Imagine your soldier is gone more often than they are around. Imagine you don’t live close to base or know your soldier’s unit. Imagine not having down time and having the mission always come first. The Special Operations community have different needs – needs that haven’t really been researched yet. That’s where the Military Special Operations Family Collaborative comes in.

In a world filled with uncertainty, the MSOF strives to bring certainty to special operations families. They help families to recognize unhealthy habits they have created and to understand that they don’t have to stop thriving. The MSOF believes that families need to prioritize the habits that safeguard the family unit. A lot of these challenges are similar to seasoned families – but remember to invest in yourself, be aware when you’re stressed out, and always work on your communication skills.

Special operations is a unique military community that rapidly experiences repeated deployments and family separation to countries around the world. While these military families don’t move as often, they don’t get a break from deployments for a majority of their career – many families have experienced 10-20 deployments. Because of this, special operators often have different – but not special – health needs; but above all, their families face some practical health challenges confronting all too common community pitfalls.

KaLea Lehman has a broad range of experience working in healthcare policy, advocacy, communications, and education. She completed her undergraduate education at The George Washington University in 2007 and earned her Master of Education in 2018 from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. KaLea and her husband have been part of the special operations community for over 15 years and have five children. In their free time, they enjoy running adventures and traveling to new places with their pack.

Listeners, if you would like to learn more about the Military Special Operations Family Collaborative, check out their website here or connect with them on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Resource Recon with Brooklyn and Annie

This week’s Resource Recon, brought to you from our ever-empowering, Band of Bloggers is showcasing today’s show’s host, Brooklyn Morgan, with the piece entitled “An Open Letter to the National Guard Spouse.” She writes:

Dearest National Guard spouse, I see you.

Your partner is gone and you may have wonderful friends, but none understand what you’re going through. Your kids have a slew of friends and they don’t have to PCS, but they also don’t have friends that understand why their parent is gone. Your family loves you, but they too do not comprehend the feeling of a spouse being away.

Don’t worry, I see you.

Maybe you have connections that live in different states, but it’s so hard to reach out to those people on lonely nights and to ask just to talk. Maybe all you have is a friendly social media group but you don’t want to sound as if you’re weak, so you don’t say anything. Through all of that, I see you.

I see you as you support your spouse’s civilian job and service within the Guard. The stress of a normal job is magnified by the unknown of the military world.

I see your spouse as so much more than a “weekend warrior.” I see the bags ready during for activations during bad weather. I see the months gone for training and schools, the same ones done by active duty. I see the deployments coming as they stand with their active-duty brothers and sisters…

I see you, I feel you, and I am you.

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda B.

Today we are showcasing Army Wife Network’s Everyday Empowerment recipient, Shermaine Perry-Knights. I nominated Shermaine since she is always a ray of sunshine and continues to empower military families.

Shermaine Perry-Knights is an award-winning facilitator, project manager, speaker, world traveler, and author. She is a proud third-culture kid and a lifelong learner that uses her experiences in keynotes on resilience and change management. Her books make military-connected families feel “heard. and seen”. Shermaine also owns a publishing agency, Amazingly Published LLC.

Shermaine sent my family a copy of her book, “I Move A lot and That’s Okay.” My daughter loves it and now that we’ve had a new addition to our military family, I can’t wait to keep it as a staple in our household- especially for any time the military decides to move us. You can find Shermaine’s books on Amazon and follow her on IG @amazinglyshermaine.

On behalf of myself and Army Wife Network, thank you so much to Shermaine Perry-Knights for doing your part to empower military families around the world.

News 6 with Jolene

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of March 7, 2022, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

Ukraine – Russia Conflict: Ways to Help

Typically we keep the news positive around here. But there’s no denying the heaviness felt throughout the world and close to home in our military communities as we watched Russia invade Ukraine. I’m praying that by the time this airs, Ukraine will have held strong and Russia will have backed off. In the meantime, if you feel compelled to help Ukraine in some way, NPR has a list with organizations that are already at work.

Additionally, if your head is spinning or you’re feeling off balance, we’re here for you. Send us a PM. Email us at info @ armywifenetwork.com. Comment on our posts. Read up on deployment at our blog. We’ve been there. We’re still there. And we’re here for you. You do not have to feel alone in this, because you’re not alone.

Ft. Riley Armored Brigade Combat Team Extended in Poland

“The 1st Armored brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based out of Fort Riley, Kan., has had their nine-month rotation to Poland extended” for an unknown amount of time reported Stars & Stripes.

“While we don’t have a timeline for that extension, it will only be for as long as they are needed,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said. Additional troops have been sent to Europe to bolster NATO support “reassure allies and send a signal of American resolve to Moscow.”

Army National Guard Demand Finally Slows

The demand for activated Army National Guard soldiers is decreasing after a two-year high, reported Federal News Network. Throughout the pandemic, between 15,000 and 16,000 soldiers were placed on Title 32 status to directly support COVID-19 missions. Additionally, the National Guard was tapped to help with “overseas deployments, civil unrest, natural disasters and protecting the Capitol building after it was attacked by supporters of former President Donald Trump,” said Federal News Network. 

You can check out more of this week’s top stories here.

Thank You

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode. Please leave a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts, then send us a screenshot of your review to info@armywifenetwork.com or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @armywifenetwork to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of AWN. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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