summer camp for military kids

Here’s an interesting link that has summer camps geared specifically for military kids – both day camps and overnight camps. They are being sponsored in part by the National Military Family Association.

http://www.nmfa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=op_default

my tricare/hospital woes

Wow! It’s been a while and yet it also seems like time is flying by. So much has been going on. Well, I think from my last post I touched on my Tricare issue I had with the hospital I had planned to deliver at and I’ve been wanting to write about what happened, how it happened, what I did to fix the problem, and so on. So here it goes.

History:

When I first found out I was pregnant back in October I did what you’re supposed to do: made an appointment with my Tricare approved PCM, got a blood test to confirm the pregnancy, and then was referred to an OBGYN for obstetrical care for the duration of my pregnancy. Upon receiving the referral – I called the doctor I had been referred to and discovered that the hospital she delivered at did not take Tricare. No problem – since I had not had an actual appointment with that doctor – all I had to do was find another doctor and call tricare and have the name changed on the referral. Which is what I did. I found a doctor about 5min. from my house and she delivered at a hospital that took Tricare – which was a nice hospital and right across the street from her practice. So, with everything changed and approved by Tricare I started seeing my doctor and my pregnancy progressed.

What Happened:

Fast forward to the second week of March – I went to pre-register and the admissions lady said the financial counselor would contact me to set up an appointment. This struck me as odd. I have Tricare – it’s a good insurance plan – and I’m not supposed to pay for anything because everything is covered under my referral. So, the financial counselor called me and informed me that the hospital no longer had a contract with Tricare (as of March 1st she told me) and that my insurance would only cover 50% of the estimated $34,000.00hospital bill. So, after I freaked out – I called Tricare and found out that indeed the hospital I had planned to deliver at had gone from being an in-network hospital to a Point-of-Serivce hospital – meaning that they went from covering 100% (for prime) to 50%. So, in addition to paying 50% of the hospital bill, I also found out that I would be required to pay a $300 deductible and any expenses that Tricare deemed not medically necessary. Talk about an emotional roller coaster. Pregnancy hormones are bad enough – but then add something like this and it just really rocks your world.

How it Happened:

I have no clue how this happened – I had done everything by the book. I had made sure the hospital took Tricare before I started seeing the OBGYN I had found. Everything was good – I had the referrals I needed and had the green light from Tricare and the hospital. I know I wasn’t to blame – I have been dealing with Tricare since I was 18 – and had never, ever, ever ran into this problem before.

What I Did to FIX the Problem:

I’ll admit it, the first thing I did was cry. I cried A LOT!! But, once I got it out – I was able to figure out what I needed to do and get it done WITHOUT my emotions getting the best of me. First, my husband and I talked about it and decided that 1) we don’t have over 15grand sitting in our bank account to cover the cost of the delivery (despite the awesome tax write off that would’ve been), and 2)he doesn’t work his butt off for medical benefits for us to not put them to use so we don’t have to pay anything when our benefits are supposed to cover something 100%. So, the decision was made – we had to find another hospital. I spoke with my doctor and unfortunately – the only other hospital she delivered at in the area did not take Tricare, which left me with no other choice than to change doctors at 31weeks into my pregnancy. It was tough, it sucked, and I had the HARDEST time finding a doctor in this area that would take me at 31 weeks. The first thing I did in my search for a new OBGYN was to find a hospital that took Tricare – luckily I found 2. So from there I cross referenced the hospital lists with the list Tricare had and then I started making phone calls. I finally found a doctor (that took Tricare) and would deliver my baby at a hospital that took Tricare. Talk about a pain in the butt!

