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Pre-Deployment Checklist for Airmen and their Families

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

It's human nature to put off addressing issues that are painful. Many men and women in the armed services are prone to procrastination when it comes to the emotions aspects of deployment. The reality that you may have to leave your family for a year or even more – is not something most people would relish. Yet, as all military families understand, it is a reality and families should deal with the issue prior to deployment.

The Air Force Crossroads website has some tips for Air Force families (which certainly apply to all military families) facing the deployment of a wife or husband. The Air Force emphasizes that talking about deployment within the family is an effective way to minimize the sting of deployment.

One of the particularly difficult issues for military families when facing deployment is a feeling that they have no control over events. Many members of the military are ready to deploy in the sense that they have their sea bag packed and their gear in order; they have their military life ready to go, but often this preparation doesn't extend to their personal life.

Air Force Crossroads emphasizes that service members can do a number of things to prepare themselves and their family for deployments. One of the best things to do is to make sure that your Air Force spouse is aware of the resources available to her through the Airmen & Family Readiness Center; knowing about resources may help ease stress by giving an Air Force spouse a place to go for answers during his or her spouse's deployment.

The next big issue is communication between husband and wife. Airmen and women need to spend a night with their spouse and discuss the deployment in detail, and how both feel about it. Then the couple should discuss how things should be handled at home in the case of emergencies or unexpected challenges.

Pilots should also go through the house and make sure their spouse knows how to deal with common task like working the lawnmower, turning off the gas in case of an emergency or changing a flat tire. If your departing spouse had been in charge of domestic tasks like cooking and handling the bills, make sure the procedures for these chores are clear.

Click here to find out Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts

Airmen and women should also understand that when they deploy, a part of their spouse will go with them. Although your spouse may have dealt well with the ramp-up to the deployment, be sensitive that there may be a tendency on their part as well as yours, to put some distance between the both of you. Although this distancing is not ideal, it may occur and both you and your spouse should be aware of this reality.

Airmen and women also shouldn't be surprised if their spouse seems irritated or upset with the Air Force or its commanders. Although this is not a rational way to act, it's understandable that there is anger at those who have given orders which have lead to the disruption of family life. As with all things in marriage, the ability to put yourself in your spouse's shoes and to identify yourself with their situation is paramount. While you may acutely feel your sacrifice for the nation, your spouse and children are sacrificing much as well.

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Posted by Allied Blogger Admin @ 10:38 AM • 0 comments

The Marines New Parent Support Program

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Okay, Marines - listen up! You thought that recruit training was tough, well you've haven't been through anything until you've roughed it through "Dad's Basic Boot Camp" or "Mom's Basic Training."


All joking aside, the Marine Corps is focused on helping new parents tackle the joy and challenges of welcoming a baby boy or girl into the family. The program is known as the "New Parent Support Program (NPSP)" and it is available to Marine families and military families from all service branches whom have an expectant mom or will soon be adopting a child.

The program is run by social workers, nurses and marriage counselors who are professionals in their fields and dedicated to helping Marine families. The special part of the program is that these professionals, are on call 24 hours a day to help Marine families with any questions or concerns.

These experts have a special understanding of the challenges that face military families, with a focus on the issues of deployment and family moves; they understand that Marine families are often hundreds of miles from their home town and friends.

The program aims to give families the skills to help them deal with the stresses that accompany the joys of being a parent; with a particular focus on how a parent can care for children while the Marine spouse is deployed. The experts also help families understand some of the basics of a child's growth and development, so they'll know what to expect as the child ages.

The program is also open to expecting parents who may already have children; it's not uncommon for families to have to adjust to having a small infant enter a growing family. The issues of new brothers and sisters learning to love and accept each other can often be helped with some skills and sound practices.

Click here to learn more about marine corps tuition assistance.

The programs services are:

  • "Basic Training" - Expecting parents learn how to care for an infant and how to interpret the needs of a newborn
  • Parent Classes - Hands on information about how to parent toddlers and young children
  • Referrals - New to the Marine Corps? This will help you find the right Marine services for your family
  • Play Morning - Interactive play group that teaches parents how to play with their children at each stage of development; understanding the cognitive and motor skills of the child is emphasized
  • Home Visits - A child pro will come to your home and help you with any concerns or questions you have about parenting styles or your child


The program is also an excellent way to meet other Marine families, learn about Marine Corps services as well as develop a support system of people who can help during the ups and downs of life in the military. The NPSP is a service of the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS).

