Date : Friday may 7th , 2010 aka Military Spouse Appreciation Day
Time 8 – 9 pm EST
Location : Twitter  — we will be using the hashtag #milspouseday10

What is this all about ??
A Twitter Party to celebrate military spouses and the sacrifices that they make on a daily basis. We will have lots of cool prizes to give away!

Participating Organizations and Businesses :

Jane Wayne Gear
All Fired Up Candles
Beadwork by Sheree
Scentsy – with Patty Santiago , Scentsy Consultant
Army Wife Network
Soldiers Angels

If you would like to sponsor or donate a prize – email Tammy at tammy@armyhousehold6.com

The silence today is to show my support of a great American Hero, a friend and fellow military blogger – CJ Grisham.
(Read below)

Today — Wednesday 16 December 2009, many milblogs — including This Ain’t Hell, From My Position, Blackfive, Miss Ladybug, Boston Maggie, Grim’s Hall, and those participating in the Wednesday Hero program — are going silent for the day. Some are choosing to go silent for a longer period of time.

The reason for this is two-fold. First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hositility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.

The catalyst has been the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham of A Soldier’s Perspective (http://www.soldiersperspective.us/). C.J. has earned accolades and respect, from the White House on down for his honest, and sometimes blunt, discussion of issues — particularly PTSD. In the last few months, C.J. has seen an issue with a local school taken to his command who failed to back him, and has even seen his effort to deal with PTSD, and lead his men in same by example, used against him as a part of this. Ultimately, C.J. has had to sell his blog to help raise funds for his defense in this matter.

An excellent story on the situation with C.J. can be found at Military Times: http://www.armytimes.com/offduty/technology/offduty_blogger_120809/ While there have been new developments, the core problem remains, and C.J. is having to raise funds to cover legal expenses to protect both his good name and his career.

One need only look at the number of blogs by active duty military in combat zones and compare it to just a few years ago to see the chilling effect that is taking place.

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to the public. They have provided vital context and analysis on issues critical to operations and to the informed electorate critical to the Republic.

On Wednesday 16 December, readers will have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Those participating are urging their readers to contact their elected representatives in Congress, and to let their opinions be known to them and to other leaders in Washington.

Some milblogs will remain silent for several days; some just for the day. All have agreed to keep the post about the silence and C.J. at the top of their blogs until Friday 18 December. The issues go beyond C.J., and deserve careful consideration and discussion. We hope that you will cover this event, and explore the issues that lie at the heart of the matter. Contact the milbloggers in your area or that you know, and hear the story that lies within.

A Partial List of Participating Blogs:

This Ain’t Hell http://thisainthell.us/blog/
Boston Maggie http://bostonmaggie.blogspot.com/
Blackfive http://www.blackfive.net/main/
Miss Ladybug http://miss-ladybug.blogspot.com
Drunken Wisdom http://beerbrains.com/
Grim’s Hall http://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/
Frommyposition http://frommyposition.com/
CDR Salamander http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com

Grisham Legal Fund
c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union
220 Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35893
Please write “Grisham Legal Fund” in the memo line if you use this option.

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to you. Today, many milblogs are gone and others are under attack from within and without. Today, you have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something
about it. Make your voice heard by writing your congressional representatives and others, and by making donations as you see fit.

The battle for freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas is fought on many fronts and in many ways. Without your help, the battle may well be
lost.

Additional blogs supporting CJ:
You Served http://www.youserved.com
Bouhammer http://www.bouhammer.com
Pepple Drops http://pebbledrops.blogspot.com
Chromed Curses http://www.chromedcurses.com
Homefront Six http://homefrontsix.blogspot.com

Here is the schedule :

Parcel Post            13 Nov 09

Space Available Mail        20 Nov 09

Parcel Airlift            1 Dec 09

Priority Mail            4 Dec 09

First class and Letters/Cards    4 Dec 09

Mail should be postmarked by the recommended dates to ensure delivery by December 25th to military APO/FPO addresses overseas.

I had a blast in Vegas and it was so awesome to meet so many friends from my online life . All the milbloggers that were there were as awesome “in real life” as they are online. Blackfive, LaughingWolf, Mr Wolf, MAJ Chuck Z, Boston Maggie, DeltaWhiskey1 , BarmyMama, CDR Salamandar, Greyhawk, Mrs G, Bouhammer and Mrs Bouhammer, TobyNunn and of course CJ Grisham… you guys are all a bunch of ROCKSTARS!  (if I left out anyone , I apologize … I’m still recovering from the Margarita Extravaganza )

I even managed to run into a few people that I knew from when we were living on the East Coast. I also got to meet 2 of my favorite  blogging/social media people, Allison Worthington and Danielle Smith. I wish I would have had more time to spend with you girls!!!!

We had some really great conversations about military blogging , connecting with other blogging communities and of course using social media effectively.

I’ll write a better recap of the last several days(including pics and maybe even a video )  after I get some sleep and hang out with my girls.

