Married to the Army

FOXNews.com - Slang Links Warriors to Home, Front Lines

FOXNews.com - Slang Links Warriors to Home, Front Lines

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"Snowball Express" Provides Trip for Families of Fallen Military

Technically, the name had it wrong: there wasn't a snowball in sight.

But otherwise, the Snowball Express organization was every bit as advertised: an all-expenses-paid VIP vacation for the families of those killed overseas.

Roughly 1300 people were flown into Dallas Wednesday evening, including a charter flight that left from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The vacation included a visit to the world-famous "Dallas" Southfork Ranch; a day with the Dallas Cowboys and their cheerleaders; tickets to a Dallas Mavericks game; and meals donated by several local restaurants. All in all, the trip costs upwards of $6 million to pull off.

Snowball Express is a non-profit organization that has no paid staff -- just 25 volunteers who work all year to plan and execute this trip. They have taken families to California in recent years; this was the first trip to Dallas.

Source: http://www.11alive.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=138667&catid=40

Let's Say Thanks

Xerox has an easy way to say thank you to the troops. By going to their website, you can choose a greeting card to be sent to the troops to extend your appreciation and support to them. This website has been around for a while but I think it is especially important to remember our troops during the holidays so I am posting it again.

Do it today!

Let's Say Thanks

Hooah Mail

There is now a new way to send mail to troops serving in Afghanistan. Family members and friends can access the Army sponsored Hooah Mail website to send a letter to their soldier.

Family members log onto the site and electronically send the letter (similar to email) with the soldier's mailing address. Postal clerks in Afghanistan will download the letters, print and seal them for delivery. The Army guarantees that the contents remain private.

This means the soldiers who don't have access to a computer or who are just too impatient to wait in line can still receive mail in as little as 24 hours after it is sent. No more letters that are two weeks old landing in their hands.

Check it out:

Hooah Mail

Spouse BATTLEMIND

I received this email about telephone support for spouses and wanted to pass along the information:

I am from the VA Medical Center in Memphis TN, and part of the research department.  We have begun  Telephone support groups for the spouses/significant others of service members who have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Looking over your website and the large amount of great information you have available, I wanted to know if you would be willing to help get the word out to anyone who may benefit from this program.  It is free to those who are eligible and although we are located in Memphis the support groups are all done over the phone so there is no limit to who can be a part of this as long as they have a telephone.  The program runs for a year and the support groups are once a month.  They provide information on; post deployment concerns, stress symptoms and reactions, and coping skills (such as communication, stress reduction, and anger management). 

Our website is  www.memphis.va.gov/spousebattlemind if you would like more information.

Military Spouse Scholarship

From NMFA:

The National Military Family Association’s Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program awards spouses of uniformed services members up to $1,000 for professional certification, college, or graduate school. The funds are for tuition, fees, and school room and board. Applications are due by midnight January 31, 2010. Visit www.militaryfamily.org/scholarship for more information or to submit an application.

Federal Job Opportunities for Military Spouses

A new executive order was passed which gives some military spouses the ability to apply for more positions on USAJOBS. Spouses who fall into one of these three categories may now apply for certain positions on the website:

• Spouse of a servicemember with PCS orders that requires relocation
• Spouse of a servicemember who is 100% disabled
• Un-remarried widow or widower of a servicemember killed on active duty

If you are really bored ;) , you can read all of the details here.

I am thankful for...

I will keep this post Army related but I wanted to post about the things that I am most thankful for that the Army in one way or another helped to provide...

• My husband returned home safely from four deployments
• We have made lifelong friends in the military, two of which are here spending Thanksgiving with us and two others who are coming for Christmas
• We appreciate the little things in life
• We don't take the time we have together for granted any more
• We greatly improved our verbal communication skills during deployments
• We know that it isn't about celebrating the holiday on the actual holiday. The celebration is when we can share it together...even if that means Christmas in June. 
• We have a greater appreciation for our country and the freedoms it provides. We respect our flag and those who defend it.

How about you? Has the Army provided a new perspective that you are thankful for as well?

Christmas Mailing Dates

It is time to get a move on with those Christmas packages. In order for them to arrive on time in Iraq and Afghanistan, they need to be shipped no later than December 4th. Packages going to other military bases overseas can be sent as late as December 11th. Remember that you can use the largest flat rate box for $2 less than the stated rate if it is going to an APO address.

When my husband was deployed at Christmas, I sent tons of inexpensive Christmas decorations. I say inexpensive because I knew after the holiday was over, he wouldn't have a place to store them so he was able to just throw them away. I also sent Christmas stockings for him and his roommates as well as extra gifts (nothing expensive) for the single guys that were with him.

It made me happy to know that he and the guys with him would have something to open on Christmas and it kept me a little more occupied as I was shopping for the Christmas gifts. If you can, consider adopting a single guy or two in your husband's unit who otherwise may not receive anything this year. Your husband should be able to tell you who that may be.

Now, get shopping! :) Black Friday will be a great day to get some deals!

Involve Your Deployed Soldier in Christmas

I just saw this advertised in a parenting magazine and had to share. Hallmark has introduced a recordable storybook for "The Night Before Christmas". How neat would it be to send this to your deployed spouse, have him record the story and then send it back to your child. They could hear the story of the night before Christmas straight from Mom or Dad.

The books are available at Hallmark stores and you can see more about it here:

Hallmark Book

By the way, this is not a paid advertisement or affiliate link of any type. I just think it is a really neat idea and wish they would come out with an entire series with our military members in mind!