In this week’s episode, Dr. Sharita Knobloch will be interviewing Brigadier General Michael Meese about the Survivor Benefit Plan, SBP Open Enrollment and what benefits it provides to service members and their spouses.

Mike is the President of American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association and a specialist in veteran issues, as well as veteran and military finances. He retired from the United States Army as a Brigadier General after a 32-year career and has written two books, the Armed Forces Guide to Personal Financial Planning and American National Security. He is a graduate of the National War College, U.S. Military Academy, and earned his Ph.D., MPA and M.A. from Princeton University.

Listeners, if you would like to learn more about AAFMAA, you can find them online through multiple platforms.  You can connect with them on Facebook and Twitter by their handle AAFMAA and Instagram @AAFMAAofficial. Their website is www.aafmaa.com.

Resource Recon with Jolene and Chloe

This week’s Resource Recon is all about supporting your military family, especially when you have family members with special needs to think about!  Defense Health Agency, one of our expert bloggers, shared two resources to help empower you and your family.  If you have a family member with special needs or a serious illness or injury, you may not know where to turn for help.  Many resources are available to you and your family, including the Exceptional Family Member Program, also known as EFMP, and MilitaryOneSource. You can talk to an EFMP coordinator at your local installation.  Each program is specific to your branch of service and registration is used to coordinate assignments to support families with special needs.  You can reach out to Military One Source to find your local EFMP Office at your installation.  Military One Source is a hub for getting support at many levels and is there for military members and their families 24/7/365.  You can contact them at 1-800-342-9647 or check them out online.

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda

Today we are showcasing our Everyday Empowerment recipient, the nonprofit organization, Mission Alpha Advocacy.

Powered by volunteers, Mission Alpha’s purpose is to push legislative and policy changes for military families living with disabilities and special needs. They work with military leadership, providers, organizations, industry experts, and legislators to help those families with exceptional needs gain access to better healthcare benefits. They’ve got several initiatives set for 2023 to help streamline the referral process and to ensure autistic beneficiaries have quality access to ABA services. The volunteers of Mission Alpha Advocacy are passionate about empowering military families with the knowledge to self-advocate for world-class healthcare and quality of life.

On behalf of Mission: Milspouse, thank you so much to Mission Alpha Advocacy for doing your part to empower military families all across the globe.

Until next time, I’m Amanda Bicknese, reminding you empowered spouses empower spouses!

Moxie Minute with Amie

On this week’s episode, Amie shares with us an acronym that she put together for us to think

M is for Motivation.  Remind yourself of your own gifts and abilities and even some of the difficult times you’ve overcome in the past to stay motivated and achieve your goals.
O is for Optimism. Cultivate a positive outlook and focus on the good, even in the difficult times.
X is for eXperience.  Embrace every experience as a tool for growth and learning. Use your experiences to grow and become stronger.
I is for Initiative – we need to take the initiative to get the help we need, to make our own path and create the life we want.
E is for Empowerment.  Empower yourself by focusing on the things you have control over.

Use this acronym to stay Motivated, Optimistic and Empowered.

News 6 with Emma

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of May 8, 2023, straight from M:M News 6 Correspondent, Emma Tighe:

US Army Aviators Take a Knee

Following a terrible month for our army aviation involving two separate crashes and the loss of 12 heroes, all non essential flights were grounded to reset and retrain.

“The safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand-down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel,” Gen. James C. McConville, the Army’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “During this stand-down, we will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure our pilots and crews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission.”

They could take to the air once again as soon as the retraining was finished, with a deadline of May 5th for active duty advisors and May 31st for Guard and Reserve. The training focused on risk mitigation, maintenance, and flight planning.

The two helicopter crashes were not related to each other, with the first happening between Blackhawks in fort Campbell, Kentucky and the second between Apaches in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The impact to both these communities, however, is a heavy one. The military is taking this seriously in this short reset and is making sure our pilots come home safe at the end of the day. This grounding is not unheard of and is standard procedure when training accidents hit a drastic increase.

Let us hold up our army aviation community as they take back to the skies. The best way to honor the fallen is to arrive back on the ground safe and sound.

Find out more at New York Times.com

Navy Saves Americans in Sudan

The USS Brunswick, along with unmanned United States drones, are leading the charge in rescuing American Citizens from war torn Sudan. The Brunswick is classified as a non-traditional Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport.  A DOD spokesperson has released a statement that says “The Department of Defense deployed U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans are using.”

It has moved approximately 300 people from Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The journey took about 12 hours in total.  The USS Lewis B. Puller is also on the Red Sea standing by to give aid.  This brings the Total of Americans seeking refuge after fleeing Sudan to around 1000.

The past few weeks have been rough for the country of Sudan, as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by rival commanding generals, have been fighting with little regard to civilians and the casualties left behind.

Rescue efforts are still ongoing, and our brave seamen are working hard to save American lives. 

Find out more at nbc.com

Flex that Feico for Free

There’s a new legislative proposal up to bat that would provide free credit monitoring for military spouses and other family members.  Active duty service members have enjoyed this perk for the past five years as part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

This amendment being proposed to include family  members is being spearheaded by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware; Sen. Amy Klobuchar,(clowbashar) D-Minnesota; Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota; and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana.

This amendment would also include national guard members.

This service roughly costs 30 dollars a month out of pocket and would be a welcome way to monitor family finances without an added price tag.

“The current law … provides a safety net for most but not for all of our uniformed services as we would intend,” said Jack Du Teil, president of The Military Coalition, in a statement provided in the senators’ announcement. “The key to oversight is to expand the current law to include all service members — a course of action TMC has long supported.

While I’m no finance guru, I appreciate any help I can receive, especially when it’s free! Thanks TransUnion and our legislators for acknowledging that an important part of a soldier’s financial health is the dependents. 

Find out more at militarytimes.com

Today in History:

On May 8th, 1886, the Coca Cola was sold.  Originally meant to be a “tonic” to numb nerve pain, Col. John Pemberton originally hoped it would be an answer to his and many other civil war veterans’ morphine addiction. 

It was first sold at his store the  Pemberton’s Eagle Drug and Chemical House in Columbus, GA under the name Pemberton’s French Wine Coca nerve tonic.  When Georgia tightened its prohibition laws against alcohol, the wine was taken out, African kola nut was put in, and coca cola was born with the first bottle being sold at Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA on this day.

The cursive Coca Cola logo we all know and love is in Pembertons handwriting. He sold it as a cure for many diseases, including morphine addiction, indigestion, nerve disorders, and headaches. It sold for five cents a glass. Rumor still has it that the original recipe had actual cocaine, but the recipe for this famous drink….all versions of it…. Are still held under lock and key. 

If you happen to be at Fort Moore, formerly known as Fort Benning, you can still see the original drugstore just minutes from base, or take the day trip to Atlanta and see the Coca Cola museum!  I don’t know you but I will be celebrating the day like I do most days. With a coke and a smile! 

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 hello@missionmilspouse.org or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @missionmilspouse to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of MM. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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