A NPSP team is located at all U.S. Marine Corps bases, including Hawaii and Iwakuni and Okinawa, Japan. To learn more about the program, visit http www.usmc-mccs.org

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Posted by Allied Blogger Admin @ 10:05 AM • 0 comments

Top Ten Military Books

Monday, August 11, 2008

Whether you're a Marine grunt or an Air Force administrator, it's always good to have a book on the military or military history stashed away with your gear. You never know when you'll have a few hours to kill or when something you read may actually save your life on the battlefield.

In no particular order, here's ten books that will keep a service member's head in the game:

1.) The Art of War, Sun Tzu - It's on everyone else's best book list, so why not this one?

2.) The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. Grant - At the end of his life, battling throat cancer, the former President and Union General wrote a tour-de-force about the military life. President Lincoln said of Grant, "I can't spare this man. He fights."

3.) First to Fight: An inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps, Lt. Gen. Krulak - It's the first book listed on the U.S. Marine Corps' official reading list, what else do you need to know?

4.) Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden - You've seen the movie; here's the book. Read about Delta Force battling bad guys in Mogadishu.

5.) We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore - The commander who lead troopers in the legendary Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam writes of his battalion's three-day fight for survival.

6.) The Civil War: A Narrative, Shelby Foote: If you remember the PBS documentary on the Civil War, Shelby Foote was the southern historian with all the great stories! One warning: this book comes in three volumes!

7.) Moment of Truth in Iraq, Michael Yon - It's too early to tell which Iraq War books will stand the test of time, but few journalists know the war in Iraq like Mr. Yon.

8.) The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides - It's Athens vs. Sparta in one of the ancient world's great struggles.

9.) Goodbye, Darkness, William Manchester - A marine's memoir of the island campaign against the Japanese in World War II.

10.) A Soldier's Story, Gen. Omar Bradley - A humble, straight-forward account of the European campaign during World War II by one of its top commanders; Bradley's nickname was the 'G.I.'s General.'

Picking up a few good books may also inspire service members to go back and open up some school textbooks. Active-duty service members, along with Army National Guardsmen and Army Reserve Soldiers on active-drilling status, qualify for 100% US Military Tuition Assistance, which pays up to 100% of tuition and fees for schooling. That means service members get a $4500 a year military education benefit that can be used for certificate programs or toward university degree.

Service members should also keep in mind the option of Military distance learning, which these days means 100% online courses, allowing even deployed service members to take advantage of education while they serve. Military elearning can help service members earn promotion points as well as prepare for their civilian career after they separate from the military.
Allied Schools www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 7:54 AM • 0 comments

Military Tax Breaks and Military Benefits

Thursday, June 19, 2008

President Bush recently signed a bill into law that will help provide tax relief for military personnel and their families. The bill is entitled the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008, and it includes a clause that allows military family members to receive their $600 economic stimulus check, even if a military spouse doesn't have a Social Security number. This new law, along with a number of military benefits, military scholarships and military dependent scholarships from schools and government agencies are welcome resources for the military family.

The new bill contains a number of other important provisions, including one that allows Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers who've been activated, to take money out of retirement accounts without incurring a tax penalty. Another important part of the new law forbids the Social Security Administration from using combat-related pay to disqualify military families from applying for a variety of benefits, including health care aid.

These tax savings will allow military families to use more money for items like housing, bills or military spouse education. When there is uncertainty in the economy, many people take the time to shore up their educational credentials. Military spouses, in particular, can take advantage of scholarships for military spouses, along with their new tax savings, to train for a new career. And during this time of rising gasoline prices, distance education military options like online or correspondence courses are a great way to train for a new career without paying the price at the pump. Allied Schools, www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 3:27 PM • 0 comments

Military Benefits for the Army Reserve Family

Thursday, May 1, 2008

There is little doubt that the Army Reserve family is the foundation that strengthens Reserve Soldiers as they face multiple deployments and high operational tempos. Army Reserve families have made numerous sacrifices while supporting Soldiers on deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and many other places around the globe - and they deserve many things, among them Army spouse education.

There have been a number of efforts by both the Army and the Department of Defense over the past year to help ease the burden on the military family. Much of this effort has been focused on improving the education and career prospects of military spouses by emphasizing tuition relief and scholarships. And it's not just the government that has stepped in, vocational schools and colleges are now offering military spouse discounts and scholarships to help out with accredited military education options - important military benefits for the whole family.

Allied Schools - which offers 100% online distance education military courses - has created a program that allows both Reserve Soldiers and their spouse or a dependent to receive career training at no charge. To take advantage of the opportunity, Reserve Soldiers must first enroll at Allied Schools using 100% US Military Tuition Assistance (TA).

