being an Army wife, and some of things that she and GEN Casey talked about. I talked to her about the website that LAW and I have been working on and she was very interested in providing more support for parents of our single soldiers.

The day ended with a Bloggers’ Roundtable with several members of Army leadership, including MG MacDonald (Commanding General of MWR Command)  .  We talked about several key topics from casualty assistance to more support for parents of our single soldiers. We talked a great deal about doing more for our single soldiers and the Army is going to be creating some publications and information specifically for those parents of our single soldiers. Make sure to check out Parents Zone for more information.

Overall the theme of the day was that if the family isn’t ready, the unit isn’t ready. I wholeheartedly agree with this. We need to make sure that all soldiers and their families are truly ready for the mission, whatever the mission is.

I’ll be posting some of the pictures tomorrow along with a recap of day two, so stay tuned…

On Monday afternoon, AUSA held its first of 3 Family Forums during this week. This one featured GEN Casey and Mrs. Casey.

The room was completely packed with  Army spouses. It was pretty amazing to see as it was standing room only of FRG Leaders, Army spouses, soldiers and Army Spouse Employment partners. The vibe in the room was absolutely amazing!

Mrs. Casey talked a great deal of the stresses that we endure a great deal but we also get a lot too.  She suggested that ” we live in an attitude of gratitude.”  She also talked about about how our life is a balance of being mom, Army wife, Household manager, etc. She even admitted that after 38 years of Army life that she sometimes isn’t able to “juggle all the balls in the air.”

GEN Casey talked a great deal about soldiers and families as well as  his commitment to Army Families. He said ” we need to sustain soldiers and families , for its all about the people. ” He spoke of how he is working on implementing a 6 month reset from deployment (basically dry dock, no training, nothing).

He also mentioned that we are not going back to the ways of pre-9/11 and our need to transfer all our support programs to support soldiers and families as well as working to have 1 year deployments with 2 years at home.

GEN Casey also described FY 2009 as the year of deliverance! He stated that we have to do a better job of getting the word out. The Army is also going to focus on demystifying the healthcare system and making things standard no matter what location you are at. He did ask from a commitment from us ( Army families) that the Army needs our help to make this happen.. it’s a partnership after all!

GEN Casey also talked about our single soldiers too . He said that many of our programs focus on the married soldiers and their families but we need to remember our single soldiers as well. The Army is going to invest more time and opportunities into meeting their needs as well as the needs of those soldiers’ families. (parents, sisters, girlfriends, etc)

There is more information coming on this point in a later post . LAW (of ParentsZone) got to participate in a Bloggers Roundtable and we talked a bit about supporting parents.