My Thoughts, Observations, etc.:

I wish I could say that my experience was a fluke. But, sadly, it isn’t. I know now that I am not the first that this has happened to and I won’t be the last. I know in our area, as the cost of healthcare is rising (and this state’s budget is out of control) I think that hospitals are demanding more and more money for their services from insurance companies to balance out with the lack of money coming in from state paid for health insurance. Not to mention, the thing I hear the most from my doctors here is that Tricare just isn’t competitive with the amounts they pay for services and at times they make it difficult to get reimbursed. Of course, since I’ve been here most people look at my military ID like it’s in Greek and almost always put my social instead of my husbands on billing forms. (When I went to pre-register at my new hospital I handed the lady my ID card and she asked me if it was a real identification card – when I told her yes – she said she had to ask her supervisor to make sure she could take it. They came back and wanted my drivers license as well – just in case – and we’re shocked that it was out-of-state and said I might have to go get an in-state one. I told them that that wasn’t going to happen and my ID’s I gave them were just fine.)

It’s frustrating – living out on the fringe of the Army and having to deal with some of these issues. I don’t mind calling Tricare when I have a question – the number is actually on my speed dial – but I think that Tricare needs to make an effort to provide us recruiting families with a more readily available access to healthcare in our region. That means keeping contracts with hospitals in areas, updating information on their page regularly, and providing us with more options. I will be the first to admit – here in California there is a difference in the hospitals around here. I don’t want to sound classicist – but dammit – my husband works hard and I don’t want to go to a hospital that generally serves a low-income population because that’s all that TriCare could afford to get a contract with. I want health care comparable to what I would receive at an MTF (like Womack, Tripler, Brooke AMC, and/or other mid-sized MTF’s) within a reasonable driving time frame and distance. I don’t need to go to a top-of-the line, Hollywood-esque hospital either – where the doctors all have their own reality shows and product lines – but somewhere in the middle between good and excellent without the hassle of having to be my own insurance advocate. It’s tough enough being the advocate for my healthcare and the healthcare of my family – I don’t want to be my own insurance advocate and have to take my Tricare handbook with me whenever I go to my first office consultation with a doctor.

it’s been a while – but I’m back

Well, being a military spouse living in the civilian world is tough  – man – I had no idea how spoiled I was living on or near a post until recently. I also must admit – I really miss being near a military community. Seriously, I know that living in a military community has its ups and downs – but I did not realize how easy things are until I had to still do “military community” things – but without a post. For example – this whole having a baby thing and dealing with TriCare. It’s a pain in the butt to deal with TriCare in an area where it’s not widely accepted by doctors and hospitals – and the ones that do accept it – you have to take a crash course in medical coding and billing to “help” them get paid for their services so you don’t keep getting billed.

I am also “trying” to wean myself from the commissary. Currently, I make a 30-45min. trek (depending on traffic) to the nearest Air Force Base to go grocery shopping once a month – mostly for the meat we buy because it is cheaper on base than it is at our local grocery stores. It always works out – because I use coupons to help me save money on grocery shopping to justify my trip and the gas I use. I have calculated and compared the costs of buying the amount of meat I buy on base versus off base in my local community – and I save anywhere from $50-$75 dollars a month. California is so expensive and with the recent increase in taxes here and a baby on the way – I am trying to save every penny. But weaning from the commissary is hard – it’s my once a month “fix” of being in a military community. I knew that eventually I would have to quit going, since May is my final month of pregnancy and I know I won’t be up to making that trip – but I am sure gonna miss it.

On the FRG front – our FRG is going strong – Army Strong that is. LOL! We’re doing good – it’s frustrating not having a lot of spouses involved – but with time – I really do believe that more spouses will come to meetings and events. We have our first coffee coming up and have a day coming up for spouses and kids at a local park – and it’s on a Saturday when the guys are working anyways so it helps spouses get out of the house and meet eachother. We’re really focusing on building a sense of community within our recruiting company. It’s hard – but not impossible. Not to mention – I think it will be a positive thing. We’ll see though – it’s gonna take time and hard work – but we will see. Who knows – this could be the start of something really good.

Other than that I haven’t been up to too much. Oh yeah – I did break out my Harry Potter books again to re-read them before the baby comes. Yes, I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan – and I am taking some time to relax and re-read the books – especially since the 6th movie comes out in July. I haven’t had time to sit down and read a book and enjoy it for a while – so this is something I am really enjoying.

FRG fundraising ideas…anyone??

