Happy Wednesday Ya’ll! Tomorrow is the 4th of July, one of my very favorite holidays. I love being so patriotic, wearing our Old Navy T-shirts and going to the parade. And of course, you can’t forget the fireworks. I hope you all have a blessed day tomorrow.
In light of being so patriotic I wanted to share with you an amazing opportunity I had thanks to Circle of Moms. I was able to have a conversation with Dr. Jill Biden, Col. Archie Bates (White House Fellow in the First Lady’s Office), and the new Executive Director of Joining Forces, Colonel Richard Morales. It was an exciting opportunity that was focused on us MilSpouse Bloggers. I felt a new sense of direction and empowerment after the phone call. We really need to be the voice that gets that information out there. Something Dr. Biden said to us really stuck with me.
“You take a challenging situation and rise to the occasion. You lean on each other and help each other out. You, as bloggers, have expanded what it means to be a military community. You create a valuable resource.”
I don’t think I’ve ever taken what I’ve done that seriously before. There have been a couple posts that I’ve done that I know have really had an impact on people because they’ve told me. I really want to take that mantle of responsibility and run with it. That’s one of the reasons I got involved with volunteering when we moved to this area, and why I try to include a lot of informational posts on my blog. Make sure to check out my Military Resources page, where I’ve also included the links to my Military Support Series that is still on-going.
- Highlights the workforce potential of veterans and military spouses;
- Expands employment and career development opportunities for veterans and military spouses; and
- Helps employers create military family-friendly workplaces
*Education
- Supports the academic achievement of military children by helping schools become more responsive to the unique needs of military children and families; and
- Promotes and supports higher education institutions and programs that expand education opportunities, eases transferability for military-connected students, and expands job training opportunities for military spouses and veterans.
*Wellness
- Calls attention to the critical issues facing veterans and military families; and
- Expands access to wellness programs, and resources for military spouses and families.
This past year there really has been a focus and push on employment, and one I think everyone has seen in the media and in the military spouse circles on social media. I personally have done some volunteering with Blue Star Families and Hiring Our Heroes on this particular subject (make sure to check out my Support Series post on Blue Star Families). There has also been some advances made in the area of education, thanks to Joining Forces partners Military Child Education Coalition. This is where I think bloggers can really come in and play a part. Being so close to DC I think affords me opportunities to learn about things other military families might not know about. This month I will have an opportunity to attend MCEC National Conference and I’m really hoping to learn more about what is being done in the area of Education. I am happy to say that as of right now 46 states have passed Military Interstate Compact Act, which will allow children to not miss a beat when it comes time for that dreaded middle of the school year PCS. For example, if your child meets the requirements to enter Kindergarten in one state and you move, mid-year, to a state in which they don’t meet the requirements your child can step right into Kindergarten without a problem. There is a whole website dedicated to MIC3, so please, if you have school-aged children read up on this! The goal for the rest of the year and beyond is make sure all states have signed this compact.
A large focus for Joining Forces for the remainder of the year is going to be Mental Health. This is a growing concern, and frankly should have been at the forefront a lot sooner then it has. Although Mr. Air Force and I are in agreement that true change probably will not be achieved for another generation of soldiers. We didn’t get to where we are overnight, so it will take more than that to change. As this generation of soldiers, airmen and marines gets older we hope that they will set the new standard and help to alter the military culture to one of support and assistance and not one of shame. In our conversation this week Dr. Biden said that they were getting ready for a briefing and update focusing on mental health and the direction they were going to take. We were also made aware of mental health summits that will be occurring between July and September at each of the 152 VA medical facilities. The information garnered through these summits will help Joining Forces formulate a plan to determine further direction for their program.
All in all I was quite pleased with the time we spent during our phone-call. It felt real and honest, and in the face of pressing questions they didn’t avoid them, or do the whole answering without really answering thing. I look forward to the rest of this year and seeing how this pans out.
What steps would you like Joining Forces to take in each of the three categories? 
