#MilitaryMonday The Wingman Project and Real Warriors Campaign

It’s the last day of September, therefore the last day of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (check out my post here); so now do we just move on to the next awareness month?  I get the idea of awareness months, but sometimes I worry that after that month passes, it will be forgotten.  People tend to take up the mantle of a cause when its cool or profitable, and then it eventually falls by the wayside.  For those that are living through these sorts of things, one month of recognition just simply isn’t enough.

I wanted to highlight some resources that concentrate on keeping this issue at the forefront all the time.  It isn’t until issues of mental health because a concern all the time, that things will change.  There shouldn’t be a negative stigma attached to someone living well.  As someone that has personally struggled with depression and anxiety

The Wingman Project, of the Air National Guard – 


was created in August 2007 by the Deputy Director of Safety of the Air National Guard as a collaborative solution, including chaplains, family support, medical community, and safety, for all Airmen and their families to address suicide intervention. Since then, the project has been endorsed by the US Air Force and the Department of Defense, receiving an HQ Air Force “Best Practice” in July 2009. 
On their website you can access ACE training for family and friends, and also request comprehensive ACE training, where you could then train others to be a Wingman.  
The New StepUp Campaign encourages everyone to spread the word about the Wingman project and suicide prevention awareness.  Learn ACE, download the mobile app and find your local DPH.  Talking about it, and not sweeping it under the rug is the way to make it “normal” and acceptable!

I met some of these wonderful people this summer at the National Training Seminar for Military Child Education Coalition.
The Acadia Military Support Services Program is specially designed to help our Active Duty Service Members and their families focus on healing from the trauma of living through life-threatening events and human tragedy while courageously performing their military duties to maintain our freedom.  Our highly qualified professionals stand ready to provide first-class mental health care, and unequaled substance abuse recovery and rehabilitation through  our network of TRICARE certified facilities.
There’s a wide range of resources and treatments available through this program, and they are prepared to handle anything that comes their way.  They have compassion and love for our troops and their families; and providing care in a stress-free and safe environment is their goal.  They have residential treatment facilities scattered about the US, and provide assistance to the service member and their families from all five branches including the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
The Real Warriors Campaign is a multimedia public awareness campaign designed to encourage help-seeking behavior among service members, veterans and military families coping with invisible wounds. Launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) in 2009, the campaign is an integral part of the Defense Department’s overall effort to encourage warriors and families to seek appropriate care and support for psychological health concerns.
What I love the most about the Real Warriors Campaign is that they feature, and regularly talk about, real service members that have sought out mental health and psychological treatment.  I think that really is 
the best way to address this issue.  These real warriors have continued on with successful military careers, maintaining security clearances and learning coping skills to do all those things.  They also provide confidential assistance through phone, live chat and email in partnership with the Defense Centers of Excellence Outreach Center.
Service Members can log into service member forums to talk with men and women who have 
been where you are.
I wish I could post every single video and PSA.  I urge you to watch more of them, spread the word, show them to your friends, husbands, wives, friends….

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Military Monday – Military Support Series *Guest Post* MilSpouse Minute

Happy Military Monday!  Today I have a guest post, so it is kind of a three-for deal here.  Military Monday+Military Support Series+Guest Post= Amber Turner and MilSpouse Minute.  I first discovered MilSpouse Minute only a couple weeks ago; so when Amber asked if she could snag a few moments to share her cool new site with my readers, I said “of course!”  Here’s a little bit about Amber ~

Amber Turner is an Air Force wife and mother of 2. She started blogging with HippyFitMom.com to share her passion of motherhood, fitness, health and wellness.  She created www.MilSpouseMinute.com for other military spouse entrepreneurs to help spread the word about their ventures.  She has B.S. in Business and Information Technology and is pursuing her Master’s in Human Services.
Thanks for stopping by everyone and I hope your week is a great one.

As military spouses, many of us are faced with several challenges when it comes to our careers.  This is why I created MilSpouse Minute.  MilSpouse Minute is our moment or “15 minutes” so to speak. Our mission is to create a platform for military spouses to share and promote who they are and their ventures with others using video. Video has a huge impact on consumers and customers. 