Well, our FRG has been brainstorming for ideas – and it’s been hard. I really think that there needs to be a different set of rules for recruiting FRG’s versus FRG’s that are actually on or near a post. The rules make it difficult for recruiting FRG’s to fund raise money. The basic rule for fundraising, as I understand it, is that the money a company FRG raises comes from the soldiers and family members in the company. Of course, there are activities on-post, like gift wrapping at Christmas, that enable the FRG to make money at a post-wide event. But, being in the outer rim of the Army and away from a post, fundraising is really limited.

So, I had the idea of making money off of recycling. The recruiters are going to drink water, energy drinks, or soda at work – so why not set-up a small recycling bin in each station and collect the empty cans and bottles and take them to the recycling center and turn them in for money and in turn give that money to the FRG? Of course FRG members would help out and it wouldn’t be totally on the shoulders of already busy recruiters. It would be nice for the FRG to earn some money and do stuff for the company, soldiers, and family members.

Other than that, my idea factory for fundraisers is kind of tapped out. I don’t know what else a recruiting FRG could do – that is allowed and feasible in our civilian communities.  Of course, I’m also wondering about things like Pizza Hut and Krispy Kreme cards? Hmmmm. I guess I am going to have to break out the FRG fundraising regs and suffer reading through them and then brainstorm.

knocked up while on recruiting duty pt.2

So, being pregnant with your husband as a recruiter – sucks! Granted the weekends he has off are great as that is the time my husband usually does stuff like make dinner, catch up on the things that I can’t really do around the house because they require heavy lifting, and vaccumms the whole house – stairs included. The part that sucks is that he doesn’t have every weekend off and always tries to make the most of his weekends relaxing – so trying to get him to go to Babies R Us is quite a feat as he would rather be doing anything else BUT going to Babies R Us and spending a few hours there.

Anyways, I am quickly approaching the third trimester – or third period, as my sports-loving husband refers to it as (I think he is able to relate to the pregnancy by comparing aspects of it to the sporting world). I cannot believe how fast time seems to be flying by! One of the things I have done recently, that you may have to do if delivering off-post, is having my OBGYN call Tricare and let them know the hospital I would be delivering at so that Tricare could pre-authorize the hospital. Seriously, the sooner you get this done the better – as each hospital has different policies and procedures regarding pre-admission and you want to make sure all your insurance information is DONE before your first contraction. If you should have the baby unexpectedly – and have to go to the nearest ER – your delivery will be covered as that qualifies as an emergency – but if you are trying to plan things out as much as possible to be prepared – make sure to get your hospital pre-authorized.

I am still looking into what Tricare will pay for and what kinds of Army programs are out there to help with the various costs that we often don’t realize are out there because we’re soo accustomed to the convience of a military post – like free birthing classes and Daddy bootcamp. Yep, those classes are typically NOT free off post. The cost can range from $40 – $150 for a couple class. I did find a really cool program that helps military spouses with deployed husbands – Operation Special Delivery. It’s a program that provides doulas to spouses with deployed husbands to help with their birth. It’s a great idea – I just wish they could offer something like that for recruiting spouses – yes – our husband will probably be at the birth – but sometimes that pesky schedule gets in the way and you just can’t prepare the way you would if your husband wasn’t bound by the recruiting schedule/calendar! Not to mention – your husbands job is stressful enough and then add in the stress you’re feeling and the overwhelming wave that envelopes you when you have that baby – any help would be appreciated. Also, for the moms considering breastfeeding – a lot of these hospitals offer in-house breast feeding support – but once you leave that hospital – you have to pay for it, and it’s not cheap, nor is it covered by tricare. If you were at a military post that has a L&D ward – chances are very good that there is a lactation consultant you could use for FREE!

