We understand that at times Military Spouses and Families go through life events that are difficult to understand and handle and even harder to find someone that understands. To help you and your family deal with the unexpected and the unknown, AllMilitary.com will bring you the people who have lived through it and are here to tell it all. Check it out and chat about it in the forum or simply comment with your own piece of related advice at the bottom of the articles.
The post office has posted the APO mailing schedule. If you want to get those packages out on time, follow the guide below. We know there’s never a guarantee, but normally if you follow the calendar your package will arrive in time for the Holidays.
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The following annoucnement is from the Army’s Stand-To blog:
Military Family Appreciation Month: “Honoring the sacrifices of the military family”
What is it?
Military Family Appreciation Month is a time to honor the sacrifices of our military families. Army families of Active, Guard, Reserve, veterans, and retirees are giving back in a time of need and sustain and support the Soldiers who defend our Nation. Army Families are Army Strong.
What has the Army done?
Throughout the month of November, Army families serving around the world are being honored through a variety of observances and are being recognized for the commitment and contributions they make every day. Efforts to recognize the sacrifices of the Army family by Active, Guard, and Reserve leaders are being joined and supported by DoD organizations to include the Army Air Force Exchange Service, Defense Commissary Agency, and others. In coordination with the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, U.S. Army Entertainment, and the Army Multimedia Visual Information Directorate, a music video is being produced featuring the song “Life of a Soldier,” written and performed by Spc. Daniel Jens (America’s Got Talent) and Sgt 1st Class Sean Bennett (Nashville Star). The song is dedicated to Army families world-wide.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
Through Army Family Covenant commitments, the Army will continue to build trust and confidence that the Army cares for Soldiers and families. At all levels, we will continue to recognize the continued support and sacrifices Army families make every day, knowing that the strength of our Soldiers comes from the strength of their families, and sustaining Soldiers is critical to sustaining an all-volunteer force. Through the commitments represented by the Army Family Covenant, the Army will continue to standardize and fund existing family programs and services, increase accessibility and quality of health care, improve Soldier and family housing, increase excellence in schools, youth services and child care, expand education and employment opportunities for family members, and continue to provide families a strong, supportive environment where they can thrive.
Why is it important to the Army?
Army families are important as the strength of our Soldiers comes from the strength of their families. They are a vital connection between Soldiers and the Army’s ability to remain strong. All Army families, Active, Guard, Reserve, veterans and retirees are giving back in this time of need. With thousands of Soldiers deployed, recognizing the daily sacrifices made by Army families has never been more important.
Resources:
The following is from Army.net — Let us know if you enter, and definitely if you win! Hooray!
Tell the world the story of your Army hero! The faithful men and women who bravely serve protect us and allow us to enjoy the rights we enjoy each and every day. Now, we’re asking you to share the real stories of those brave individuals.
Every Army soldier will receive a dedicated hero page on Army.net that will live on indefinitely. And as part of the contest, you’ll also have a chance to win some wonderful patriotic gifts for your special soldier.
Contest dates are between October 29th, 2009 and December 10th 2009. Submit your photos early to gain more chances to win!
Send us a photo and essay (as short or long as you would like!) to info@army.net telling us about your soldier and why he or she is a hero to you. We will post your soldier’s photo and your essay on it’s own dedicated page on Army.net in honor of their service.
The Army hero with the most comment ‘votes’ will receive a custom engraved US Army Stainless Steel Watch.
Includes 3 lines of custom engraving with up to 18 characters per line, for example:
This stunning stainless steel watch features scratch resistant mineral glass crystal, luminescent hands and markers, a calendar feature, unidirectional rotating ratchet bezel, and is water resistant.
Present this thoughtful, personalized gift to your hero in thanks and recognition of what he or she means to you and our country.
How to win:
Rally friends and relatives and encourage them to ‘vote’ for your hero by leaving a comment in the comments section of the page. The hero with the most votes wins! In the event of a tie, those with the tied winning vote count will be given 2 additional days to drum up votes to determine winner. If the tie still holds, one of these winners will be randomly selected.
One Army hero will be randomly selected to win an Army tribute photo frame to display your winning photo and a US Army challenge coin.
This specialty gold trim picture frame measures 9 1/8″ x 7″ and displays a standard size wallet photo. Army green picture mat and gold 3D metal Army insignia proudly display your hero.
This quality U.S. Army Challenge Coin is polished bronze with a diamond wave cut edge that measures 1 5/8″ diameter and produced by the nation’s leading manufacturer of military products.
How to win:
Post about the contest on blogs, websites, and forums and link back to the main contest page and/or your hero page. For every online mention, you will receive an entry to win in a random drawing. Simply email us at info@army.net with the link to the page where you’ve posted about the contest to earn an entry. The more mentions, the more chances to win!
Do you have a fun night of candy hunting planned with your little ones? If so, here are some tips for general safety as well as tips for avoiding flu contamination since this year the numbers are up a little.
The following general safety comes from the CDC:
Flu Safety:
I thought this might be a timely post for anyone looking for extra work through the holiday season.
Walmart Joins Army Spouse Employment Partnership
Partnership Aims to Provide Employment and Career Opportunities Nationwide
BENTONVILLE, Ark., October 6, 2009 – Walmart announced it joined the Army Spouse Employment Partnership (ASEP) as part of its ongoing commitment to provide employment and career opportunities to the military community. Walmart made its participation official through an induction and signing ceremony that took place yesterday in Washington, D.C. during the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition. The ceremony featured Walmart Executive Vice President Susan Chambers, Global People Division; U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh; U.S. Army Assistant Secretary Thomas Lamont, Manpower and Reserve Affairs: and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Reuben Jones, Commander, Army Welfare and Recreation Command.
“From Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton, to many of our current executives and associates, our company has greatly benefited from the experiences our veterans and their families have brought to Walmart from their time in the military,” said Susan Chambers. “Walmart’s relationship with ASEP is a natural extension of our company’s efforts to be an employer of choice for military veterans and other important communities.”
ASEP provides Army spouses with job opportunities, career mobility and enhanced employment options through partnerships with corporate and private partners looking to employ diverse and talented candidates. According to the Army, last year ASEP partners hired more than 8,200 military spouses, bringing the grand total of spouses employed to 42,100 since the program began in late 2003.
“The Army recruits soldiers, but retaining families is part of the commitment ASEP and its partners have made toward helping our spouses establish and maintain careers,” said U.S. Army Secretary McHugh. “It is important to Army leadership, and I thank Walmart and all the ASEP partners for their commitment.”
Besides joining with ASEP, Walmart’s commitment to be an employer of choice for military communities is further demonstrated through the company’s partnership with the U.S. Army Reserve to offer career opportunities to serving Reserve Soldiers. Walmart also launched last year the Junior Military Officer program, an initiative designed to recruit commissioned and non-commissioned officers transitioning into the civilian workforce to store management positions. To date, more than 150 veterans have been selected to the program and will be serving in various store management capacities upon completion of their training.
Walmart’s overall commitment to military communities extends beyond its stores and clubs and into the communities it serves. Through the Walmart Foundation, the company has been able to support programs to honor members of the armed forces and provide assistance to soldiers and their families. Some of these programs include honoring the memory of soldiers through Wreaths Across America, grants to veterans’ assistance programs through the American Council on Education and support for military families through Fisher House.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), or “Walmart,” serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,000 retail units under 53 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2009 sales of $401 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.1 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.# # #
