Household6

I recently got an email from a blog reader that said–

“Tammy, I’m not an military wife or mother but I want to support the families of our nation’s military. They give a lot too. What can I do?”
- Jenna C. (Dallas, TX)

First of all, thanks for your email and for wanting to support the families! There are lots of ways to support the military family. Here are some ways to help…

1. Offer to help a local military family with babysitting, lawn maintenance ,etc.
2. Send an email or letter of thanks through A Million Thanks
3. Send a care package to a military family (don’t know one? Let me know and I’ll put you in contact with one)
4. Organize an event in your own community, workplace, etc. Donate proceeds to a needy military family or a non-profit organization that helps military families in distress.
5. Ask elected officials to recognize the sacrifices our military AND their families face every day! There currently is legislation being discussed in Congress to ease the burden on military families.
6. Wear RED on Fridays in Support of the Troops and their Families
7. Register your support at America Supports You!
8. Ask Libraries, schools and other organizations to participate in recognizing our armed forces, military spouses and especially the military kids!
9. Ask your local media (tv/radio/print) to recognize Military Families
10. When you see/meet a military spouse , shake their hand and say “thank you for serving our country” For spouses are the silent ranks of the military and have the hardest job in the military!

Of course, its important to support our troops overseas and stateside. They have an extremely difficult job and sometimes require the ultimate sacrifice. It is also equally important to support the families, for theree sacrifice is just as great as the troops!

I know you’re probably saying “Tammy you live in the Metro Wash DC area!! Whats the big deal?” Well this time I’m went to the WHITE HOUSE! Yes on Tuesday May 6, your resident Household6 (ME) headed up to the White House to attend a Military Spouse event with the President and have breakfast with Phil Vassar.

I went with a bunch of other spouses from the Walter Reed AMC area so it should be a lot of fun! Most of them were spouses of Wounded Warriors so it was really cool to talk with them. I even bought something new for the occasion. (Don’t worry Danny Boy I didn’t spend a ton)

I was supposed to go to this event last year but couldn’t get on the final list. Well, this year I was bound and determined!! I actually went there in a dual role - representing Walter Reed Medical Center Brigade as well as my gig for Military.com (DC Installation Ambassador) We had a fantastic time. I was so excited I was even sending text messaging from the White House South Lawn! Of course in true “Tammy style” I left my nice digital camera on my kitchen table, so I had to use my camera on my cell phone. I’ll try to get pictures as many pictures as I can and post them here on the blog in the next day or two.

It was an amazing time and I got to meet a lot of amazing spouses. The best was that I got to meet Secretary Geren, GEN Cody, Secretary Gates, Phil Vassar AND President George W Bush. (Yes my life is now complete! LOL )

There were also a lot of spouses there I knew but I was really excited to see many of the bloggers over at SpouseBuzz! (Hey Toad/AWTM - don’t forget to send me a copy of my picture of GEN Cody)

It really was a great day and I think it was definitely the highlight of my Army Wife adventure thus far. I was hoping to get a coin of some sort but came up short on that one. It’s my goal for next time!!

Stay Tuned! Don’t forget Military Spouse Appreciation Day is Friday, May 9th. We’ll have a BIG announcement about a project I’ve been working on.

MILITARY SPOUSE DAY, 2008

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Military spouses embody the courage, nobility of duty, and love of country that inspire every American. On Military Spouse Day, we pay tribute to the husbands and wives who support their spouses in America’s Armed Forces during times of war and peace.

The legacy of military spouses began when colonial Americans were fighting for independence. Martha Washington boosted the morale of her husband’s troops by visiting battlefields and tending to the wounded. Since then, members of our Armed Forces have served our Nation accompanied by the steadfast love and support of their spouses and families. (more…)

MCB QUANTICO, Va. — The USO and Jack Daniels Distillery are hosting a free “Toast to the Troops” concert by country music star and ten-year Army veteran Craig Morgan Saturday, April 19 at Little Hall’s theater. The concert begins at 5 p.m and is open to all individuals who have authorized access to the base. Seating capacity is 1,500. Entry will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Craig has performed at every USO / Jack Daniel’s “Toast to the Troops” event and has entertained service members in Iraq on the USO’s holiday tour. Some of Morgan’s best known hits are “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “Tough,” and his current single, “International Harvester.”

The south end of the parking lot in front of Daly Hall will be closed from 2000 hrs, 17 April through 0800 hrs, 20 April. Personnel who normally use this lot will need to use an alternative parking lot during this time-frame.