Another thing I have learned is to call whoever you have to to get a copy of that recruiting calendar – it will help you plan, plan, and then make an emergency plan in case plan A and B get blown out of the water. Truthfully, I have no idea what to do if I go into labor early and my husband is at MEPS and because of L.A. traffic can’t get home to me for 2-4 hours. My PLAN is to either call the station and pray that someone is there that could maybe drive me to the hospital OR call 9-1-1 and then explain the $10,000.00 ambulance bill to Tricare after the baby comes. I would call another spouse, but the nearest spouse I know is just as pregnant as I am – and knowing my luck she would go into labor from the stress of the situation and then we would both be S.O.L. Of course, that situation would make a hilarious story later on after the baby was here – but it would seriously suck in the mean time.So, hopefully Plan A will work and the baby will come when my doctor and I want her to come and my husband will either have an office day or be within 10minutes of the house! LOL!

Well, I think that’s it for now. If you want to check out Operation Special Delivery, in case you have a friend whose husband is deployed – the website is: www.operationspecialdelivery.com

USAREC Family Covenant

Thanks to one of my readers I have been made aware that there is in fact a USAREC Family Covenant – it was signed in December 2008. I am posting a link to the article describing the covenant – even though there is quite a bit of “fluff” in it.   http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/12/16/15209-usarec-puts-commitment-to-families-in-writing/

I am in the process of locating the actual text of the covenant that was signed and will post it here as soon as I get a copy.

The ARW Theses

It’s funny the places I sometimes draw upon for inspiration – in this case, Martin Luther, a sixteenth century German monk, and the author of the 95 theses – a document which helped spark the Protestant Reformation. It was a document that questioned the practices of the Catholic church during that time – I guess you could say – he spoke up for the common man’s ability and right to freely communicate with God – without having to go through the church and do things like pay indulgences. He addressed 95 different grievances - as he had a lot of points and grievances to cover. I, however – do not have that many points to cover, nor will I cover them all at once - but am very inspired by his thought organization and the change it brought about. I only hope that my views will not lead to the same fate he suffered – excommunication – but that it will spark conversation and thought. Since I cannot nail this to the door of the institution I am addressing – I will simply post it here on my blog.

Issue I : Stand-Down Day 02/13/2009

Issue:  I had many thoughts about this day – expectations, questions, etc. I decided to wait and see exactly what this stand down day would bring – I’m not entirely sure – I can only assume that most of the talk, the discussions of things to improve upon and possibly change – all took place – not necessarily with the recruiters – but at a higher level. I do feel that training on issues like suicide prevention, is less efective without involving the actual support systems of the recruiters, by that I mean families. I want to make it clear to you that I do know that sometimes spouses are not involved in their service member’s “Army life” (be it recruiting duty or a regular assignment), however, by providing the option for a spouse to educate himself or herself on the pressures that the recruiter may face and warning signs to look out for – I whole heartedly believe that you will get a better outcome and that the actual act of “prevention” will be effective. I feel that by only including the recruiter is like teaching an alcoholic the signs of alcoholism – in a sense you are only giving them to the tools to somewhat recognize the problem and enabling them to craft ways to hide that problem. You cannot do an intervention and expect change without the family and other members of the support system being engaged. Simply by talking to the recruiter is not enough – especially when they know that once they leave that classroom they’re going back to their recruiting job of 12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week – with quotas to meet and no real time to pursue the therapy that they might need. I personally feel that some type of class/training should have been offered to the spouses. If you were at a regular post – and your soldier deployed – you would have classes and resources available to you and your family to help with the adjustment. While you’re soldier was gone – you would have resources to help you cope with the separation and the issues that sometimes arise when the sponsor is away. Then, when your soldier returned – you would have resources available to both your soldier, you, and your family to help with re-integration, possible PTSD, and things that come with reunification after 10, 12, 15 months or longer of separation.  As a recruiting spouse – you are going into recruiting duty blind, surviving on a wing and a prayer for three years, and probably leaving recruiting duty both relieved and a little jaded about the Army.

Proposed Solution: Before offering any classes, starting up FRG’s for battalions that have no FRG’s, or revamping the floundering ones – I think USAREC needs to find a way to conduct an assessment of the needs of the “recruiting family” -  such as a climate survey – starting at a grassroots level (company/battalion = town hall meeting). What is lacking? What is needed? What are the concerns of the recruiters? What are the concerns of the spouses and families?

