Military Education News And Info

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The financial magazine Smart Money in its 2007-year-end issue warned its readers of current consumer scams, including one particularly evil scam directed solely at military spouses whose service member spouses are serving overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The scam works like this: thieves call up a military spouse and pretend to be a representative of the American Red Cross. They inform the military spouse that their husband/wife has been wounded in combat and is being flown to Germany for medical care. To ensure that the administrative process goes well, the thieves ask for the service member's social security number and date of birth. Once the callers get this personal information the crooks can easily steal the person's identity and cause all kinds of financial damage.

Earlier this year, the American Red Cross put out a statement warning of this consumer scam, noting that their organization always works through the military and Department of Defense (DOD) - they do not call military spouses directly. The Red Cross strongly urges military families not to give out personal information over the phone to individuals whose credentials or organizational affiliation can't be verified.

This particular consumer scam aside, 2007 was a year in which people became more aware of the needs and concerns of military spouses. The Army announced its Army Family Covenant to support military families, while the DOD and the Department of Labor launched the Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative to provide grants for military spouse education at select bases.

In addition, some schools that work with military personnel have been implementing military spouse tuition assistance programs. In many cases, when active-duty service members enroll at a school using their Tuition Assistance benefits, schools offer discounts on military spouse education. A few select schools have even begun offering no-charge tuition for military spouses when their service member spouses enroll. Program education for military spouses is an important area that is finally getting the attention it deserves. Military spouses looking into educational options are encouraged to identify themselves to admissions representatives when contacting a school - military spouses can't afford to leave money on the table.

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