Percival Drayton, captain of the USS Pocahontas, was saddened that not only had the country become so divided, but this divisiveness made its way down to his family unit. His older brother, Thomas, loyal to his native region of the south, took up arms against Percy’s formidable northern charge for freedom for all. Although the brothers met as enemies at Port Royal, November 1861, they both survived the battle.
When Cameron Albin was in the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the fall of 2012, the former Marine Corps infantry officer admits that he “was not a very good human being.”
There were the struggles with recovery from a traumatic brain injury and PTSD which led to a medical discharge from the Marines a year earlier after a long stay at Walter Reed.
For military spouses, life is often full of changes. Moving across the country and around the world. Adapting to new communities and career challenges. Parenting children while your service member is deployed.
Fortunately, military spouses don’t have to navigate military life all on their own. As a military service nonprofit, the USO has supported service members and their families for more than 80 years.
Found among the trove of letters in my mother’s attic, which led me to write “77 Letters, Operation Morale Booster: Vietnam,” this note from Jorge H. Hernandez grabbed my heart and pulled on several heartstrings, compelling me to share his thoughts with you.
Two of the greatest struggles military spouses have during a PCS are finding a productive work life and connecting with friends in their new communities, especially over the last 12 to 14 months. But, have you noticed the lines between networking for work and meeting new friends have blurred thanks to Zoom, Clubhouse, LinkedIn, and other telework and social platforms?
Michael Grier wanted to find a solution out there for PTS that wasn’t a bandaid. The Wounded Heroes documentary helps anyone battling PTS get their lives back.
It’s a double feature at AWTR! Beau Wise talks about his experience as a Sole Survivor (& his book Three Wise Men), then LivingWorks shares about their empowering suicide prevention program.
The demand for caregivers has soared in recent years, driven largely by the aging U.S. population. It’s a responsibility that comes with some daunting challenges. Caregivers often don’t have the time or energy to take care of themselves or other family members, they’re more likely to have to miss work, and unsurprisingly, they often report high levels of stress.
There’s no argument that the historiography of war can best be studied through those who lived it. But, even a few months away from the battlefield can lessen the depth and intensity of the service members’ memories. Fortunately for us, many service members memorialized their experiences in the form of letters home to their loved ones.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904