Tag: Military Families

Closing Thought–05Aug19

A good follower and commenter on IST, GP Cox…….https://pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com/ ……..has brought this to my attention and wanted me to pass it along to my readers.

Fort Jackson South Carolina holds many memories for me for that is where I took my basic training in the Army….and now they are making news to help military families deal with what the soldier is dealing with in his/her service to the country.

Basic Combat Training just got a lot more interesting for one Fort Jackson battalion.

The families of Soldiers taking part in training with the 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, now have access to a course titled, “Basic Training for Families.” The course connects spouses and family members with Soldiers in BCT through the Army Family Team Building initiative.

“I had concerns about the type of spouses we were creating,” said Tina Justice, leader of the battalion’s Family Readiness Group. “We weren’t really teaching them to be self-reliant, empowered spouses. It’s very overwhelming when you first enter the Army life. The goal was to create a system to help families when they have questions, and give them the tools to do the work, themselves.”

https://www.army.mil/article/120545/the_family_challenge_battalion_launches_program_to_prepare_families_for_military_life

I have written before about the contributions the families make in service to the nation…..https://lobotero.com/2017/11/11/our-debt-to-military-spouses/

These brave people should not be marginalized or forgotten for they make the service of their loved ones possible.

If you feel you must thank someone then thank a military family member that is holding the family together and helping their loved ones cope as well.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

More US Deaths–2019

With all the debate on whether we are pulling out of Syria or not there is one thing that never changes….the chance of being killed in service to the country.

4 American soldiers were killed in Manjib, Syria by a suicide bomber…..

Described as the deadliest attack against US troops in Syria, a suicide bombing in the city of Manbij killed at least 15 people, including four US troops, and wounded a number of others, including three US troops.

The attack was claimed by ISIS, and that started an immediate furor among opponents of the announced US withdrawal from Syria, notably Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who suggested the very idea of the pullout had provoked the attack by emboldening ISIS.

This is almost certain to grow dramatically, with huge numbers of lawmakers and media pundits opposing the Syria pullout bound to present this as vindication for keeping the war going.

This is not just a convenient case for hawks to be mad, but also for ISIS themselves. ISIS, like its al-Qaeda predecessors, is very keen to keep US forces in the immediate vicinity as a way to keep them globally relevant. As with al-Qaeda in places like Afghanistan, the US has long been willing to give them exactly what they want.

So while now many are gearing up to try to further slow, if not outright stop, the Syria pullout, the reality of the situation is that if the US had kept to the reported 30-day pullout in the first place, the troops attacked today almost certainly would’ve already been out of Syria.

The names have not been released….I shall update this post as soon as the names are available…..

The sad thing is to see the media and war hawks try and use this incident of sadness as a rallying cry to stay the course in Syria. (A separate post to follow soon)

Our Debt To Military Spouses

On this Veterans Day (this should have been posted on Memorial Day but as usual I got side tracked–apologies) we need to pay homage to a forgotten slice of society…..the Military Spouse.

While the soldier is away fighting America’s endless wars the spouse stays behind and keeps the family together….keeps the home fires burning if you will.

November we celebrate the military family…….

November is Military Family Appreciation Month. Of course, our nation owes military families a debt of gratitude: Their sacrifices and stressors should not go unnoticed. We do try to honor them, with thanks and praise, but during this month set aside to appreciate military families, we should consider practical ways we can do more to address the challenges they face. Fortunately, such efforts are underway.

In August, the White House hosted a listening session of military spouses, and the common themes were disruptions in career development and employment.

Ninety-two percent of military spouses are female, but the unemployment rate for military spouses (16 percent) is four times higher than the rate for all adult women in the U.S. (4 percent). About half of military spouses who are now working part-time report that they are underemployed; they would prefer full-time work.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/11/06/our_debt_to_military_spouses_112585.html

Take a moment out of your holiday activities to remember the hard work these spouses do to keep their families together….