Military Minded

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16549929-5']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); One of my dearest friends left for the United States Army on February 16, 2010 and since then, I've been a little military minded myself....

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In this gut-wrenching talk, Sergeant Andrew Chambers shares the haunting story of his time in Iraq and the tough transition home that landed him in jail. It’s a powerful testimony to the struggle our soldiers face when they come home, and the tragic ways that they can be denied the help they need. 

For any veterans who need help, you can find a list of resources here. Among them, the Wounded Warrior Project does outstanding work with wounded vets. 

For anyone looking to support a veteran, we encourage you to heed Chambers’ advice: "Find a veteran and listen to his story. A lot of us just need somebody to talk to." 

Watch the full talk here.

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ETS Date

Coming soon.

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Decisions, decisions....

Babe still hasn't heard back about his education benefits, so he missed the start date for his classes. Even though he has to delay starting college by at least a semester, he's not discouraged about school, and I'm really happy about that. Now he's approaching it, as he's going to get all of his stuff in extra early so that he can make sure there are no problems with school next semester. 

....his outlook on the military is slightly different. There's more to this story than missing the start date of his classes for sure, but...the man I met was super proud to be a soldier and was set on retiring by the age of 35; that's not the man I'm married to today. I don't say that with any negative connotation because, honestly, I'm thrilled about never having to worry about a deployment again and I love my job, so thank goodness, we're not worried about if, when, and where he'll be shipped off to next. 

No official decision has been made yet, and I have made it clear that I will support him no matter what he decides to do next. I'm not advocating for one choice over the other. I'm definitely not mad if he decides to get out, but at the same time, I knew my husband LOVED his job when I met him, and I understood I was marrying a soldier, so I'm okay if he stays in. My only thing here is seeing my husband's job go from being something he genuinely loved and enjoyed to being a headache; that  kind of hurts my heart, but if he's okay with it, I'm okay with it. 

His ETS date is sometime in 2013 so he has some time to figure it out, but not forever...there are definitely some decisions to be made. 

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Not to say "I told you so," but...

School starts soon and Babe is still waiting to hear back about his GI benefits…and he’s pretty frustrated about it AND it has the potential to delay his start date. I really hate to see him going through it and I’m doing whatever I can to be supportive and problem solve…but when he first started talking about going to school, I tried to tell him he needed to apply for his benefits early/immediately.

I’m not military and I don’t think or pretend to know everything, but I do know that when I spoke to the VA benefits counselor at my school when Babe was talking about transferring his benefits to me, she told me the process takes some time. I relayed that to AJ when he first started talking about school, but he brushed it/me off. Maybe he thought because he’s the service member, it would be different for him, idk.

All I know is, he’s still waiting on his benefits with no possible notification date in sight, he’s frustrated so I’m stressing, his school start date may be pushed back, this is playing a role in his decision as to whether he  wants to reenlist, and I so badly want to remind him this all could have been avoided had he just listened to me months ago, but I don’t have the heart to do that and it won’t help the situation at all, so I  decided to tell Tumblr instead.

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Reenlisting?

The discussions have begun.

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The Difference Between Branches

:There is a Vending Machine in the Barracks and a pack of M&Ms in the vending machine, It gets stuck on that last wrung. Here is how each branch goes about getting it:

Navy: Alright M&Ms! you're mine! :Shakes Machine: Damn! Okay, well. What if I just...:Tries to tip machine triggering the alarm: YIKES! FINE! :puts in another quarter:

Air force: :Calls officer: Yeah, Hey....ummm...I was getting M&Ms :sobs: ..and it's stuck! IDK WHAT TO DO. :Sobs:

Army: I want my goddamn motherfucking M&Ms. :Kicks in glass and takes them. Gets Article 15 for property damage:

Marines: :Headbutts machine and eats M&Ms with broken glass:

Navy SEALS: :Lights flicker out, Lights come back on M&Ms are gone:

Coast Guard: :Doesn't get M&Ms because doesn't have access to the barracks:

[foreverhis-butterfly]

<3

[p-faff-deactivated20120914]

nigga thats a MARINE

[mywaywardtimelord-blog]

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Gross!

