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Mental Health Resources for Service Members – Active and Retired – and their Families

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Mental health is part of your physical health. Being tired and run down can be from stress and worry, just as much as it is a physical ailment. In times of stress, getting in touch with mental health services is needed. In times of less stress, preventative maintenance through setting up your network or knowing where to go is useful. These are resources provided through verified resources to aide and support. Save this. Use them. Share them.

Through Tricare

Tricare has partnered with Telemynd for online counseling and mental health services – check out your local clinic or Tricare site for local links. No referral or authorization is needed for TRICARE Prime members and there are no copays or cost-shares for telemedicine care at time of this writing. You don’t have to have “a big issue” to work through to talk to them. The service is there to help address stressors, emotional distress, work or family issues, depression, anxiety and grief-related counseling. Telemynd has both counselors to provide therapy and psychiatrist to manage mental health disorders. Each state is different on the regulations for providers to be within state, so request a form through the Humana Military section of the Telemynd website to find providers you can connect to.

Base Resources

Military Family and Life Counselors (MFLC)  are at most bases and are able to talk to family members, including children if they are licensed as such, and active-duty members. Most schools on base have MFLC, as well as Child Development Centers. If you are connected to a school that has one, reach out to the base school liaison to see if they are aware of where the MFLCs are on base. This is a no-cost tool.

Phone Numbers

If you are not near a base, unable to leave your home, or simply want to talk – there are many phone numbers to call. There are specific numbers for veterans, one for women veterans and one for military-affiliated caregivers. All are ready to talk and trained to support each unique circumstance.

Veterans Crisis line: 1-800-273-8255, press 1

Veterans Crisis Text Line- send a text to: 838255

Veteran Call Center: 1-877-927-8387

Women Veteran’s Call Center: 1-855-829-6636

Caregiver Support phone line: 1-855-260-3274

Wounded Warrior Resource Center: 1-800-342-9647

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans: 1-877-424-3838

Military One Source

Military One Source is available in many ways. There is a website where you can research their counseling options, and they have two phone numbers.

CONUS phone number: 800-342-9647

OCONUS phone number: 800-342-9647 or 703-253-7599

Military One Source only has counselors at the time of this writing, so while they are trained and ready to support with any concern, they cannot provide any prescriptions for medications as needed.

Resources

Looking for resources to check out, people to reach out to and programming? There are many organizations available.

The Veterans Affairs has an entire website resource dedicated to mental health wellbeing – www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Hope for the Warriors is a nonprofit that specifically focuses on service members and their families involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom – www.hopeforthewarriors.org

The Semper Fi And America’s Fund has programming for supporting service member and families, helping with transition and integrative wellness – www.thefund.org (Semper Fi Fund)

The FOCUS program is there to help with stress, it’s actually in the name – FOCUS stands for Families OverComing Under Stress. The programs work with military children, families and couples with programming and individual counseling. Look for one near you here-  www.focusproject.org  The organization works on emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, goal-setting and managing trauma and stress reminders, so is for preventative maintenance as well as intervention in times of crisis.

Find local validated resources that support recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration for service members, veterans and their family members by looking here: www.nrd.gov

When you are feeling low, it is hard to know where to turn. These resources are here for anyone to reference or turn to. Military members, their family members and their children deal with strong and varied emotions, and you are not alone.

Tips for Making Your Rental Feel More Like Home

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PCS season means military families have been uprooted again and are in new homes across the world. The homes come in various sizes of small apartments in Germany to four story townhouses in Alexandria. The varying sizes and layouts of the homes provide another opportunity to make the new house a home. When it is a rental, you have to consider what changes can be temporary and easily removed, or ask for permission from the landlord to make the changes more permanent. Here are some ideas.

Removable Wallpaper

Wallpaper that can be repositioned easily is a total win. It adds a temporary change that is easily removed while adding personalization. This is a total win in the kitchen if you do not have a backsplash – just peel it off when you go to leave and viola! – clean walls! Want to make an accent wall? Try it with wallpaper! Again, it is removed easily because of the type of wallpaper it is. This may not work on textured walls as well, so keep that in mind as you plan your changes.

