Most Certainly Not

What Is Beyond the Yellow Ribbon?

What at first appears to be a philosophical question takes on a more concrete meaning thanks to an organization in Minnesota striving to provide a response to that question.

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon provides communities with the tools necessary to offer an ongoing, lasting support for returning veterans and their families. The organization seeks to answer the desire to "do something" for our heroes by pooling resources, connecting services and ensuring a net of support for service members during the deployment cycle and beyond. The organization's efforts have been rewarded by recognition outside the borders of their home state. 

The organization has launched local initiatives throughout the state of Minnesota with the community kick-off event attracting those interested in helping in the organized support efforts. The organization's website is chock full of information and links to resources that military families need. The site also provides information on supporting the efforts of local chapters or even starting a local chapter in your own area.

This wonderful idea has been a long time in coming and it's amazing to see what the Minnesota groups have accomplished in such a short time. It's also refreshing to see the message entering the mainstream that it isn't necessarily the big things that make the deepest impression. As five communities gathered to learn more about the program, one military wife noted that when neighbors noticed her shoveling her driveway at midnight (because her young children were safely sleeping in their beds), they began to take turns shoveling for her. She shared that what appears to be a small act of kindness can make the biggest difference for someone with a deployed spouse.

Minnesotans are demonstrating a can-do attitude that has quickly enveloped many communities in their state. That's exciting to see and a model that could be replicated in other states where individuals would like to pool resources and create a safety net for their returning veterans and their families. 

Military Kids of the Year Honored

April marks the Month of the Military Child. At an April 5th gala in Arlington, Virginia, Operation Homefront along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and other senior leaders from our military's branches honored one child from each branch as the Military Child of the Year. Each of the MilKids honored distinguished themselves among their peers by reaching out to others finding themselves living the MilKid lifestyle or by keeping their chin up while moving through multiple hardships.

Welcome to the Month of the Military Child

April marks the Month of the Military Child. Former Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger deemed it such in 1986 and since then, increasing numbers of individuals and organizations create ways to recognize the youngest members of our military families. With the prolonged war involvement of the past decade, the families of warriors are asked to be more resilient than ever. According to recent statistics, there are 1.9 million military kids and 225,000 of those kids have a deployed parent. 

Studies have been conducted during recent years to determined the impact of military life on military kids. These studies and the infomation culled from them can focus on everything from resiliency of military children, to what can happen when resiliency isn't present, or even how teens are affected by their parents' service. As responsibilities have increased, it appears challenges do as well. 

I doubt that Sec. Weinberger could have anticipated what the Month of the Military Child 2012 would look like, but it's clear the military children have more than earned their month in the sun. Activities and other special events are planned to help our military "brats" make some happy memories. All this month, MCN will feature information on these opportunities and the fun starts today!

Military Pushes Harder Sanctions for Pet Abandonment

A post appearing on this blog recently delved into services available to those organizations dealing with military members and their pets. The Must Love Dogs post  featured information on resources for military families and included organizations dedicated to fostering pets when service members deploy or PCS and a pet cannot accompany them at all or in a timely way.

It appears that these little known organizations need more press because those military members who do not make adequate, humane arrangements for their furry or feathered friends could face harsher punishment in the near future if the powers that be have their way.

Veterans' Courts--Coming To A State Near You?

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that even though I am a licensed attorney in my state and I consider myself fairly well versed in military issues, the fact that my state has six veterans' treatment courts within its borders was news to me. Among all the reasons I have for renewing my state bar membership by the end of this month, my Ohio Lawyer magazine subscription is one of them.

Featured on this month's cover, an article by one of our state's Supreme Court Justices (and her former intern) focused on these courts that are dedicated to providing treatment-based outcomes to veterans who find themselves in trouble with the law.

I found this idea intriguing and decided to do a little digging on my own to become informed on the facts I truly should have already known.

Help for Military Families Needing Extra Hands

Could you use an extra hand as spring break nears? To go somewhere or for you to take a break, do you need to book babysitters or senior care or pet sitters? If so, your status as a military family makes it possible for you to register with Sittercity for free.

Learn more about Sittercity after the jump.

Must Love Dogs

When military service members deploy, they leave behind everyone and everything familiar.

Sometimes, those familiar someones are of the furry variety. This poses a dilemma for many service members because their furry friend may not have a place to bunk while they await an eventual homecoming. 

Still other soldiers experience a loss when they befriend an animal in country only to have to leave them behind.

The Bangor Daily News featured a story about the soldier and dog pictured at the left and how the dog's moving to the States has helped the soldier with his reintegration.

