This is great news!
Showing posts with label 2009 military family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 military family. Show all posts
Higher Education Opportunity Act: Great News for Military Spouses & Dependents
The reauthorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of July 1, 2009 allows spouses and dependents of active duty service members for a period of more than 30 days will eligible for in-state tuition at public universities and colleges in the site where they reside OR where permanent residency is. In addition, as long as the student is enrolled, they will continue to pay in-state tuition rates regardless of the next PCS.
This is great news!
This is great news!
Thank a Soldier This Thanksgiving & Christmas
This is a wonderful way to show appreciation to your men and women in our Armed Services especially in light of the holidays and the constant tragedies of lives lost in the deadly regions as well as the soldiers who lost their lives at Ft. Hood. One soldier leaves behind a wife and daughter right here where I live in Georgia. The local school is collecting donations to assist this family in their tragic loss.
My husband will be home this Christmas but not next Christmas as he'll be in Kuwait. Out of the last four years, he will have been gone two of those holidays serving in Iraq and Kuwait. Luckily he has me to send him packages but many soldiers have no one and receiving packages is a highlight to their days. Please join in and support any cause that will deliver a card, a letter or a package to one of our brave men or women serving!
Move America Forward Campaign:
The holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving, is always a difficult time for our troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. They will be missing their moms and dads, brothers and sisters. Many will be missing their wives and children, some that may have been born while they were deployed.
We ask so much from our troops, and they make that sacrifice without asking anything in return. The least we can do is support them with some love and comfort from home, with a message of appreciation.
Send the heroic men and women of our U. S. military a Thanksgiving care package filled with tons of good treats and other comfort items to offer them a gift from home while these heroes are serving their country in the Middle East.
For Thanksgiving we are including 2 special seasonal items: sweet Candy Corn and delicious Baked Pumpkin Seeds!
Sponsor multiple packages to help touch the lives of literally hundreds of U.S. military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan this holiday season.
Your donation for this care package includes shipping to our U.S. servicemen and/or women stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq, plus your own personalized message included with the care package!
HELP BRING A GI IN HARM'S WAY A LITTLE CLOSER TO HIS FAMILY
See the message from the USO on how you can help this year:
As military deployments tear families apart, United Through Reading helps bring them together. Thanks to this program, GIs who are thousands of miles away from home and loved ones can still read a bedtime story to their kids every night.
In 62 locations around the globe, the USO's United Through Reading volunteers make DVDs of GIs reading children's books – like "Goodnight Moon" or "The Cat In The Hat" – aloud. The DVD and the book are then mailed to the kids back home to show them that mommy or daddy, though far away, is in fact OK.
Program participants tell of children touching the TV screen or talking back to the recorded image of their parent every time the DVD is played. And troops in harm's way will line up for hours just for the chance to make a recording for their kids.
In less than three years, the United Through Reading program has exploded. Over 50,000 recordings have been made this year, and 100,000 are projected for 2010. Your donation will help the USO provide the cameras (many are wearing out from overuse)... the books… the DVDs and mailers... even the boxes of tissues that must be placed in every recording location.
Our men and women in uniform give up so much when they go off to war on our behalf. Please help the USO bring them a little closer to the loved ones left behind by supporting United Through Reading as generously as you can. On behalf of those we serve, Thank You!
Click here to go to the USO site for more information or to donate.
Congratulations to the 2009 Military Family of the Year!
Marine Corps Family Named 2009 Military Family of the Year
ALEXANDRIA, VA October 29, 2009—Military families were the stars of the show at the National Military Family Association’s 40th Anniversary Celebration where the Leanes family was named the Association’s 2009 Military Family of the Year. Seven families were recognized, one from each branch of the Uniformed Services, before awarding the Leanes family the top honor of the night. These families embrace their service to the Nation, are role models in their community, and understand that together they are stronger.
The families were presented their award by a high-ranking military leader in their branch of Service. General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife presented the Military Family of the Year award to the Leanes family.
The Leanes Family
Dennis, Kristy, Jordan, Syvannah, Bethany, Marrisa, Emily, and Karianne are committed to serving their country, their community, and each other. Dennis’s commitment to serve his Nation is so strong that he and his family took a leap of faith in 2006 when he decided to leave his civilian job of eight years and reenlist in the Marine Corps. Though this meant taking a pay cut and uprooting the children, they dove in head first and never looked back.
The Leanes family is an integral part of the Camp Lejeune, North Carolina community. Not only do they volunteer at various organizations throughout the base, they’ve embedded volunteering into their daily lifestyle. When they are not running a Scout meeting, volunteering at church, coaching a sports team, or leading a Family Readiness meeting, they find time to reach out to their neighbors on a daily basis.