I know that having shorter recruiting days and longer leave time is unrealistic – but there are some things that are very much in the realm of possibility as far as change – provided that the people in charge are willing to hear the proposed ideas out instead of instant condemnation – even if it means listening to a few weepy spouses. At our last post – every year the post held a conference of sorts – anyone and everyone who lived and worked on post was allowed to submit issues, suggestions, complaints, compliments, etc. regarding the various aspects of the day to day workings and operations of the post. It was everything from potholes that needed to be fixed on main roads to the wait time at the hospital pharmacy. Ask the recruiting community what it needs and work to change what you can – even if it is little changes at first – with time – more changes will come.

Once the needs of the recruiting community have been assessed and addressed - classes and support programs can be put in place for the recruiters and families. I also feel that the command needs to take an active interest in developing the FRG’s and encourage it. FRG’s cannot exist without the support of the command – period.

II. Resolving Finance Issues for Recruiters in a Timely Fashion

Issue: If you have not encountered a problem with your recruiters pay (TDY, PCS, Recruiting Duty, etc.) - eventually you will. It took us months to finally start receiving recruiting duty pay – which really hit us hard especially living in such a high cost of living area. What baffled me the most was the amount of TIME it took my recruiter to finally get a resolution to the issue, in other words, to get paid recruiting duty pay. It wasn’t that he wasn’t calling the people he needed to call or e-mail the people he needed to e-mail – it was the mere fact that the nearest finance office that could really be of any help to him was in another state north of us. A finance office that not only deals with the recruiters from one end of the West coast to the other that are diverted to it, but also serves the personnel who are stationed at that post and are coming and going from that post. That’s a lot of people – and as much as I don’t want to admit it – dealing with a finance issue face to face probably brings quicker resolution than calling or e-mailing.

Proposed Solution:1) Set-up a division of military/Army finance whose primary purpose is to serve the recruiting personnel. Have finance personnel trained to deal with pays, reimbursements, etc.  that recruiters come in contact with – so that the recruiter is not having to provide an over the phone crash course on their pay to a newbie. I think that this might help cut down on the amount of time recruiters are waiting to get their pay right outside of normal business hours – recruiters have MEPS on Saturdays to accomodate the mission – provide recruiters with the same courtesy: time to take care of business. 2) Provide face-to-face time between finance personnel and the recruiting personnel. Quarterly would be ideal – but bi-annually or annually (say at ATC) would also work – as long as the recruiter gets face-to-face time with someone from finance without having to worry about working enough time before the office closes into an already hectic schedule. It would provide time for the recruiters (and family members) to interact with the finance personnel and get questions answered and problems resolved. I look at it like this – you wouldn’t send a team of soldiers out on a mission without someone who is a trained medic, right? So, provide the recruiting team with a finance medic – an individual trained in military finance who takes a TDY to an individual battalion and makes time available to the companies (quarterly, bi-annually, or annually) to serve the recruiting personnel. The number one reason for divorce is financial issues – by helping recruiters deal with their financial issues in a timely matter – you are helping to prevent marital problems that can start with finances and then lead to more problems not conducive to Army values.

III. Write the USAREC Version of the Army Family Covenant

Issue: For those of you that do not know – the Army Family Covenant was written to identify key ideas that need to be addressed to help improve the quality of life for both the soldier and the family supporting that soldier. It embodies ideas such as: providing Soldiers and Families a Quality of Life that is commensurate with their service, providing Families a strong, supportive environment where they can thrive, and building a partnership with Army families that enhances their strength and resilience. You can find a copy of the Covenant here: http://www.armymwr.com/portal/family/

Two of the provisions in the Army Family Covenant that most interest me most include:

• Standardizing and funding existing Family programs and services
• Increasing accessibility and quality of health care

Part A:I think my biggest issue is dealing with the family programs and services available to the recruiting spouses and families. Yes, there are programs available, like the Childcare in Your Neighborhood childcare subsidy program and YMCA gym memberships. There is personnel, comparable to the personnel you would find at ACS, available to consult with on various subjects. The problem is – these programs and personnel aren’t being widely advertised or made available to the recruiting community. I will admit – I have a good FRG leader who is working hard to help get the YMCA gym membership program going here in our company – but that is not the case throughout USAREC. There is a breakdown in communication – there are things available – but the information is not being passed down to the recruiters and the families at times – or if it does make it to the recruiter – the recruiter is so swamped in the day to day grind – that telling their spouse about upcoming programs/classes is the last thing on their mind at the end of a 12hour day.

