Military Life News

Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

How the Resident Energy Conservation Program Is Hitting Military Families Hard

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The Resident Energy Conservation Program (RECP) was created to make residents of military housing more aware of their energy use and to therefore reduce consumption. The goal is to lower energy use for environmental reasons and to save the government money.

So far the government is the only one seeing any savings as hundreds of military families find huge bills in their mailbox for energy they say was not justly charged or actually used.

The pilot for the Resident Energy Conservation Program took place in Hawaii between 2011 and 2012. In that initial test phase, the government saw a 9% reduction in use, which ultimately saved them $1.3 million according to Commander, Navy Installations Command. The reality for military families however was quite the opposite.

Compiled complaints show that military families consistently were charged $200 to $600 a month in electricity bills for over use. Many people claim that they did not use the equivalent amount of energy to justify such steep bills. Military housing says the bills are correct and have not done much to sway these families from feeling unjustly charged.

The pilot for the Resident Energy Conservation Program was considered by the government to be a success and over the last few years has been rolled out to all Marine Corps and Navy housing. It isn’t a bad program. In an effort to persuade residents to conserve energy, the program includes a reward element. The government’s research showed that when families embraced the Resident Energy Conservation Program that consumption fell 20%. To motivate families to achieve this, the Resident Energy Conservation Program was equipped with a credit or reimbursement for families that saved energy.

How does the Resident Energy Conservation Program determine use?

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is meant to cover the normal use of electricity or gas and water and sewer as compared to families with similar homes out in town.

To determine average use on base, the Resident Energy Conservation Program uses Like-Type Groups (LTGs). These are homes in the same neighborhood that are in the same condition and age. These could include homes with similar square footage and number of bedrooms as well as the type of home and the type of energy, gas versus electricity.

It does not account for the number of people in a household just as BAH is not adjusted for the number of family members. From this, a monthly Normal Usage Band is created.

The Normal Usage Band gives a leeway of 10% over and under, providing room for consumption. For residents that use 10% less than the norm, they are given a credit or rebate. Military families that go over the 10% rate are charged for the overage.

This makes the Resident Energy Conservation Program sound fair, but residents are receiving bills far beyond what they consider reasonable. When military families question the housing office, they say that is what was used and that is what is owed.

A number of military families have been able to have their meters tested for accuracy however. Some have found their meter was actually connected to a street light or a neighbor’s home. Military housing originally was not designed with individual homes running on meters. Specialists had to go in and set up meters. In some instances, those individuals merely guessed which lines went to which houses.

What can you do if you think your utility bill is wrong?

If you are living in military housing and believe your bill is not accurate contact the resident services manager or housing office. You can request a home evaluation to make sure all appliances are using energy efficiently as well. The manager can sit down with your family and help you understand ways to conserve energy. In the meantime, you still have to pay your bill. If you do not, you may find an eviction letter in your mailbox next.

There are waivers available for wounded warriors and families registered with the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). If your family uses excess electricity due to medical reasons, you can request a waiver from the Resident Energy Conservation Program. You can submit a request through the EFMP office or through the Wounded Warrior Bn.

If you are still unsatisfied, you can reach out to your chain of command. NCIS is conducting its own investigation in some areas so you can also contact them. Lastly, you can submit a claim to the Inspector General.

Do you think that military families are being scammed by the Resident Energy Conservation Program? What problems have you had with your bill when you lived in on-base housing?

Will Concealed Weapons Carry Permits Keep Us Safe?

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Seeing weapons in a military environment is nothing new. Part of all military instruction includes training with firearms. Rules and regulations are paramount for safety and the security of military armories is taken extremely seriously. And life on and around military installations post 9/11 has seen armed security become part of the norm, for service members, civilians and family members alike.

But even with heightened security, gun violence and tragedy has impacted our military communities.

We will never forget the horror and aftermath of the shooting at Fort Hood in 2009 or forget the lives lost at the recruiting station in Tennessee in 2015. When these kinds of tragedies strike, it is human nature to immediately look for ways to prevent them from happening again.

Many called for the option for all active duty personnel to be able to carry weapons. And so, it seems, the DoD has listened to these calls for concealed weapon carrying on military installations.