Wall Stickers

Especially for children’s rooms or an accent area, wall stickers are great because they are like removable wallpaper – they can be repositioned easily, and are often small enough that it will stick to textured walls. They can add personality quickly, easily, and for a relatively affordable price all with the ability to change it up again when desired.

Curtains

Adding curtains adds privacy, savings on heat and air conditioning, and makes a house feel more like home. Now, not all windows are the same size and with moving into homes of varying sizes, the window sizes will change too. Try to use what curtains you had before if you can – if the window is smaller than your curtains, consider hanging up a curtain rod higher to give the look of a taller window. This isn’t always easier said than done, but it is certainly better for the budget to use what you have.

Outdoor Garden

Whether you have a patio, deck, or yard, having an outdoor space without the clutter of boxes or pictures laying against the wall helps in helping to make a house a home. Buying plants can add up over the visits to the home improvement store, so finding a Buy Nothing or Freecycle group is a great way to get cuttings of plants like succulents or herbs like Rosemary where plants can be regrown from the cuttings. A bonus that gardening is a known stress reliever is the perfect treatment for the post-PCS season.

Change up Kitchen Knobs

An affordable changeover in the kitchen is swapping out the kitchen knobs. If the knobs are broken or covered in years of grime that won’t come clean, it is sometimes less time-consuming to change out the kitchen knobs. It can brighten a place easily.

Remove Cabinet Doors

If you aren’t a fan of the cabinet doors in your rental, consider removing them altogether and storing them. Open cabinets and shelving are a trend right now. You can even add removable wallpaper to the back of the shelves to add more personalization.

Indoor Plants

Just like having a place to “escape” to outside, adding an indoor plant adds greenery, air, and light to the space. An indoor tree in the entryway makes it feel more welcoming.

Change up the Shower Heads

The standard shower heads in most rental homes are the basic contractor shower head. Adding a removable shower head makes for both a more enjoyable shower and an easier way to clean the shower.

Change up Light Covers

Apartment complexes and on-base housing alike have the same lighting fixtures. Mixing up the lighting with different light covers adds ambiance and personalization. If you totally remove the light fixture, make sure to save the old one in a spot you will remember so you can swap it out again before you move.

Change up the Light Bulbs

The standard light bulbs aren’t just bright and, in your face, but also draining on the electricity bill. Switch to LED bulbs that will make your pocketbook happier and prevent brassy lighting.

Under Cabinet Lighting

There are lighting strips that can be mounted by adhesive strips, which can be removed easily with the next move. These are typically battery operated so do not require any wiring or drilling, and can be easily turned on with a motion sensor or pressing. The lighting change adds ambient lighting and makes chopping or reading from a recipe book a lot easier.

What are your favorite ways to personalize your new rental?

Resources to Support Afghan Refugees

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In times of the unknown, military families stick up for each other. We understand the challenges of military life. We have seen our spouses come and go, leaving boots in the hallway, heard their worries and cares. When the announcement was made that the withdrawal from Afghanistan was happening, there was a flurry of emotions from service members and family members alike. For twenty years, many service members have deployed time and time again to Iraq and Afghanistan, building relationships with the people there. It is those relationships that brought about the desire to help the Afghan people and assist them while they leave their country as refugees.  

If you are feeling lost and looking for a way to volunteer, here is a resource list. There are many location-specific opportunities to donate and volunteer, as well as general volunteering. These are organizations that have recently been organized or are shifting their purpose to assist in this new climate. Not every one of these resources was able to verify through CharityNavigator.org but this might be due to their newness and the paperwork to be listed as a 501c3 may still not be completed at the time of this writing.

There are many tasks ahead to assist with refugees including remote administrative, computer tasks, assisting with finding temporary housing, and foster parenting to name a few. Check out helptheafghans.org/volunteer-now to find opportunities

Soldiersangels.org is looking for in-kind donations and care packages.

Catholic Charities is working with refugees across the United States. Check out what their needs are within the Refugees section of their website at catholicchartitiesusa.org. They have posted local chapter needs on their websites as well.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service support refugees in their entrance into the United States. Check out the “Refugee Resettlement” tab on lirsconnect.org.

The UN Refugee Agency has supplies and people located where the refugees are and have shared their needs.

The Semper Fi & American’s Fund is collecting funds to assist Afghan Interpreters and their needs. Check out semperfifund.org to learn more about what you can do to help.