Click here to learn more about Army Reserve Tuition Assistance.

Reserve Soldiers on active-drilling status should know that TA benefits pay up to 100% of the cost of tuition for military distance learning courses - that means Soldiers pay nothing out-of-pocket. And this is a benefit that Reserve Soldiers have earned through their faithful service to the country.

After Reserve Soldiers have completed one course or module at Allied Schools, their spouse or dependent can enroll in a military distance learning course at no charge. Army Reserve spouses can choose from career-training programs like medical transcription, real estate salesperson and small business management, which are well-suited to the military lifestyle.

Army Reserve spouses benefit from 100% online courses because they can maintain their family and community commitments while still training for a career. And as more and more families are affected by both the rising cost of gasoline and busier schedules, distance education becomes a real way to save both time and money.

By Robert Fay, Allied Schools, www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 3:45 PM • 0 comments

Make Real Estate a Priority in your Military to Civilian Transition

Friday, August 3, 2007

A recent article in Military Times' career and educational monthly, profiles retired Army Sgt. Maj. Walt Scott who, after a 35-year service career has made his military transition into a new career as a successful real estate agent in Ashburn, Va. The article explains that military veterans make great real estate agents and brokers.

Jim Gillespie, president and c.e.o., Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp., is quoted in the article as saying that veterans are "self starters and survivors." He goes on to say, "I can not imagine any other business that would match up better with military personnel than real estate." That's certainly high praise coming from a person at the top of his industry; it should give service members confidence that their military career transition might be smoother than they expected.

The story points out that the hard work, flexibility and people skills learned in the military are the tools real estate agents require to work with customers and makes sales. Another advantage veterans have, is the dozens of nationwide contacts they've made moving from base-to-base during their military career: there's no denying that people and contacts are the meat and potatoes of a real estate career. The hundreds of people you've worked with in the service are important parts of your military education.

Allied Real Estate School offers 100% online real estate courses for active-duty military service members. Military services members can receive up to 100% Federal Military Tuition Assistance for online real estate courses at Allied. Military personnel can use this military education benefit to take a Real Estate License Salesperson Course, Real Estate Broker License Course or Real Estate Appraisal License Course.

The Military Times article also mentions that a real estate career is also a great match for military spouses who have had to develop the same people skills and flexibility as military members. The article quotes a real estate broker in Texas who has a total of 38 real estate agents, with 21 of them being retired military, military veterans or the spouses of military vets.

To help the spouses of military personnel prepare for their futures as well, Allied Real Estate School offers a $300 military spouse tuition discount on its Real Estate Appraisal License Course for individuals whose military spouse is currently enrolled in an Allied course. For spouses whose military husband or wife isn't taking an Allied course, they can still receive $150 off a Real Estate Appraisal License Course. These discounts also apply to specific Allied courses in the medical field and business.

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Posted by Heather @ 2:04 PM • 0 comments

Lance Corporal Wants to Build His Own Business

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Distance education schools are creating programs tailored to the growing needs of military service members. These schools recognize the need to provide flexible career training to help these individuals build a high-income career that helps them prepare for their future. Online courses provide them with the opportunity to learn on their own schedule from anywhere in the world.

Take Lance Corporal Ben Wiard for instance. He liked to plan ahead and decided to start planning for his post-military career during his service in the Marines. He was determined to take advantage of his available time to get the skills and training to start a business of his own.

He had a friend that took real estate classes and decided that appraisal and home inspection training were the right choice for him. Lance Corporal Wiard quickly completed his training through convenient online courses and learned how to use his appraisal and home inspection skills to build a successful business.

The military's active-duty Tuition Assistance benefit opened the door to his education. It covered 100 percent of the cost of his tuition and provided him with the option to further his career. Personalized support, quick and easy courses and valuable career skills enabled him to plan for his future.

Lance Corporal Wiard wants to build a career and be his own boss. The skills learned in his program will allow him to apply his expertise to the growing and profitable real estate field. With knowledge of the appraisal and home inspection process and business skills, he will have the tools to start a high income career.

Today, Lance Corporal Wiard has completed his training and looking forward to his future career. He has an internship set up with an appraisal company and will start building the foundation for his post-military career. He is confident that his planning will pay off and provide him with a solid opportunity when he leaves the military.

Enrolling in an online course provided him with a flexible and rewarding way to prepare for a long-term career. He was able to perform his military duties while actively planning for his future. More and more distance education schools are taking note and tailoring their programs to meet the needs of the military service member. Preparing for a new career while on active duty has never been easier!

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Posted by Heather @ 1:25 PM • 0 comments