On today’s NEW episode: Mission: MilSpouse Command Team interviews special guest Julie Eshelman, who is the founder of Building Military Families Network, a fairly new non-profit with a mission to provide an empowering and supportive network as a beacon of hope to military and veteran families who fight silent battles while navigating military lives and infertility.  

Listeners, if you would like to learn more about Building Military Families Network, you can find them online through multiple platforms.  You can connect with them on Facebook and on Instagram. If you are looking for support and would like to be involved in the RESOLVE Military-Connected Peer-Led Support Group, you can head over to their website.

Podcast Partner:

We would like to thank today’s Podcast Partner, Defenders Gateway, a St. Louis based company who is building The Defenders Network, a national network of support for ALL Defenders and their families.

You can download The Defenders Gateway App at Google Play Store or Apple Store.

Thank you, Defenders Gateway, for your support and doing what you can to empower all Defenders and their families!

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda

Today we are spotlighting our MRE team winner, which by the way, MRE stands for Motivated and Ready to Empower, Sarah Robichaud.

Sarah serves as Mission: Milspouse’s Director of Administration. She is a Maryland native who married her husband, Andrew, in 2012. Since then, she has had the opportunity to live in Georgia (twice), Germany, Texas, Virginia, and now Michigan. Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling.

Sarah has been a part of Mission: Milspouse for almost three years and has been a follower of the blog and podcast for much longer, dating back to her early years as a newbie milspouse. As someone with no prior military knowledge, Sarah used Mission: Milspouse’s resources to learn how to navigate this crazy world that she “signed up for.” Today, it is her passion to provide those resources to others. Sarah also moonlights as a Social Media Director for a virtual marketing company.

Sarah is rocking the work-from-home life while raising two amazing children, Emily (8) and Logan (5), and two fluffy dogs. In her free time, Sarah enjoys running, reading, puzzling, and taking naps. She is also an avid traveler who most likely has her next three vacations already mapped out. 

Sarah, we thank you for your service in honoring our mission and for doing your part to empower families around the world.

Moxie Minute with Amie

It’s time for another minute brought to you by a fellow Army spouse who’s just living life the best she can.  I love being able to share these posts. I see them online sometimes and see somebody saying that’s something really good and inspirational or like yeah, that’s just a really good point, and they’re making it through this I can do it too and so to me and being able to share that truth so I can jump on and say “Hey, do you mind if I share this with our fellow spouses, I think it would be great for them to hear it?” so with permission from Marie I’m going to read you her post…

Just wanted to take a moment to post that it’s okay if you don’t love where you’re at and to hang on because eventually something will happen that will give you hope. Our current duty station, which will remain unnamed, is not one that we have loved. It has been a trying time for me personally as well as for my husband. Our relationship has had to evolve here and that has not been easy after 15 years together and 10 years married. The people here and the fact that I have an on post hobby are the saving Grace for me but even then, sometimes it still sucks a lot and sometimes I am still really unfulfilled here despite doing everything one can do to change that.

However, we celebrated our ten year anniversary this weekend and drove 3 hrs to the coast and I feel renewed. It was the glimmer of hope we have been waiting for , for almost two years. It was the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s giving us something to work towards instead of distracting ourselves from. We have a goal and are now actively working towards to position ourselves to live at the coast.

It doesn’t change the fact that I still don’t love it where we are stationed, despite really trying hard too, but it has given our family something to strive to get too after leaving here.

If working towards the next thing is the best thing you can do- that’s perfectly acceptable and I just wanted to make sure that was written somewhere for those who may be feeling the same way wherever you are.

Thank you Marie for sharing this.

News 6 with Emma

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of June 5, 2023, straight from M:M News 6 Correspondent, Emma Tighe:

Unicycling for Wounded Warriors 

Luke Oakley, an Air Force veteran, recently completed a grueling seven week road trip on an interesting set of wheel, singular: a unicycle.

He started in Myrtle beach, South Carolina and ended in Venice Beach, California by the Santa Monica Pier. His mission was to raise funds and awareness to a cause near and dear to his heart; the wounded warrior project.  At the time of arrival he had raised 2100 dollars on his go fund me page.

His journey was approximately 3,000 miles and he was helped by 20 military veteran families along the route who offered him lodging and a charger for his unicycle. He tracked approximately 80 miles a day.