International Rescue Committee, UNICEF Afghanistan, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement have resources for where to donate and what to donate for the varying needs of the Refugees across the world.

California

The Afghan Support Project at Pars Equality Center is looking for those who can help with legal assistance.

Rescue Lives is looking for assistance with placing refugees in the LA Metro area.

Jewish Family and Community Services Easy Bay offers services to refugees in support, immigration legal services and resettlement.

DC Metro Area

The Lutheran Social Services is assisting in securing housing for families, setting up homes, providing meals and items in addition to help enroll children in school and getting families settled. They need help with donations, volunteer and advocate. The LSSNCA has three resettlement sites in the area at the time of this writing at Hyattsville, MD, Fairfax, VA and Dale City, VA.

Pennsylvania

The Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia is looking for donations and volunteers to help set up homes and provide meals to refugees coming to the Philadelphia area. Check out nscphila.org to learn more of what they are looking for including partner organizations that are looking for donations as well.

Texas

Refugee Services of Texas is assisting Afghan refugees coming to the Texas area. They have direct donation lists and Amazon wish lists for incoming families on their website at rstx.org

Virginia

International Neighbors is helping settle refugee families in the Charlottesville, Virginia area to settle in the local area. They are looking for donations and volunteers.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families has a link on their website for ways for local Wisconsin families to get involved in helping families settle in Wisconsin.

As resources are shared, this list will be updated. Share any resources below.

All Active Duty Spouses Can Complete the DOD Survey for 2021

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There is an old adage among service members, “If the [enter service branch here] wanted you to have a family, they would issue you one.” This phrase comes from the idea and feeling that military families are low priorities. Each service branch is different in what program offerings of support are offered to military families. The Department of Defense (DOD) is the broad organization over all the service branches – the Department of the Navy which includes the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force which includes the United States Space Force, the United States Coast Guard, and the National Guard Bureau. The DOD announced the launch of its biennial Active Duty Spouse survey in July of 2021.

Committed to Families

Per a press release from the DOD, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy Patricia Montes Barron stated that “We are committed to taking care of our military spouses, and these surveys will allow us to engage in deeper dialogue with them and help us prioritize solutions that meet their most pressing needs.  We’re proud of the progress we have made on important spouse issues, especially around stress, relationship support, and employment. We now there is more to do, and these survey results will help guide our next steps.”

Survey Results Make a Difference

While it can be difficult to see or feel the tangible changes that the survey results provide, there are real differences that can be made by answering the survey truthfully. One such impact has come in spouse licensure changes. There are now programs allowing for coverage of new licensure for spouses with each move. This program came directly from the 2019 survey which “brought attention to the increasing lengths of time for spouses to find a job after a permanent change of station move” said Director of the Center Retention and Readiness in the Office of People Analytics Dr. Paul Rosenfel.

Spouses can do the Survey Here

Some spouses were randomly selected for the survey, to provide a scientifically significant sample. This year, all active-duty spouses are invited to complete the survey via the Department of Defense Office of People Analytics survey portal here.

Survey Results

The previous year’s survey results and other infographics are available on Military One Source. Once the 2021 survey is completed, the results will be available on Military One Source as well.

Do Your Part

If you are a military spouse, make your voice heard by going to the survey and completing it honestly. Share the survey link with your friends and within your community. Consider sending it to Fleet and Family Services, or your service branch’s specific Family Services area, to see if they can share the link. The more spouses who answer will increase the volume of the voices heard.

Commissary Sidewalk Sale Happening in September

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The DeCA Commissary is a staple on military installations. The grocery store is the go-to for stocking up on all the post-move essentials – it has the same brands no matter where you live around the world providing consistency in what to expect. It’s nice to have a little break in the cost too.

In addition to the goal of lower-cost items on offer in the Commissary every day, the Commissary Sidewalk sales are a great place to find deals on favorite items.  OCONUS stores may offer different promotional offers. CONUS commissaries will have items for sale throughout the store including snacks, beverages, and cleaning items.

What are the planned promotions for CONUS Commissaries?