I know that military spouses are talented individuals and it is my goal to bring them to the forefront and have them share it with the world.  The forum will give military spouses that voice that they desperately need. My goal is to be a blog platform for military spouses that will lead to business growth and success. I solicit business owners, Etsy shop owners, crafters and everything in-between to create a MilSpouse Minute. 

Why do I use Youtube and social media?  Because these are key ways to get immediate feedback, cut down time, waste and increase virality.  What is virality you say?  Virality is the degree in which internet content is shared via the internet therefore increasing the reach of the content.  In my struggles, I realized as military spouse entrepreneurs and business owners we have to rely on our best resource and that is ourselves.  Relying on our fellow military spouses to promote our ventures other via social media can help us to succeed.

Where it all started (dream sequence/blurry dreams lines)….

“Honey, I got an assignment to New York…” These were the words that I echoed in my head when I found out my family and I would be leaving the longest place I ever lived, Georgia. Needless to say Georgia is not New York, so the drastic change had me a little nervous. Besides the culture shock I knew I was going to experience, the second thought I had was “I gotta find myself another job!”.  The frustration and pressure from not finding employment proved to have affected me mentally as well. I didn’t have an outlet. So I created one for myself. One that gave me my voice and visibility in a world where I felt I didn’t have one.  The struggles I faced led me to Milspouse Minute.

So come join me and let us be each other’s support for success!

visit MilSpouse Minute and their Brother site http://veteransvoiceonline.com/

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Military Support Series – Military Spouse JD Network #MilitaryMonday #MilitarySupportSeries

Welcome to another Military Support Series post and Military Monday!!  I love being able to share some of these great resources with you all.  Hopefully these are things you might not normally have heard of and this is helping someone out there.  Please make sure to click the “military resources” tab up top and spread the word.  If you’re stopping by for the first time please let me know so I can return the favor; and as always my mailbox is always, always open if you have any questions.

What is Military Spouse J.D. Network?

The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) was formed in Summer 2011 by two military spouses frustrated with the challenges of maintaining a legal career that seemed incompatible with the military lifestyle. They formed MSJDN to advocate for licensing accommodations for military spouses, including bar membership without additional examination, as well as network with other military spouses with JDs. Since 2011, the membership of MSJDN has swelled to over 750 members and supporters.  In February 2012, with the support of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA House of Delegates adopted a resolution supporting changes in state licensing rules for military spouses with law degrees. MSJDN supports such a rule change in each jurisdiction.



Their Communications Director, Lori Volkman, happens to be a great bloggy friend of mine.  We both share a heart for advocating for military families.  She is pretty much totally awesome and I was lucky enough to spend some time with her in D.C.  I know that she’s been working her rear off as a mom, a Naval Reserve spouse, and a Deputy Prosecutor in the State of Washington.  She is how I came to hear about the J.D. Network and all they do.  Jobs and Education, as it relates to the Military Spouse is such a huge topic of conversation these days, especially with Joining Forces making it a priority.  Making it easier for spouses to maintain any credentials they need when moving between states would do a lot to ease the amount of stress that just comes with the territory as a military spouse.  MSJDN is doing its part to accomplish this.
Because of the tireless work of the Spouses at MSJDN, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina and Texas have passed resolutions for admission of military spouse attorneys without examination.  States considering these changes include: California, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Maryland.  The purpose of this resolution is to aid military spouse in attorneys in a seamless transition when they are forced to move to a new state because of military orders.  *make sure to visit the MSJDN website to read more about what they are doing and about the resolution itself.*
How can you get involved?
If you are a military spouse with a law degree I definitely 100% encourage you to join the Military Spouse JD Network.  It will provide you a network of fellow spouses experiencing the same things you are, and you can help make a difference for spouses in your career field.  If you simply want to help, or find out more, and get involved, please visit their membership page.
 That’s me and Lori, hanging out at the Pentagon
I miss that girl!
Check them out on social media:
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