After a review of the shootings in Texas and Tennessee, and with the acknowledgement that all duty locations do not the same level of security, the DoD authorized both its civilian and military personnel to carry private, concealed weapons onto DoD property. This includes military installations, DoD buildings and facilities, and recruiting stations.

In a 26-page directive issued on November 18, 2016, the DoD clarified guidelines for personnel authorized to carry weapons and use deadly force in the course of official duty. The directive also provides for the command’s ability to authorize private, concealed weapon carry onto DoD property for DoD personal who do not require a weapon for the execution of their daily duties.

No Blanket Permission Policy

Permission to carry weapons is not an absolute. Permission must be granted by an O-5 level officer or higher and must be provided in writing. Authorization to carry cannot exceed 90 days, but permission may be re-authorized for additional 90-day periods.

Authorization to carry private weapons does not extend to members of the National Guard, as rules and regulations pertaining to the use and carry of weapons is governed by each individual state government.

Private, Concealed Gun Carry Has Many Restrictions

DoD personnel who wish to carry private weapons onto DoD property must:

  • Be at least 21 years of age and licensed in the state or host-nation they wish to carry in.
  • Must not have had previous USMJ disciplinary action or be under investigation for any offenses that would bring their “fitness to carry” into question.
  • Must not have been previously convicted or be currently charged in a civilian court for substance abuse, stalking, harassment, or domestic violence.
  • Must not be under the influence of alcohol or hallucinatory drugs while carrying the weapon.
  • Must provide proof of “competence with a firearm” from a certified training course offered by the U.S. government, a police agency, DoD, state, local or tribal government-approved safety or training course. Or a course offered by a law-enforcement agency or college.
  • Must notify the authorizing authority immediately should their ability to follow these guidelines change.

A concealed weapon must be completely covered by clothing or uniform at all times and it must not impair a carrier’s normal job function. State laws must be followed with regard to “caliber, ammunition, capacity, and design,” and while the weapon is on-person, it must kept in holster, even if carried in “purse, backpack, handbag, or case.”

When a weapon is not being carried, it must be stored unloaded in a secure gun-storage device and if it is stored in a vehicle, that storage device must be hidden from view. Carriers transporting a concealed weapon off of DoD property must follow all state, local, and/or host-nation laws pertaining to the carry of that weapon.

And last, but certainly not least, personnel wishing to carry a concealed weapon must understand that they are personally liable for any injury, death or damage to property that occurs due to negligence “in connection with the possession or use of privately owned firearms that are not within the scope of their federal employment.”

Will Concealed Weapons Carry Permits for Service Members Keep Our Military Bases Safer?

It is hard not to see the logic in charging more members of our community with its safekeeping. However, there are questions to be asked and legitimate causes for concern.

Will arming additional personnel help to prevent or end shooting incidents faster?

Or will it create another layer of confusion and slow security personnel and first responders when reacting to a firearm incident?

Are the safety risks associated with gun carrying acceptable and reasonable for stateside and non-combat duty locations? Or are we willing to accept that level of risk if it could possibly prevent injury or harm on a larger scale?

What do you think of the Pentagon’s decision to allow service members to carry concealed weapons?

Should BAH Be Excluded from Food Stamp Eligibility?

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In 2015, more than $80 million in food stamp benefits were spent at military commissaries. That is an astonishing figure and that amount does not cover every family that needs financial help to feed their family. There are many more military families that would benefit from food stamps, now known as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Congresswoman Susan Davis, the Ranking Member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, introduced the Military Hunger Prevention Act. Its purpose is to exempt the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) in the determination of a military family’s eligibility for particular federal benefits. This bill is specifically aimed at making it easier for military families to qualify for SNAP.

While BAH varies based on region, pay grade and dependency, in many cases it still is not enough to cover housing. This leaves families using other components of their pay to cover rent or mortgage that would otherwise go to food. Because of this, many military families are forced to use emergency food relief. Investigators at Camp Pendleton reported last year that 400 to 500 military families used one of the food pantries on base. That is just the statistic of one of the 4 food pantries on Camp Pendleton.

Rep. Davis introduced this bill after learning that numerous families in the San Diego area, specifically Camp Pendleton, were unable to meet the basic need to feed their families.

By removing BAH from the annual income of military families, more will qualify for food stamps. This shift may provide relief to the overwhelmed food banks.

The bill has been introduced and referred to the Committee on Armed Services as well as the Committee on Agriculture for further review.