August 30th – September 12th

  • Commissary store brands of diapers
  • Up to 46% off select cereal
  • Up to 37% off select coffee
  • Up to 27% off select lunch Meats
  • Over 50% off select Kids Lunchbox Drinks
  • UP to 26% off home care cleaning items (think post PCS clean)
  • Over 50% off dairy snacks for breakfast

September 1 – September 6th

  • Labor Day Sales on Soda

September 2 – September 6th

  • The bakery will have a sweet item on sale

September 13th – September 26th

  • Up to 28% home care cleaning items including paper towels and laundry items
  • Over 30% off dairy snacks for adventures on the go
  • Up to 29% off select cereal and breakfast bars
  • Up to 31% select tea
  • Up to 28% select juice boxes
  • Up to 25% select sports drinks
  • Over 35% off select light bulbs

September 22 – September 28

  • The bakery will offer a sale on select fall cheeses

September 27th – October 10th

  • Up to 28% select home care cleaning items
  • Over 50% off select dairy snacks for school lunches and adventures on the go
  • Up to 42% off select cereal and granola bars
  • Up to 26% off select lunchmeat

On average, the commissary saves patrons 25% annually, and these sidewalk sales offer savings sometimes over 50% off the usual price, depending on the category.  Local commissaries will post their sales ad in the stores and on their websites.

Will you head to the Commissary for their Sidewalk sale?

A to Z: The Basics of Understanding the Military Acronyms

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Being part of the military comes with a whole new language. The military acronyms. This language is meant to provide a means for quick and efficient communication among the military community.  If you have ever felt like you needed some sort of insider knowledge to decode what is said, here is an abbreviated GOAT for you – Glossary of Acronym of Terms. But just for fun, this isn’t just the real acronyms – but also what you will frequently hear them referred to. This isn’t a comprehensive list by any means, but will surely make you laugh or chortle, and explain the LES.

AAFES – Army and Air Force Exchange Service – aka the bougie exchange, especially when in OCONUS locations where families are present

ADFM – Active Duty Family Member. This is what DEERS refers to family members as. Family members are numbered as well by a FMP (Family Member Prefix). Spouses are generally 30. Second spouse 40, etc. Children are numbered based on seniority – 01 for first child, 02 for second, etc.

AMC – Air Mobility Command. This is who operates military flights CONUS and OCONUS, and for families for moves overseas.

BAH – Basic Housing Allowance. This monetary allowance is allotted by rank for the military member – it is divided by with and without dependents by rank and zip code.

BAS – Basic Allowance for Subsistence. This monetary allowance is to cover the service member’s meals. It is not meant to cover family member’s meals.

BCGs – Birth Control Glasses. This loving acronym refers to the lovely large black-framed glasses with abnormally thick corrective lenses that anyone who must wear glasses gets while in training.

BZ – Bravo Zulu. This phrase is used to celebrate an accomplishment or say “great job!” to a fellow service member or work counterpart.

CDC – Child Development Center – this CDC is not to be confused with the other organization of the same acronym which is on the news often. The CDC is the base daycare for children from 6 weeks to preschool.

COLA – Cost of Living Allowance. This is a stipend provided to service members who live in areas with high cost of living. COLA is typically offered to service members who live overseas to help cover the additional costs of living in these higher cost areas. There are areas that provide CONUS COLA. Areas within CONUS that provide COLA as of this writing can be found here.

CONUS – Continental United States

DEERS – Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. This is the system that registers all service members, and their family members. When a service member becomes married, they must go to DEERS with the family member to put them in the system. When a family member is born, the family member must be registered in DEERS within 90 days. DEERS registration is what is pulled for TRICARE coverage.

DFAC – Dining Facility…because we need four letters for a two-word building.

DFAS– Defense Finance and Accounting Service – this is a big one, this is the acronym service members see in their bank accounts.

DITY – Do It Yourself, usually referred to as a DITY move. However, this acronym has fallen out of vernacular and is now a PPM – Personally Procured Move. Either DITY and PPM are interchangeable.

DOD – Department of Defense

ETS: Expiration of Term of Service. Also known as EAS – or Expiration of Active Obligated Service. This is the end of the enlistment period, or for officer the ETS is the period before career designation (service dependent).

FOB – Forward operating base. These bases are located in deployment locations, and are usually large enough to have hot water showers!

FUBAR – F***** beyond all recognition. AKA not a job well done.

HEDIS– Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set – the HEDIS metrics are something that you may hear of if you are seen at medical on installation, or be asked a specific question at visits due to measures that are being monitored.