Part B:As for health care – I am very happy with the health care that I, personally, am receiving. I do enjoy Tricare Prime Remote. However, it is the health care of my recruiter that I worry about. I worry with the hours my recruiter works – that his health and dental needs may take a backseat to the mission at hand. I also worry about the families that have family members with EFMP needs not having the additional support resources available to them that they would otherwise have if they were still near a post with an EFMP program and readily available medical and educational resources and the necessary living accommodations sometimes needed.

Proposed Solution:USAREC needs to not only adopt a policy similar to the Army Family Covenant, but USAREC needs to adapt it to fit the unique needs of the recruiting personnel and their families. Let’s face it – comparing recruiting duty to regular army duty is like comparing modern man with cavemen – similar species – but the evolutionary differences are just way too vast despite the few similarities. A survey would be a good assessment tool as would town-hall style meetings.

Part A:The communication gap needs to be bridged, information needs to find it’s way to the spouses. Classes and programs similar to those offered by ACS at a regular post, and those that will address the needs of the recruiting community need to be offered to the spouses. Using ATC and FRG meetings as a podium to disseminate is an excellent for spouses to get the information regarding what’s going on. The command needs to realize that – yes – it’s going to take a while for spouses and family members to attend and some may never attend, but the effort needs to be put forth to show that there is a climate of change and that an effort is being made to enact positive change that is beneficial for families. Like in the movie, Field of Dreams, If you build it they will come- well, if you offer it – they will eventually take the classes offered and participate in the programs. Now, offering the classes on a monthly basis, especially with the recruiting community so spread out is not realistic, BUT – offering these things quarterly or bi-annually – is realistic.

Part B:I think the stand-down day, or health and wellness day as it’s also known…was great. But what about providing the soldiers with a quarterly, bi-annually, or annually opportunities to actually engage in health and wellness activities. I’m not talking about going to the gym – I’m talking about dental appointments, specialty referrals, even counseling. A day – where recruiting takes a back seat and the recruiter can stop and take care of themselves – before their bodies break from both the lack of being attentive to their health needs and the stress weighing down on them from the job. Did you know that doctors now recommend that you get your cholesterol checked starting around the age of 25 – yeah, I found that out from my OBGYN – she said it’s because of the rise of obesity in our population. Hmmm…as we know recruiters don’t always have the best diet habits – and maybe getting things like cholesterol checked as an ounce of prevention will help prevent future problems, that may be compounded by three years of unhealthy habits, extreme stress, depression (mild to severe), that may occur during their recruiting stint to help lessen the damage as the recruiter ages and has to start watching things like blood pressure. Or even if it’s just unhindered time out for the recruiter to go and talk to a counselor, by themselves or with a spouse, to treat depression or marital problems that might, with time, compound and lead to bigger problems – like suicide or divorce.

As for EFMP families – I think when the soldier first does their application packet prior to ever leaving for recruiting school – the EFMP status of that soldier’s family member needs to be taken into account. When the soldier receives their final assignment as to the battalion they will be going to – the battalion needs to be aware of the in-coming soldier’s EFMP family member status AND take that heavily into consideration when assigning the soldier to a company and station. If a family has a child with autism – will there be resources, both health and educational, available for that child at the recruiting assignment? Or, will mission take precedence and the soldier have to proceed to the recruiting assignment and the family have to return home to their family so that they can provide the child with the resources needed to take care of that child and provide them with a good quality of life?? Or what if the spouse has a documented medical condition that requires occasional hospitalization – will the recruiter be allowed to take time off of work and do what he needs to do to take care of his spouse without the fear of getting into trouble because he isn’t making phone calls or doing what he needs to do to make his monthly quota?? I’m not saying a soldier should be automatically disqualified for recruiting duty if they have a family member who is enrolled in the EFMP program, but that that enrollment and the condition for which the family member is enrolled should be taken into consideration to help the soldier be productive at his new recruiting assignment AND to help ease the transition of the family into recruiting duty.