In the meantime, military families will continue to stand in line at 7 a.m. to receive meals from food pantries on base as well as off base. To beat the stigma of getting help, a program was introduced in schools where children receive a backpack of food to help them get through the weekend when free breakfast and free lunch are not available. Sadly, nearly a quarter of the children in on-base schools receive free meals. This means thousands of children potentially do not have access to food at home, particularly over the weekend when free meals are not available.

While receiving SNAP benefits might sound like the answer to this problem, it isn’t a lot of money.

States vary on the amount of money that is allocated per person based on certain criteria. In 2015, California’s program paid on average $1.58 per person per meal a day. Last year Alabama paid on average $1.40 per meal per day.

Imagine how much you spend on your meals. Would this amount cover it?

In 2013 a Census Bureau study showed that about 2% of active duty families used SNAP. That is roughly 23,000 military families.

Six percent of those that responded to the Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Survey said they had to use emergency food relief last year. Military families are struggling to feed their families.

The Department of Defense tried a program in 2001 known as the Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA) to help military families. This program was meant to provide up to a $1,100 a month supplement to put service members over the requirement for SNAP. The program was terminated in September 2016 because not enough families qualified for it.

If the Military Hunger Prevention Act passes, will being able to qualify for SNAP be the answer to thousands of military families’ hunger problem or is there a better solution for those facing food insecurity?

What do you think of this proposal to exclude BAH from food stamp eligibility?

What the Military Community Wants from Washington

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Dear Washington,

Election season has passed, and a new administration is getting ready to take office. That means it’s time for you to take stock of our military capabilities, troops and their families. Yes, the U.S. military is a huge organization and encompasses so much.

However, please take a minute to listen to us, to me, to find out what we want and need from you, right now and for the next 4 or so years.

First, take a hard look at the budget.

Actually look at it with a critical, non-partisan eye. Is there a place where we could trim a little bit of fat without reducing force readiness and family support?

We know that this department has become a huge and growing part of the annual budget. And we also know that something probably needs to change. Please try to do this judiciously, cutting or reducing funding for the (many) redundant portions of the budget while preserving those parts that serve a major purpose in our lives.

We don’t want military funding at the expense of other services we depend on, like education and other programs that serve the general population.

We use these, too. We want them funded and functional.

Next, we need more than lip service about your support.

It’s all well and good to “support the troops” in your speeches and press conferences, but will you actually follow through? A great first step is making sure that our equipment is funded for proper maintenance. With this, include money for adequate training on the equipment. If you want troops ready at a moment’s notice, then they need to be able to access perfectly running equipment AND know how to use it.

Cutting corners here can lead to deadly accidents.

Our fighting force is now a family. That means spouses and kids who depend on the military for both financial and lifestyle stability. If you cut programs that help support military families, you will quickly draw our ire and disdain. This includes medical care, employment programs, child care facilities, commissaries and family readiness programs.

If you want the troops to be ready to go, the whole family needs to be prepared and supported. When those on the homefront feel unstable, that deployed service member can’t do his or her job well.

Don’t forget the veterans, either.

For years now, we have watched the endless saga of corruption and mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hospitals and VA health care facilities have endless waits, leaving many in the lurch. These waits have added extra stress to those suffering from mental and physical health conditions.

Take this department to task and shape it up. Get rid of practices or personnel that are costing lives every day and streamline the process to receive care.

Veterans wrote a blank check to our nation and were willing to sacrifice their very lives to protect ours. The very least we owe them is top-notch medical and mental health care when they leave service.

Help us connect with the other 99%.

About 1% of our country serves in the military. That leaves most Americans without a connection to our troops and their families.

In years past, the entire country banded together to support our troops through war bonds, rations and taxes. Right now, it seems that most Americans just don’t understand what it means to serve our country. Help us to show everyone else what it means to live this life.

Highlight our sacrifices, beyond just the feel-good stories about homecomings and the devastating stories of loss. Help people understand that we have been at war for over 15 years. This war isn’t funding itself.

Pay us what we are worth.

Have you checked on the salaries for our service members from top to bottom lately? Without the “luxuries” of the commissary and military health care, many families wouldn’t be making it financially. Even with these benefits, there are too many military families who qualify for WIC, welfare programs and food stamps. That’s unacceptable.