LES – Leave and Earning Statement – the pay stub that military members receive. It looks like a crazy chart, and there are actual classes to help discern its meaning.

MRE – Meals Ready to Eat. These meals punch a day’s worth of calories into one little brown pouch will prevent the service member from needing to use the facilities in the field to #2. But those pan coated chocolate discs look awful familiar!

MTF – Military Treatment Facility – the military hospital or main clinic that provides medical services to active duty or military families on board installation.

OCONUS – Outside the Continental United States/ outside the contiguous United States – aka overseas locations where service members are stationed. Alaska counts as OCONUS, as is Hawaii, since it is not within the “lower 48” states.

OHA – Overseas Housing Allowance. This is self-explanatory – the housing allowance provided to service members living in overseas locations. In lieu of BAH, military members receive OHA when living OCONUS. Getting the hang of these acronyms?

OPSEC – Operational Security. If you have heard the phrase “Loose Lips Sink Ships” then you are families with OPSEC. The idea is to not share dates of moving troops overseas, or military secrets on social media or with people outside the immediate need to know.

Package Store – It is also referred to as the Shoppette or a Class 6. Not an acronym, but this phrase refers to the store on base that sells alcohol.

PCM – Primary Care Manager. TRICARE Prime is a HMO like insurance – meaning all referrals must go through a PCM. If you have TRICARE Prime, get to know your PCM well, and how to get in touch with them.

PEBD– Pay Entry Base Date – this is seen on the LES. This date is the most recent entry on duty without a break in service.

POA – Power of Attorney – this document is essential for family members of the active duty service member when they are deployed. There are General and Special Power of Attorney’s – ask your service’s administrative section or legal services to learn more about these and when to have them.

POV – Privately Owned Vehicle as opposed to a Government Owned Vehicle (GOV) or a contracted vehicle.

SA – Situational Awareness

Scuttlebutt – while not an acronym, this term means conversation around the water cooler or occasionally is used to refer to the water cooler itself.

SOCOM – Special Operations Command

TDY – Temporary Duty Travel, aka Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) – this is the term that military members often say when they travel on business, because after all, it is on duty.

TSP – Thrift Savings Plan – the retirement plan offered to service members. Make sure you understand what the breakdowns for this means.

The X – a term for the military Exchange. Often a Navy Exchange or Marine Corps Exchange because of the large “X” in their signs.

If you want to know even more acronyms associated with your or your families branch of service, inquire at the family services office to see if there are classes on offer to help discern the military terms. Learning what these abbreviations mean can help with insight and a sense of belonging with the understanding. Want to have it all at your fingertips now, refer to the DOD Dictionary of Military Associated Terms for up to date acronyms.

What to Replace with Each Move

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PCS season is full of changes and to-do lists. One list you may not realize you need to have is the list of things to toss before you move and what to buy once you arrive at your new duty station. Reduce, reusing and recycling is nice to do with each move, especially to save the budget as moving is not cheap, but not everything can be moved. If you are moving yourselves – save yourself the time and space in your moving boxes by not packing these things. If you are having the government pay for and coordinate the move, save yourself the hassle of some these gross and weird things from being packed in a box with your dry pantry goods – trust me, it has happened.

Let’s go to the rooms with the biggest offenders. What things do you need to toss the last day in your previous duty station, and just replace when you move into your new home?

Bathroom

The bathroom is a key room to set up when you arrive at your new post. It is a room where an overflowing toilet can do some real damage – so having all the necessary items just makes sense. But you also don’t want a dirty and wet toilet brush that was just used to the clean the toilet, in with your towels or kitchen spices. Here is the down and dirty on what to replace in the bathroom:

  • Toilet bowl brush – as said above – it just makes sense. And you will want to have it for one final cleaning in your old home before moving into your new one.
  • Plunger – Murphy is no friend of PCSing – he calls when you are ready to move out of your home. Prevent an overflowing toilet by keeping your plunger to the last minute, and getting a new one at your new home. No need to bring those across state lines.
  • Shower curtain liners – if you are moving into a home where a shower curtain is needed, those thin, clear plastic liners that you spent a few dollars on a Target (pronounced: Tar-jay )do not need to come with you in your moving boxes. Keep them on your shower until the last minute so you can take showers for as long as you are in the home. It’s worth the few dollars to replace them on your next Target run in your new home.
  • Bath mats – This is an iffy one – if you are using your shower until the last day, and your boxes leave before then, you don’t want to be without a bathmat and you also don’t want to pack a wet one. If you have a bathmat you love, consider packing it while it is dry and using an old towel for your bath mat.
  • Trashcan – Unless your trashcan was fully protected by a plastic bag, all that trash from the bathroom…yuck.