Yep next month — I’ll be in Vegas at Blog World Expo and I can’t wait!!!

I’m so excited  to catch up with some of my milblogger friends (you know who you are)  and meet some new ones too! I’ll be rooming with my buddy (and partner in crime ) DeltaWhiskey. I just know we’re going to have a great time and I’m sure there will be lots of pictures, video, tweets and Facebook updates. I’m also planning on doing some live blogging as well.

I’ll be speaking on Thursday, October 15th during the Milblogging track… ” They Also Serve:  Spouse Bloggers”

Here is a brief description of the panel :
But sitting and waiting are NOT their thing.  Half of the equation that makes that protection by military, law enforcement, and other first responders possible is often not heard.  Come hear from the spouses that deal with the logistics, support, and emotions of being married to someone who puts it all on the line.

If you happen to be there, please make sure to find me and say HI!

Thanks so much to Blackfive and LaughingWolf for the invite!!!

Well the Channel 5 finally streamed my segment on their website (thanks Stefanie) ..  you can view it here
My segment is roughly at 9:25 min

Well of course, he does! He’s an awesome entertainer and  musician. I’ve always liked TK and his music. In fact, I’ve been to several of his shows and they are always so much fun!

The point of post today is that tell you that Toby Keith rocks in a much different way. Now we all know of his love for America and the troops. We’ve heard countless stories of him going to play for and spend time with the troops. He is THE real deal folks!!

Now I know that LOTS of  celebrities, entertainers, etc. go overseas to “entertain the troops” as their way of giving back and that’s awesome. However – They mostly go to the big bases over there so they can see as many people  as they can and perhaps a bit more “safe” .

Toby Keith has just taken it one step further by going to visit a group of soldiers who are near the border of Afghanistan/Pakistan.

You can read all about it on Bouhammer’s Blog

___________________

I’ve been to two milblog conferences now, and this one was great!  Meeting some of my “imaginary” friends is always a thrill.  Connecting with those I met last year again – a bonus!

Bouhammer was his usual self,  a gracious and great guy, and introduced me to a woman I admire very much, his lovely wife – who works so very hard for the troops! We are hoping to work together on some projects for Parents of Serving Military over at ParentsZone.   Matt/Blackfive was happy to hear from my husband in the Sand about his site and the fact that his hootch is decorated with a lot of the clip art from Matt’s site.

The special guest, MG Oates live from Iraq, is a blogger, who takes it seriously and uses it to keep in touch with his troops. His advice – candour!  Be upfront and honest with your readers and in his case, his troops.

Most of the panelists were intelligent, knowledgeable about their subject, and a couple of them were fascinating, and new to me, anyway.

Let’s start with Lily Burana. For those of you who haven’t read her book yet I Love a Man in Uniform: A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles-  go get it.  What are you waiting for?

Lily married a career Army officer who was teaching at West Point.  Lily had written a couple of books – a continuation of a varied career including punker, model and stripper. She continued being a writer, and a brutally honest one too. Reading her book gave me a great many “ah HA” moments,  “oh, yeah, been there!” , a lot of laughter and tears. As a panelist, her wit, ability to get to the point, and no fear, were refreshing.  She and AirForceWife were a terrific comedy duo!  After the panel, Lily was very gracious and signed books, and   I was very honoured to share a cocktail, and some good pizza afterwards with her and some new friends.

On the veterans panel, Genevieve Chase of American Women Veterans  (she is working to establish it as a non-profit) – after a fun surprise beginning (where she announced that we might not know it, but we were naked!) more than held her own when being confronted with someone who was rather reactionary and decided that the walls have to go up between Us (vets ) and Them (the public).   This panelist decided that the veterans community needs to pull in, not let the media in (after all, ALL media can’t be trusted….) etc.  Genevieve delivered a great rebuttal – which did take the wind out of his sails a while – and did it with grace, and firmness.   Many of us watching – are convinced there’s a new star on the blog/veteran’s horizon.

The final panel just BLEW me away.  Three very knowledgeable men, talking about the GWOT, they write policy blogs and are so incredibly smart, never talked down to their audience, and there was no evidence of (to quote one of my new friends) the “testosterone gunslinger”.  If you want to read thoughtful analysis, facts without spin, THESE are the sites you need to head to.  Small Wars Journal, Long War Journal, and Abu Magawama .

Problems – the usual – no internet access had been prearranged, and there was a scramble for the very few available power outlets. There must be somewhere we could have these conferences, with enough power strips! The internet access did eventually appear – but there were so many of us blogging (wow – imagine that- blogging at a bloggers conference!), we seemed to have exceeded the permitted sign-ins, and there were those that could not get on.

The Restaurant and Bar – great food – the pizza’s are really good – the service SUCKED! 25 minutes to wait for a Sam Adams – which came without a glass!!  I’d say the hotel needs a shakeup in the waitstaff.
It was a great conference with good panel discussions.

Great job, Andi, JP, Jeanie, Vince and Ward!

Guest Blogger LAW