So Babe threw his dirty ACUs in a bag..and just left it....at the front door. Then, after some protest from yours truly, he moved it. I found it while cleaning over in a corner of the living room. I open the bag and see a bug flying around it. Gross! Gross! Gross! 

Sir, if you don't get these dirty, nasty ACUs out of my living room...well really, out of our house because they clearly need to be washed ASAP and I'm not about having bugs...just eww!!!

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Not much to report....

I realize I haven't been putting much on this blog, and that's because honestly much hasn't been happening on the military end of things. It's almost time for Babe to decide if he's going to re-enlist, but he has some time. I mean, he probably will, but it's not a huge deal at the moment. Other than that....

Oh, I had a dream last night that I was accepted into the Army. Weird. In my dream, I tweeted I was very happy though. Def wouldn't happen in real life.

On a serious note though, I've noticed a lot of military spouses deciding to join the armed forces. I'm not judging or bashing, but honestly, what am I missing with that one? I mean, benefits are good. Pay is decent, but wanting to go in beside your spouse or wanting to go in after they come out...either or, I just don't really get the desire, but to each his own.

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Thinking Out Loud

With Babe's switch from active duty to the reserves, we're not sure how much assistance he will be able to get for choosing to go to school. Hopefully, he'll be able to use some of his post-9/11 G.I. Bill because although tuition assistance is nice, it would be even better if his schooling can be taken care of in full. Just waiting to hear back from the VA...

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College Boy!

Babe has decided to go to school. We went to the school today to speak to an academic counselor and we go to an open house next week for tours so he can decide his major. I'm really proud of him! 

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The least I could do is update y'all.

So the last time I posted AJ was still away and excited about an opportunity to get a promotion and become a drill sergeant. Meanwhile, I was excited about an opportunity to work full-time at my university...the only problem being my university wanted me to be able to sign on for at least two years, while the possibility of AJ becoming a drill sergeant meant a definite move because we don't live in a city with any active duty military installations, so...there was the dilemma.

We haven't entirely worked it out, but for now, it's not such a big problem. AJ wants to go back to school and I am still looking for a full-time job to replace my two part-time jobs. Let's see how this goes...

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(Good?) Conflict

When Babe has a potentially great career opportunity and I have a potentially great career opportunity at the same time...great news, right? No, because it's basically either one or the other.  -__- 

I'm hoping when Babe gets home, we'll be able to talk about everything more and weigh options because right now, it's unlikely we can do both. I'm really hoping it doesn't have to be that way though.

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Not complaining.

I said when the deployment was cancelled, I wouldn't complain if Babe went away for a couple of weeks. Well, he's away at training right now, and I'm not complaining, but at times it's hard. This is one of those times. 

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All year long, any member of active duty, activated or drilling reservist, or National Guardsman will receive free admission to all Anheuser-Busch parks across the country through the Here's to the Heroes program. This includes 3 Sea World parks, 4 Busch Gardens parks and Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. You must register, which can be done at the park entrance or online ahead of time at the Anheuser-Busch Here's to the Heroes website. Up to three dependents may accompany the servicemember. For more information and an overview of the program, visit the Anheuser-Busch Here's to the Heroes website.

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The U.S. Army is considering tightening its rules on hair, tattoos, and makeup. The pending changes include: (1) shorter sideburns; (2) Soldiers must be clean shaven on and off duty, even during leave; (3) women's fingernail length will not exceed a quarter of an inch; (4) soldiers will not eat, drink, smoke, or talk on cellphones while walking; (5) Army Combat Uniforms will not be commercially pressed; (6) hair grooming standards will become more restrictive; (7) no visible body piercings will be allowed; (8) no dental ornamentation or gold teeth will be authorized, and (9) men will be authorized to carry a black umbrella with the Army Service Uniform. The pending changes are part of a comprehensive review ofArmy Regulation 670-1.