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Marine Sgt. Major Discusses State of the Corps

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

When a Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps speaks - people listen. So it was when the Marines' top enlisted man, Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, sat down with Marine Corps Times to weigh in on some of the day's important issues. Kent is a 32-year veteran of the Marines who served in Iraq in 2004.

Kent sat down for an interview with the paper and spoke on issues ranging from the GI Bill to HBO's new miniseries Generation Kill, which focuses on recon Marines during the initial invasion of Iraq. Here is a snapshot of some of what Kent said:

  • The goal is still to have 14 months of dwell time for every seven months of deployment
  • Two of the Corp's biggest priorities remain combat and the state of the Marine family
  • New programs coming soon include the Combat Fitness Test and changes to the Body Composition Program
  • The Corps needs to give NCOs as much responsibility in garrison as they have in combat
  • He didn't like Generation Kill; it didn't portray the Marine Corps he knew
  • On the new GI Bill, he takes a wait-and-see approach
  • Despite a spat of recent motorcycle accidents, the Corps can't ban Marines from buying bikes

In speaking about the marine family, Kent gave a nod to military spouses everywhere and the important role they play, when he said: "Our families are as important as ever. They're supporting the Marine, they're going through quite a bit and they're sacrificing so much. So, the commandant has refocused millions of dollars back into family support." Go here for the full interview.

One important educational resource for military spouses is military distance learning courses and military spouse scholarships. It's hoped that by offering more aid for military spouses that the consequences will ultimately be more jobs for military spouses.
Allied Schools www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 8:47 AM • 0 comments

The Military Family, Moving and Military Schools

Friday, May 30, 2008

Moving from duty station to duty station is a fact of life for most military families; along with the excitement of exploring a new state (or country), there are also anxieties about new military schools, neighbors and expectations. And when a military family moves to a new state, military spouse education along with the children's schooling is suddenly disrupted.

And no matter how many times a military family moves, helping young children cope with the news is always difficult. A recent article in Military Spouse magazine highlighted some effective ways to help military children adjust to a move.

The advice for military families, included:

-Communication: like adults, children appreciate being kept in the loop; explaining them the who, what, when, where and why of the move is essential

-Go over the timing: get a calendar and explain when you'll be moving and what the various steps are

-Details about the new base/town: share as mush as possible about the family's future home

-Keeping in touch: explain that your family will keep in touch with current friends and neighbors

And it's not just children who face difficulties with a move; it's also military spouses, who often leave behind friends, jobs, volunteer work and involvement with distance education military programs.

When it comes to disrupted education and out-of-state tuition rates, spouses should look to military scholarships, Government Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) and military spouse discounts to help them pay for school. A search on the Internet will also help them locate schools that have accredited military education options. More and more these days, schools are becoming more sensitive to the career and educational needs of military spouses.
Allied Schools, www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 4:04 PM • 0 comments

Navy Spouse Group Offers Support, Mentoring

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Navy's all-volunteer spouse support group "Compass" held a training conference in December 2007 at the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Base in San Diego, Calif.

The conference was titled "Compass Connections" and included Compass teams from around the world. As reported in Navy Compass newspaper, the "purpose was for Compass team leaders and trainers to get to know one another while going over the teaching curriculum and teaching new ideas."

Compass, a division of Naval Services FamilyLine, is a 12-hour program taught by Navy spouses for Navy spouses. The program is designed primarily for new Navy spouses and seeks to help them integrate into the Navy culture. New spouses are mentored by spouses who have been part of the Navy for a longer time - helping them navigate the procedures, jargon and lifestyle that are unique to Navy culture.

"All spouses are welcome. There are no ranks, no communities; we come in here with our first names only, no last names, "Compass director Rosemary Ellis told Navy Compass. "The only reason that you're in the room is that you are married to a Sailor. That's what we all have in common."

In addition to meeting a network of Navy spouse peers, participants in Compass learn among other things, naval history, customs, pay scales, resources and benefits.

And when it comes to benefits, military spouses now have an increasing number of education and career training resources available to them from the Navy, the federal government and private schools.

Some educational institutions that work with military personnel have created military spouse tuition assistance programs. Some schools offer discounts on military spouse education, while a few select schools have even begun offering no-charge tuition for military spouses when their spouses enroll using their Tuition Assistance benefit. Program education for military spouses is an essential part of any effort to address the high unemployment rate that plagues many military spouses.

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Posted by Allied @ 2:34 PM • 0 comments