In addition, due to operational tempo and frequent moves, many military families are trying to make it on just one salary.

Pay our troops what they are worth, based on the work that they do for our country. And pay them without factoring in the “benefits” we all count on just to make it from payday to payday.

These are just a few thoughts, Washington. If you need more ideas, just ask.

MilitaryShoppers readers, what do you want from Washington?

Why I Think Military Wives Are More Likely to Binge Drink

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Almost every military spouse I know indulges in wine, beer or liquor. Sometimes all 3. And we drink on the regular.

So the study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) isn’t really a shock. SAMHSA found military wives are more likely to use and abuse alcohol than civilians. We’re only talking about wives because there were not a significant number of males who responded to the study.

The study found that 67.8% of responding military wives, ages 18-49, had used alcohol within a 30-day window. Among same age civilian women, 53.8% reported using alcohol. Military wives also tend to binge drink at higher rates than civilians, 31.5% compared to 22.7%.

The same study found that rates for illegal drug use were about the same for military wives and civilians, 12.8% compared to 12.9%. Military wives are less likely than civilians to use marijuana, 5.1% of military wives versus 8% of civilians.

The rates of drinking and drug use aren’t super surprising.

Our troops can’t use illegal drugs or even medical marijuana without risking their careers. Having a spouse that uses is not going to be looked on favorably. Especially since it’s been drilled into us that “our behavior reflects on our service member.” That’s for better or worse taken very seriously!

Drinking is an outlet for many service members and their spouses. It’s a way that we can unwind and escape reality for a little while. It’s almost taken for granted that booze is going to be consumed at military social gatherings. I don’t mean a six-pack either. We’re talking a keg.

For those who ARE taken back by these statistics, keep some things in mind.

We have been at war since 2001. That’s 15 straight years of combat deployments, extended overseas tours and knocks on the door. Put yourself in our collective shoes and try it on for size. Just for a day or a week.

You’re home, alone or with your children, and your spouse is a world away. You know he’s taking fire and if he’s not then someone else is engaged in battle. There is very little contact and every day brings news that another service member has been KIA. That next knock on the door could be at your house. Or your best friend’s house. Or someone in your neighborhood. It could be anyone and it’s going to be someone.

This is the reality that many military wives have been living for a decade and a half. We’ve been doing this back-to-back-to-back. And moving all over the globe, far from our own families and homes. Can I pour you a drink?

The operational tempo has impacted our mental health.

About 10% more military wives (29.1%) report mental health concerns than civilians (19.7%). No, there is no “official” correlation (yet) from the scientists who study these things. This is what I know.

It’s what I understand after moving 4 times in 8 years.

It’s how I felt during and after his year-long combat deployment.

What I know from having 2 children without my mother to lean on.

It’s what saying goodbye to countless friends does to a person.

It’s the experience of working so hard for a career or an education, just to have it yanked away because your husband got new orders or is deploying again.

Military life is not for the faint of heart and even the strongest of us can bend and break under the constant pressure.

It’s so easy to slip into a pattern of having a glass of wine at night, just to unwind or destress or relax. After a day of barely holding it together, it feels nice to have the world get a little fuzzy and rosé colored.

We are tightly wound.

So when we DO get the chance to let our hair down, it’s going to be epic. That means bar hopping, shots or even just one glass of wine too many. Our spouses are under a lot of pressure too. Plus, many units and bases have a culture of drinking, hard.

There are so many events that make drinking easier or even seemingly “required.” Birthday balls, homecomings, hail and farewell ceremonies, retirements, promotions and even just a neighborhood barbecue are all great excuses to drink. After all, it’s a party, right?

Alcohol is one of the leading ways that people self-medicate to deal with depression, anxiety or countless other mental health conditions.

So, a good time brings an excuse to let loose and to hide the way many military wives truly feel. For many of us, that good time comes with every girls night out, dinner with friends or Tuesday afternoon playdate.

We are young adults.

The SAMHSA study found that there were more military wives in the 18-25 age group than among most married women, ages 18-49. When many of our peers are off at college, we’re holding down on the homefront and managing a household. Having both done full-time college and run a household at a very young age, I can tell you that being an adult is harder than taking most college classes. There is no appealing the grade when you overdraw your checking account and can’t pay the electricity bill.