Kristy puts her abilities to good use by helping a neighbor with a broken down car (she can replace gaskets or install transmissions) or sewing baby clothes for a family in need. Following their parents’ example, the Leanes children reach out and serve their community, too. Jordan fixes broken bikes and donates them to charities. Syvannah organized a “Wounded Warrior Thank You Project” through her church. Bethany volunteers her babysitting services for spouses whose service members are deployed. The younger children bake cookies for various projects and are quick to share their “friendship bread” with neighbors.
This family has grown stronger each day by embracing the challenges of being a military family. Their children have learned that being strong and brave isn’t only about the troops in combat—it’s about overcoming a fear of the dark, standing up to peer pressure, or coping with the stress of having your dad deployed. This family strives to serve in every way possible.
The finalist families were:
Army Family of the Year
CSM Kevin Nolan and Family, Fort Riley, Kansas
Navy Family of the Year
LTJG Joshua Caldwell and Family, Kailua, Hawaii
Air Force Family of the Year
MSgt Wayne and TSgt Thane Ojala and Family, Las Vegas, Nevada
Coast Guard Family of the Year
BM1 Aaron Udland and Family, Juneau, Alaska
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Family of the Year
CDR Shepard Smith and Family, Norfolk, Virginia
Public Health Service Family of the Year
CDR Dana Hall and the Horesh Family, Overland Park, Kansas
About the National Military Family Association
Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation's leaders. To learn more, visit http://www.militaryfamily.org/.
ALEXANDRIA, VA October 29, 2009—Military families were the stars of the show at the National Military Family Association’s 40th Anniversary Celebration where the Leanes family was named the Association’s 2009 Military Family of the Year. Seven families were recognized, one from each branch of the Uniformed Services, before awarding the Leanes family the top honor of the night. These families embrace their service to the Nation, are role models in their community, and understand that together they are stronger.
The families were presented their award by a high-ranking military leader in their branch of Service. General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife presented the Military Family of the Year award to the Leanes family.
The Leanes Family
Dennis, Kristy, Jordan, Syvannah, Bethany, Marrisa, Emily, and Karianne are committed to serving their country, their community, and each other. Dennis’s commitment to serve his Nation is so strong that he and his family took a leap of faith in 2006 when he decided to leave his civilian job of eight years and reenlist in the Marine Corps. Though this meant taking a pay cut and uprooting the children, they dove in head first and never looked back.
The Leanes family is an integral part of the Camp Lejeune, North Carolina community. Not only do they volunteer at various organizations throughout the base, they’ve embedded volunteering into their daily lifestyle. When they are not running a Scout meeting, volunteering at church, coaching a sports team, or leading a Family Readiness meeting, they find time to reach out to their neighbors on a daily basis.
Kristy puts her abilities to good use by helping a neighbor with a broken down car (she can replace gaskets or install transmissions) or sewing baby clothes for a family in need. Following their parents’ example, the Leanes children reach out and serve their community, too. Jordan fixes broken bikes and donates them to charities. Syvannah organized a “Wounded Warrior Thank You Project” through her church. Bethany volunteers her babysitting services for spouses whose service members are deployed. The younger children bake cookies for various projects and are quick to share their “friendship bread” with neighbors.
This family has grown stronger each day by embracing the challenges of being a military family. Their children have learned that being strong and brave isn’t only about the troops in combat—it’s about overcoming a fear of the dark, standing up to peer pressure, or coping with the stress of having your dad deployed. This family strives to serve in every way possible.
The finalist families were:
Army Family of the Year
CSM Kevin Nolan and Family, Fort Riley, Kansas
Navy Family of the Year
LTJG Joshua Caldwell and Family, Kailua, Hawaii
Air Force Family of the Year
MSgt Wayne and TSgt Thane Ojala and Family, Las Vegas, Nevada
Coast Guard Family of the Year
BM1 Aaron Udland and Family, Juneau, Alaska
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Family of the Year
CDR Shepard Smith and Family, Norfolk, Virginia
Public Health Service Family of the Year
CDR Dana Hall and the Horesh Family, Overland Park, Kansas
About the National Military Family Association
Military families serve our country with pride, honor, and quiet dedication. The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. We provide families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, work to get them the benefits they deserve, and offer programs that improve their lives. Our 40 years of service and accomplishments have made us a trusted resource for military families and the Nation's leaders. To learn more, visit http://www.militaryfamily.org/.