When asked by KTBS news what inspired his charitable motivations he said: “I was fortunate to not be in a situation where I was deployed. However, others were not. I feel like it’s important to help and support them anyway we can,”

You can still donate to his go fund me (https://www.gofundme.com/f/cross-country-trip-on-an-electric-unicycle) and help him get to his goal of 5000 dollars.

While I’m more of a car gal myself, if your mode of transportation leads to benefiting our veterans it’s a good way to travel!

Find out more at KTBS.com

Soldier Receives Rare Award After Saving Woman from Assault 

U.S. Army Spc. Rene J. Rodriguez received the Soldier’s Medal Award on July 19th in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. This award is the highest one a soldier can receive during peacetime.

His medal citation says:

“For heroism involving voluntary risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy while serving with the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. On October 20, 2022, in the vicinity of Wahiawa, Hawaii, Specialist Rene J. Rodriguez, with complete disregard for his own safety, swiftly moved to protect a woman enduring a violent assault. Recognizing the woman’s risk of serious injury or death, Specialist Rodriguez, with no regard for himself, moved through a crowd of bystanders observing the assault and intentionally positioned himself between the victim and the attacker. Using his body as a shield, he endured numerous strikes from the assailant while moving the woman into his vehicle in an effort to depart the scene. He continued to protect the woman until law enforcement arrived at the scene. Absent Specialist Rodriguez’s selfless act despite great danger to himself, the victim may have been grievously injured or killed. By his demonstrated heroism and gallantry in risking his life to save another, Specialist Rodriguez’s actions reflect great credit upon himself, the 25th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.”

He quietly went on his way after this grueling event, but a witness on scene reported his bravery to his chain of command.

“Without question, Spc. Rodriguez risked his life to save the life of another,” said U.S. Army Col. Robert Shaw, the 3rd IBCT, 25th Inf. Div. commander. “Spc. Rodriguez did what was right, helping a Hawaiian woman he didn’t know. There were others there that day who did not act, but Rene Rodriguez did.”

At receiving the award Rodriguez said: “This honor is a testament to the bravery and sacrifice displayed by Soldiers who have come before me, as well as those who serve alongside me,” said Rodriguez. “Receiving the Soldier’s Medal is a humbling experience that reminds me of the values we hold dear as Soldiers: courage, selflessness and dedication to the greater good.”

Way to go Spc. Rodriguez! Your willingness to lay down your life and safety for a stranger is at the core of army values. Your future is bright, Mahalo for your service!

Find out more at dvidshub.net

The Airborne Chorus’ Got Talent

If you were tuning in to America’s Got Talent on July 11th, you may have recognized a familiar sight to many of us.

A chorus of military members, looking spiffy in their uniforms, took the stage to entertain and honor their own. They were the 82nd Airborne Chorus out of Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and they represent the 19,000 soldiers that call it home. The song they chose? My Girl by The Temptations.

“It’s sort of an homage to the chorus of the past,” Spc. Oscar Roldan, who was a soloist in the performance, told Military Times. “Our brothers and sisters of the past chorus have always done this piece. … It’s something we’re very good at and it’s a way to pay tribute to those that came before us.”

They dedicated the performance to Spc. Elijah Crawford, a fellow chorus member who died a week before they auditioned.  The chorus received all four positive votes from the judges and are off to the next round.

Congrats to the 82nd Airborne Chorus! We can’t wait to watch your journey to fame and glory and hope you make it…… all the way.

Get it? The motto? No? Anyway,

Find out more at militarytimes.com

Today in History 

On July 24, 1897, Amelia Earhart was born in Atchinson, Kansas. She would disappear almost exactly 40 years later in one of those puzzling aviary mysteries to date.

Amelia was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, doing so in 1932 and earning the United States Distinguished Flying Cross. She was also a founding member of the 99s, which is to this day a club for female aviators. She broke many other records and put female aviation in the history books. She also taught at Purdue university and was the author of several books.

In 1937 during an attempt to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, she and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the middle of the Pacific Ocean by Howland Island. They were last seen in New Guinea.  Her disappearance has remained an international sensation and mystery almost 90 years later, as they vanished without a trace. The most common and likely theory was that they crashed into the ocean, too deep to find the wreckage, but there’s theories that range from cannibalism, desert island kingdoms, to aliens.

Spouses at Ft. Leavenworth! You can see where she was born just 20 minutes up the road at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. It’s a fun little day trip and Atchinson has the cutest downtown area!

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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