For many of us in the 18-25 age range, this is our first time away from home and cohabitating with another adult. We are young, immature in every sense of the word and still figuring it out. When you add in the other factors of stress, deployment and moving away from a support system, it’s no wonder that many young military wives drink.

Actually, college students drink heavily, too. And they are in that same 18-25 age bracket. Maybe the drinking isn’t quite so “shocking” when it’s framed that way instead.

Here’s take-away: military spouses drink and have mental health concerns, but we don’t do drugs.

It’s your turn: why do you think military wives are more likely to drink than their civilian counterparts?

GAO Report Says DoD Lacks Data to Make Cuts to Commissaries

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Remember that Department of Defense report that said budget neutrality isn’t a vital option for commissaries?

Well that report isn’t the end of this discussion.

More likely that report is just the beginning of an ongoing discussion about the feasibility of self-sufficient commissaries.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report titled “Plan and Additional Information Needed on Cost Savings and Metrics for DoD Efforts to Achieve Budget Neutrality.” In this report GAO evaluated the DoD’s report and found that it lacked specific data to support its stance that budget neutrality isn’t feasible for commissaries.

“GAO’s analysis found that DoD’s report fully addresses three of the seven mandated elements and partially addresses the remaining four. Although DOD’s report discusses the seven mandated elements, GAO found that including additional information would have made the report more consistent with relevant generally accepted research standards and would have made the report more useful to decision makers,” the GAO report stated.

More useful to decision makers? Wait…what?

Let’s take a step back into the recent history of reports on cost-saving measures for the commissaries.

As commissary shoppers, we know that that DeCA operates the commissaries. Prices at the commissaries are product cost plus a 5 percent surcharge. In fiscal year 2015, DeCA’s annual sales for its commissaries were approximately $5.5 billion. DeCA received $1.3 billion in appropriated funds in fiscal year 2015 to operate the commissaries.

Those appropriated funds are currently under the microscope of the defense department.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 “mandated DoD to provide a comprehensive plan to achieve ‘budget neutrality,’ which DoD interpreted as ending the use of appropriated funding for commissaries and the military exchange system, by October 1, 2018,” as explained in the recent GAO report.

This mandate has caused a lot of head scratching and number crunching for those at both DoD and DeCA.

The Boston Consulting Group was contracted to conduct 2 separate studies that may lead to cost-saving measures. In February, DoD established the Defense Resale Business Optimization Board. This board is working to help implement reforms within and among the commissary and exchange systems.

Then DoD released its report saying budget neutrality will be difficult, if not, impossible. GAO then reviewed that DoD report as it was directed to in last year’s defense budget. That’s what lead to this report and GAO’s recommendation that “DoD provide information to Congress to support its conclusion about budget neutrality; develop a plan for achieving alternative reductions to appropriations; and identify specific metrics for customer satisfaction, product quality, and savings.”

“DoD did not provide a plan to achieve budget neutrality by October 2018 as mandated because according to the report, DoD cannot achieve budget neutrality without reducing savings to patrons or other benefits provided by commissaries and exchanges.”

“For example, the report stated that drastic changes, such as store closures and price increases, would have to be implemented if DOD were required to achieve budget neutrality. However, DOD did not provide additional information about potential steps to reach budget neutrality, such as cost estimates and assumptions, or include specific details about trade-offs, constraints and limitations to achieving budget neutrality such as reductions in benefits,” the GAO report said.

“Instead of providing a plan, DOD estimated a $2 billion reduction over a 5-year period, which would fall short of achieving budget neutrality by about $5 billion. DOD officials told us the cost savings amount was an arbitrary estimate, and that therefore DOD did not develop details on steps it would take to achieve the $2 billion in savings. DOD officials could not explain the assumptions, methodology, data, specific time frames or DOD efforts that would lead to the $2 billion in savings.”

In case you’re wondering why DoD didn’t conduct these types of detailed analysis in its initial report, DoD experts, who were interviewed by GAO investigators for this report, pointed to time constraints as their reason for the lack of specifics.

“According to DoD officials, for some efforts that are already being considered, DoD officials told us that they did not include some information in the report to support their conclusions because they have not had time to verify the information,” the GAO report said.

Here’s another important nugget of information: DoD concurs with GAO’s recommendations.

Now that we know that the decision makers aka Congress lack the information needed to make decisions about changes to the commissaries, what’s the next step?