For more information, contact Brenda Dunlap at (703) 784-2860

I was reading my friend Cara’s blog about coupons, I came across this awesome program that she is participating in. I don’t know if you know but overseas they accept expired manufacturer coupons. Cara is helping with this great program to help military families save some money while living overseas.

You can find out more information here

To participate, send your coupons to:

Overseas Coupon Program
c/o TheHouseholdHelper
PO Box 256
Bloomingdale, NJ 07403

For a limited time, everyone who sends in their extra coupons will receive a small goodie bag from TheHouseholdHelper as a thank you!

Hooah!
Tammy

The U.S. Postal Service will begin offering a discount Priority Mail rate March 3 and a larger box for care packages sent to military members overseas.

The new flat-rate box is 50 percent larger than the current Priority Mail package and it will be delivered for $10.95 to an APO/FPO address – $2 less than for domestic destinations.

“This is the first time the Postal Service has offered a special price for our armed forces serving overseas,” said Postmaster General John Potter. “We’re proud that family and friends will be able to use this new larger-sized box to send much appreciated packages from home to our dedicated troops overseas.”

The new Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box (12″ x 12″ x 5 inches or 800 cubic inches) will be available in Post Offices nationwide beginning March 3, but customers can begin ordering them Feb. 20 at usps.com/supplies or by calling 800-610-8734. Some of the new boxes are co-branded with the logo of America Supports You, which is a Department of Defense program that connects citizens offering support to the military and their families.

The following message is from Neal Denton, Senior Vice President,Service to the Armed Forces:

This holiday season, we have a great opportunity to bring a touch of home to wounded warriors recovering in
military hospitals across the country. As you may know, the American public has a strong desire to send holiday
cards to soldiers staying at Walter Reed and other military medical centers. However, for security reasons, the former military program was discontinued. One of our colleagues at Walter Reed suggested, “If anyone can find a solution to this - it’s the Red Cross.”

We’re proud that this season, communities across America are invited to mail holiday greeting cards along with personal messages of support to wounded soldiers at military hospitals around the country, through a
unique partnership of the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Mailing Solutions.

Now we have a solution that will not only benefit soldiers at WalterReed, but also recovering soldiers at military hospitals around the nation. With the help of the Department of Defense, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Pitney Bowes, between now and December 27, members of the public will be invited to mail their holiday cards to:

We Support You During Your Recovery!
c/o American Red Cross
PO Box 419
Savage, MD 20763-0419

Red Cross volunteers will sort the cards for appropriate content and repackage them for shipping. Our steadfast partners, Pitney Bowes, will ship the cards to Red Cross stations at the military hospitals.

This project provides a great opportunity for chapters and station offices to coordinate resources and volunteers. Staff members at national headquarters will call each station office before packages are mailed to that military hospital. Those station managers will be looking for chapter volunteer support to help in accepting, storing and
delivering the cards.

A national news release will be issued shortly after announcing the program. Once you know that your field unit will be receiving holiday cards to distribute, I encourage you to contact your local media with the attached localizable news release, to take photos and write stories for your Web sites and to send us your stories at
SAFstories@usa.redcross.org.

For the past 6 years, Golden Corral has been honoring the US Military with a free “thank you” dinner and beverage at any Golden Corral restaurant on Military Appreciation Monday (first Monday after Veteran’s Day). This year, Golden Corral has designated Monday, November 12, 2007, from 5 to 9 pm, to honor any person who has ever served in the United States Military.

From the first Military Appreciation Monday in 2001 to the present, Golden Corral has donated 1.5 million free “thank you” meals and $1.9 million dollars to the Disabled American Veterans.

Between November 1 and November 12, 2007, the Disabled American Veterans Organization will accept contributions to be used in the local and state DAV chapters.

I know I know it s a bit early to be thinking of Christmas. (Although if you’ve seen the Belvoir PX lately its looks like its Christmas Shopping Season already)

When making out your Christmas Cards, send one to a Recovering Solider at Walter Reed.

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

The Southern California chapter of Operation Homefront is offering assistance to military families who have lost homes and possessions - or just need a little extra support during the evacuation following the devastating firestorms. Operation Homefront has also created a Fire Relief Fund and is asking Americans for support.

To request assistance or for more information on the Fire Relief Fund, please visit http://www.operationhomefront.com/socal or contact Tricia de la Paz at 619-846-6491.