Kitchen

  • Trashcan– Do you want to bring the coffee grounds and banana peel that didn’t quite make it into the trash bag fully? Nope. And just pulling the trashcan off limits should prevent packers from packing the bag of trash into a box, right?
  • Mop– Again with packing the wet things! If you are using your mop to clean your old home then you don’t want it packed, but you also don’t want it packed wet. Just save yourself the trouble and get the commissary special mop – it’s under $10 and saves you the headache of finding a potentially moldy mop on the other end.
  • Sponges– Oy! With the poodles already! Okay..you get the point though – wet things – bad to pack. Just toss the $1 sponge and get a new one – don’t try to dry it out to pack. And whatever you do, don’t pack a moist sponge and then pack into a plastic baggie unless you want to see a really colorful and crazy science experiment on the other end.
  • Broom– One tool you will want to clean the house one last time before you move out, and if packed in a dark box for a few months may attract all sorts of critters. Best to just pass that broom onto an incoming neighbor and get yourself a new one at the next duty station.

PCSing for everyone is a little bit different. Overall, military families want to make moving as smooth as possible. That often means reusing something from a former home in a newer home into a new way. While that is commendable – some items just shouldn’t make the move. Some to toss, some to pass onto an incoming neighbor – and just purchase or get on the free groups at the next duty station.

What things do you purge and purchase again when you PCS?

5 Quick, Easy, and Healthy Meals for End of Summer

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Whether you are moving this summer and looking for quick preparation meals that aren’t from a box, or just want a break from the cooking of the last year – here are 5 quick and easy meals for the summer that require a small amount of effort and are light, refreshing and on the healthy side.

  1. Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon: This sweet-and-salty treat is perfect finger food for eating outside on the patio, on the couch, or on a moving box table if you are PCSing this season. It requires no cooking which is perfect for those hot, humid climates or where gas/electricity is pricey during the evening hours. You can mix it up and do ham or spiced turkey instead of prosciutto.
  2. Yogurt Parfaits: Make it breakfast for dinner! Line the yogurt of your choice, berries of your choosing, and granola of your choosing up in a line on the counter and let everyone go to town in building and making their own parfait. You can use whatever fruit you have on hand and is local to you, so no special grocery trips just for this! Favorites of banana, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry are traditional choices, but mix it up with kiwi or dragon fruit if you have them! Add local honey to the lineup to assist with combating local allergens and add a little sweetness to dinner (remember: raw honey is not recommended for children under the age of one year old.)
  3. Salads galore: An easy, no-cook, and healthy option for summer is a salad. This doesn’t have to be the same salad every week. The beauty of salads is you can really use whatever you wish – any leftovers or local produce can add flavor to your salad while staying within budget and offering a healthier option. Consider using quinoa, kale, spinach, or couscous as a base for the salad instead of romaine lettuce. Chop up or shred whatever meat you have on hand- chicken, steak, fish to the salad. On shopping day, consider picking up a rotisserie chicken and shredding that for the salad – bonus that you don’t have to cook the chicken and you have the beginnings of a beautiful salad.  Want to keep it all veggies – add marinated zucchini, squash, or cucumber for additional flavor and zest without having to cook anything! Don’t forget about adding fruit to salads – mandarin oranges, nectarines, apples, and kiwi add zest, are delicious and just might be a new favorite! Make it a Greek salad by adding in feta with tomatoes, onions, and olives. Make it California-style with avocado and salmon with a base of couscous. Noodle salads are a great way to use noodles as the base to get kids interested in eating salads. Vietnamese noodles don’t require much besides pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit in the water for about 3 minutes. Add lime juice, bean sprouts, shredded veg, and green onions for a quick salad. If your kids are picky eaters and you don’t want to prepare two meals – try adding in things they will eat to the salad to pique their interest – croutons are always a win.
  4.  Thai Peanut Wrap:  Mix shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, shelled edamame, chopped scallions, cilantro, and peanuts together and top with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, melted peanut butter, salt, and honey. Mix together and place in a wrap of your choosing – maybe even a lettuce leaf for a lettuce wrap. For those with peanut allergies, you can change up the stuffing to broccoli slaw with chicken and whatever dressing you like. Or maybe layer shrimp with spinach and feta and tomato. The wrap is delicious finger food and can be made easily together as long as you have the ingredients. One of our favorite wraps is “leftover wraps” where anything is added to the wrap – we have done couscous with curry in a wrap and rotisserie chicken with leftover veggies for lunch and dinner. Always a win because leftovers are eaten and enjoyed.
  5. Veggie Noodle pasta: The ultimate no-cook dinner is using premade zucchini or squash noodles for the base of pasta. You can rinse them with saltwater, or sprinkle with salt for 8-10 minutes and then rinse with water to soften them.  Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and parmesan for a simple but delicious pasta.

