After 9-11, Operation Gratitude founder Carolyn Blashek began volunteering at the Los Angeles airport military lounge. In March 2003, a soldier came into the office and broke down at her desk. He was on leave from a war zone for his mother’s funeral, his wife had left him, and his only child had died as an infant—he had no one else in his life. It was then he told her,

“I’m going back over there. I know I won’t make it back this time, but it really doesn’t matter because no one would even care.” Right then, Blashek realized that when bullets are flying, troops must believe that someone at home cares about them as an individual. That’s when operation gratitude was born.

Operation Gratitude honors the service of our Military and First Responders by creating opportunities to express gratitude. People care about being part of a team and they want to know that what they do matters. Both showing gratitude and receiving gratitude are uplifting.

Major General James Johnson (ret. USAF) served over 30 years in the United States Air Force, following in the footsteps of his father who served over 20 years in the United States Army, and leading the way for his son who is currently serving in the Air Force. He leads a team of professionals, grass-roots volunteers, and corporate supporters, with the mission to honor the service of our military and first responders by creating opportunities for Americans to express their gratitude. Hundreds of thousands of service members and first responders receive care packages from Operation Gratitude every year because of the generosity of grateful supporters nation-wide. Operation Gratitude envisions a future where All Who Serve Believe the American People Care.

Listeners, if you would like to learn more about Operation Gratitude, check out their website here, or connect with them on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. There are also so many ways to volunteer with Operation Gratitude, check out the different opportunities here.

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda

Today we are showcasing one of our volunteers who is an MRE winner, which by the way, that stands for Motivated and Ready to Empower. A huge congratulations to Army Wife Network Command Team Member, our Director of Social Media, Kayla Geblein.

Kayla currently lives with her husband in Fort Benning, Georgia. She is a mom to twin girls and a dog mom to her two pups. Kayla graduated from Niagara University with a Bachelor’s in Social Studies Education and Special Education, then attained her master’s in Literacy Education. She has taught in Georgia and at her previous duty station, Fort Bliss. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Kayla and her husband are avid Buffalo Bills fans and try to attend as many games as they can! After living in Texas, she found a new love for barbecue and has since become quite good at smoking her own meats. Kayla enjoys reading and doing puzzles, but when the husband is around, they enjoy movies and an occasional video game. Volunteering has been a part of her life as far back as she can remember, and she is very excited to start with AWN!

So much thanks goes out to Kayla for doing your part to empower military families all across the globe.

Encouragement Minute with Juanda

When you are going through difficult times and you can’t see your way, remember this is temporary. You are not alone, seek the support you need. You will come back to yourself again. Do not be afraid to seek counseling so that you can learn the tools to help you heal. Do not get stuck, but know that the military has a plethora of resources you can use to help meet your needs.

News 6 with Jolene

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of September 26th, 2022, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

DoD Launching Spouse Paid Fellowship Program

The Department of Defense is launching “a new program in 2023 to place military spouses into paid fellowship positions with corporations that can keep them employed beyond the next PCS move,” reported Military Times. The program is still in the planning stages and Eddy Mentzer, the Defense Department’s associate director of Military Community Support Programs said that it will be “open to employers on the national level, local level and anybody who wants to play.” 

Space Force Announces Official Song

The Space Force has announced its official song, reported Military.com. Senior Airman Jamie Teachenor, “who has had songs recorded by many mainstream country music artists such as Luke Bryan, Trace Adkins and Montgomery Gentry” was a key writer of the song and incorporated the Space Force mission: Semper Supra, Always Above. You can listen to the song on Dvidshub.

Be Prepared for Hurricane Season

We’re moving to the height of hurricane season, and if you’ve recently PCS’d to a hurricane-prone area, the Department of Defense wants you to be prepared. When a hurricane is heading your way, you may need to prepare your home, which could include installing hurricane shutters or plywood on windows, securing outdoor objects such as patio furniture, and filling up your vehicles with fuel. Inside, build a kit that includes enough food and water for at least three days, batteries, solar-powered phone charger, a flashlight, and a hand-crank radio. Get the latest hurricane updates from the National Hurricane Center.

Fat Bear Week is Coming!

Mark your calendar because you don’t want to miss this one! We are embarking on Fat Bear Week 2022. Voting begins on October 5 and the Fattest Bear will be crowned on October 11. You can get in on the action by voting for your favorite fat bear through a “March-Madness style bracket pitting individual bears against each other.” If you can’t wait until October 5, you can start voting during the Fat Bear Junior Bracket on September 26.

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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