 

While there is much more I wish to address – I will stop here – partly because my fingers are hurting from all the typing and partly because if I listed 95 grievances like Martin Luther did – while it might catch some attention - it would also become “white noise” for those people that might actually be able to implement change. So, three will do for me!

it’s been a while

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. It hasn’t been because I haven’t had anything to say – as a matter of fact – I have plenty – it’s just I needed time to let everything I want to write about sit a bit and let some of the emotion flow out and really give me time to assess what I wanted to write and how I was going to approach those various subjects.

As I’ve said before – I have been following the stories regarding the issues the Houston Battalion has been having – from both the Houston Chronicle and the Army Times – and being that I am a spouse and have heard from so many wonderful spouses all around USAREC – the family issues really do hit home. Those are just some of the things that have really had the gears in my brain going. I wrote out this whole piece – it was good – it really was – but then I did what I dread most – I talked to my Dad about it (he’s one of my toughest critics sometimes). You know what he said – that’s great you feel that way – now instead of talking about all the problems – talk about solutions too. He also told me to drop some of my “emotion” – because frankly – the USAREC powers that be will read it and shake their heads and say “it’s just another disgruntled spouse – blah – blah – blah – blah”. Soooo – I had to re-think and re-write.

It’s hard to go back to the drawing board – especially when you are so passionate about something (like recruiter’s families and spouses and the issues we face and the issues our recruiters face but sometimes do not have the voice to speak up with) – but it’s even harder getting the guy in uniform sitting behind a desk to understand that point of view without 1)crying (I’m a crier – especially now with all the extra estrogen) and 2)emphasizing just how important your stance is.

interesting article from the Army Times regarding recruiting

I am sure by now – those of you that have been in the recruiting job for a while have heard about the tragedies that occured in Houston with four of their recruiters. It’s sad – but it seems like USAREC might be taking some steps to rectify the problem – or at least address it. The Army Times published an article regarding the Houston events and what USAREC has planned. I have to admit – I read the article twice – and was a little disappointed by one of the comments – or the lack of explanation following that comment. There were some other things I wasn’t too jazzed about – but that one comment in particular. I’m trying to figure out how to write my feelings on this out in a letter to the editor without the pregnant emotional tirade welling up inside me. Anyhow, it appears a “stand-down order” has been issued and our recruiters will receive suicide prevention training, coping skills training, etc. among other things that are suppossed to occur on February 13th (Friday the 13th?? – some irony).

Anyways, here is a link to article:

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/army_recruiting_suicides_012709/

I would really love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the article and the stand down order and hopefully what might be achieved with it.

my BIG accomplishment today

I did it! I finally did it! I learned how to use my serger!!

I love to sew and I love my sewing machine but decided I needed something that would help me get projects done faster. About a year ago I took the plunge and invested a good amount of money in a good quality serger. I did quite a bit of research. Eventually, I bought a serger and when it arrived I took it out of the box and looked through the manual – and was overwhelmed. For those of you that don’t know the difference between a sewing machine and serger, here it is: a sewing machine has one needle and one spool of thread and a bobbin with thread in the bottom; a serger has four spools of thread and two needles and cuts the fabric as it sews. It’s overwhelming and the manual and the dvd that comes with the serger just doesn’t really help – sewing is more hands-on learning than book learning. Hmmmmm….sounds like a few things I know – marriage, dealing with recruiting duty, you know – stuff like that.

But, even though it almost took me a year – lots of patience – and seeking out help – I got it. I can now sew with a sewing machine AND a serger.