When it is hot and humid outside, the last thing we want is to heat the house while cooking. While grilling may be the ultimate summer cooking method, there are no-cook delicious meals for the making, and many are dairy-free!  Happy eating!

Do you have any favorite no-cook meals that you prepare for the summer?

Honor Flights Return

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August is the month when the long-awaited Honor Flights are returning! The Honor Flight Network has been on hold for the last 16-months and will resume flights on August 16th transporting veterans to the Washington DC area.

Honor Flights are flights provided to veterans located around the United States to fly to Washington D.C. to tour the war memorials. The program was placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. The 125 chapters of the Honor Flight Network held a virtual meeting in June to review the current guidelines and updates and made the call to restart flights in August.

As part of the new protocols, all veterans, their guardians, and volunteers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before the flight departs in addition to completing a symptom survey to ensure they had not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms prior to travel. These guidelines are in place as many of the veterans traveling are often terminally ill and nursing home residents and wanted to ensure their health and safety as part of the program.

Honor Flight Network has resumed accepting applications for the Lone Eagle Honor Flight program and TLC (Their Last Chance) flights.  The Lone Eagle Honor Flight program is for veterans who live outside a 120-mile radius from an existing regional Honor Flight Hub, and allows for veterans and their guardians to be flown via a Lone Eagle Honor Flight. There are regional hubs in 44 states, with no regional hubs in Arkansas, Montana, Idaho, Mississippi, and Hawaii. The TLC flights are reserved for a veteran whose terminal condition that per their personal physician has given them 12 months or less to live. The veteran does not pay for anything, except perhaps souvenirs if they desire, as all costs are covered by the generosity of donations.

Applications are being accepted now with top priority given to World War II and terminally ill veterans. If a veteran was scheduled for a flight in 2020, those flights are being rescheduled and the veteran or their guardian would be contacted directly.

The Honor Flight Network provides an amazing service and we are so glad they are able to safely return to operation.

Update on the Military Minimum Wage Debate

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The House Appropriations Committee is looking into minimum wage salaries for all service members. As part of the proposed FY 2022 Defense Budget Bill, Representative Mike Garcia introduced language that would ensure all service members have a base pay of about $15 an hour. This would be for a 40-hour day estimation. We know as military family members that the work week is often much more than 40 hours, and much longer when they are deployed on a ship or overseas.

Base pay for military members is just that, base pay. The base pay does not consider Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) or Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) which is provided as a means to offset the service members’ meals and housing respectively. When these figures are included, plus special and incentive pays like flying duty, parachuting duty, or diving duty, the total pay for service members is higher. However, according to Representative Garcia, past studies from the Government Accountability Office indicate that over 20,000 military families qualify for food stamp assistance. Given this large number of families needing assistance, Representative Garcia stated “If the government is paying for these service members to be on food stamps, we may as well be paying them through the base pay or sustenance allowance on the front end.”

The debate among the committee included concern that the verbiage of the increased hourly rate of $15 would have to include contractor employees as well as active duty military. The House Armed Services Committee members have pledged to hold discussions on the pay matter in the future. There is no current timeline for discussions.

This discussion will be monitored and updated. Sign up for updates from the House Armed Services Committee here.