Guard Soldiers Face Immediate Cut Upon Homecoming

Families of those deployed and the deployed themselves will tell you: there isn't quite anything like coming home. It's strange to want nothing more than that, only to feel awkward and even apprehensive when the time actually arrives. 

You are briefed until you can hardly stand it and although there are changes in dates, times, and other logistical things regarding homecoming, it isn't really expected that once you're home and have done the Yellow Ribbon type event that things won't be anything other than you have been told from the start.

Minnesota National Guard soldiers currently in Kuwait learned that when they arrive home, they will have less leave time than normally alotted. A policy change lowers the "extra" time provided in a 2007 policy that was meant to compensate soldiers for the shortened time between deployments. Soldiers had expected to earn these days based on their deployment length.

How many days will the policy change cut? At least 21, according to an article about the cut in time that appeared on the Stars & Stripes earlier today. This change affects other Guard units as well as active duty service members, regardless of the stage of their deployment. Minnesota Congress members have requested that there be a "grandfathering" in so troops will receive the benefit of leave time that was on the table when they deployed. The Pentagon, citing its satisfaction with the changes, does not appear agreeable to adding a grandfather clause.

The Stars & Stripes article notes that one brigade, with 35% unemployment in its ranks, faces additional hardship because that 21 days of paid leave would allow a cushion in which soldiers could acclimate to being home and find gainful employment. 

As someone who has lived thorugh reintegration a couple of times (and is revisited by it frequently even now), I will say that financial issues and work worries are enough to increase already hightened stress levels considerably. Having to worry about finding a job when you are jittery, still high strung, not sleeping, and not equipped to be around a lot of people or noise is not a good place for our returning veterans to be. And, without proper planning, families of these returning warriors face additional anxieties too. It is a situation that promises to increase the behaviors and scenarios the military claims it would like to avoid.

Adapt and overcome? You know they will.

The question is -- why should they have to do so?

Whether You Like It Or Not

The theme for this month's NaBloPoMo daily challenge is WHETHER (or weather) and given that I went to DC without my Mac, I have already failed the daily challenge because I didn't even post from my phone.

I spent an entire weekend with some of the finest people I've ever met. We've been a pack for six years give or take and this weekend, whether we liked it or not, we had to admit that things will be changing. I, of course, have tons of photos that I plan to put into a retrospective post of my time with them--all the laughs, the tears and trips.

My ability to adapt and overcome is somewhat legendary--my appreciation for having to do so and my willingness to enjoy it as it's happening is pretty non-existent. 

The chemistry of this group cannot be recreated or imitated. It also can't be extinguished by time or miles.

Nope.

These types of relationships built upon trust, shared experiences, common interests, respect, mutual affection and the utmost loyalty are so rare. It continually amazes me that I not only found it more than once, but I found it within a group from day one to the present. 

These are the kinds of friends people look for no matter how young or old they are--when they see others with individuals like this in their lives, they pine for similar connections. I could be (and have been) distraught over the abrupt end to the status quo. But, more than anything, I'm thankful for what has been and what will continue to be. For those years we spent refining our relationships, digging deep and honestly learning to appreciate the individuals, their families and their histories.

This weekend, I realized that whether the thing that brought us together exists anymore is a non-issue. One of my very core philosophies is that you cannot deal with what you wish something were or what it used to be, you must deal with what is. Thank goodness "what is" remains so steadfast and wonderful. It was a breath of fresh air to take the leap of faith--to recognize that the comfortable and familiar no longer existed except within the people themselves. 

Whether we like it or not, situations change. The marvelous thing is that whether others like it or not, bonds like ours cannot be broken. Voices like ours will not be silenced. The good we have done and will continue to do will bless us and those we meet in the future.

The awesome thing is, we didn't fall apart--we jumped together for our own reasons, but with the same result. And, for once, I'm ecstatic about it! Because when I looked around, I realized we were still standing and laughing, eating great food, drinking marvelous wine, sharing memory making moments.

That's the beauty of things that happen, whether we like it or not.

Concerned for the Family

When you are a Guard family, you occasionally run headlong into misguided interpretations of the role we play in the whole defense of the nation business. One thing we have almost 100% avoided is over-involvement in Tricare. Not because Tricare is something to be avoided, but learning the ins and outs of an insurance system every few years only to use it for a year annoys me. The interactions we've had with Tricare, for the most part, have been pleasant, efficient and worthwhile. I'm just not that into reinventing my wheels every so often. People who constantly try to find the next great thing or who tinker with things that aren't broken usually end up losing any real progress they may have achieved. I'll stick with civilian provided healthcare and like it.

I am concerned, though, for my family members (we're talking military family here) who depend on Tricare for their insurance and who, because of their status, do not have other cost-effective choices available to them.