I have a strong sense we’ll be reading another federal report in the near future.

What do you think of this GAO’s report saying that the DoD’s report on cost-saving measures for the commissaries was incomplete?

Obesity Rates Among the Ranks Climb to Nearly 8 Percent

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Close your eyes. Picture an average service member.

Their uniform is probably some version of digital camouflage. Their hair is cut short or pulled up above the collar. In your mind’s eye, they snap to attention and present a sharp salute. They are fit, ready and prepared to deploy at a moment’s notice. This is the soldier, sailor, airman or Marine we picture.

But recent information put out by the Defense Health Board suggests a growing percentage of our military ranks aren’t as fit and prepared to fight as we might think.

In fact, nearly 1 in 13 service members could be classified as clinically obese.

Top officials don’t seem particularly worried about present-day readiness, but it’s hard to imagine that a continued upward trend in obesity wouldn’t impact future readiness. As such, top Pentagon officials are working diligently to re-evaluate how services evaluate fitness.

But the real question is how did we get here? How have obesity rates in the military climbed to nearly 8 percent, more than twice what it was 5 years ago?

Pointing the Finger Would Be Easy

Rising obesity rates would be an easy mystery to solve if the same problem wasn’t also plaguing the civilian sector.

We could demonize all of the video game-loving millennials and accuse them of weight-gaining laziness.

We could point our fingers at unit-sponsored potlucks and bake sales.

Or we could vilify the chow hall and demand they stop selling hamburgers and french fries.

But the truth is, while all of these things are factors, the true culprit lies in America’s relationship with food.

America: The Land of Cheap and Plenty

We live in the land of cheap and plenty.

Big portions are like victory banners shouting our triumph over food shortages faced by those who lived through the Great Depression.

We live our lives on an advertising battlefield, hunted by big name food manufacturers and distributors out to improve their bottom line. They offer us the flame-broiled burgers, a bucket of soda and a big slice of American apple pie, all for $5 or less. They play into our self-realized weaknesses and pitch low-calorie, nonfat chocolate bars and cheese-covered baked potato crisps.

Our children (and future service members) are inundated with sugary cereal commercials and foods that are more toys than they are nutrition.

Even the fittest among us are targets for sugar-laced energy drinks and high-calorie protein packs. We have entire TV networks dedicated to decadent foods. We aren’t just in love with food, as a country, we are completely OBSESSED.

How We Got Here Is No Great Mystery

With nearly 2 in every 3 Americans classified as overweight or obese, the perpetual battle of the bulge has been a slow, simmering conflict in our country for the past half century. It is a battle that has made the real-life and devastating effects of heart disease and diabetes commonplace.

Given that the volunteers for our Armed Forces are pulled from our population at large, that they have learned to eat in a surreal world of corn, wheat and soybean subsidies, is it any surprise that this issue made its way into the ranks?

How we got here is common knowledge: lack of exercise, too much stress and highly-processed, highly-addictive foods.

We expect our service members to be a breed apart, to set the standard, to walk the fine line and stand at the ready to defend our nation. And yet, they must feed themselves from the same collective American table, so to speak.

When was the last time you saw a commercial for fruit that wasn’t tied to a bottle of juice?

Where is the Hollywood hunk giving face time to a head of broccoli?

Better yet, when was the last time you or anyone you know took a nutrition class?

Certainly service members are exposed to some kind of nutritional training, but a 2-hour session can hardly undo the programming instilled by a childhood of bad-eating habits.

I am sure that the DoD will take steps to make sure those currently serving better understand the implications of a poor diet. We may see it reflected in the commercial food services offered on post. We may even see food addiction treated in the same manner as drug or alcohol abuse.

But in truth, this will only be a stop-gap for those already in uniform.

If we want to see obesity rates decline, both in our neighborhoods and our military services, we have to reinvent our relationship with food. If we don’t, the consequences to our nation, our military and our waistlines will only continue to grow.

What actions do you think DoD should take to help service members who are overweight?

Should Military Spouses Tag Along on TDYs?

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After 18 years as a military spouse, I’ve lived through my share of service-connected separations. Be it multi-month deployments or weeks-long TDYs, separations are a part of military life.

Some military spouses, especially those new to this lifestyle, often struggle with the idea of separation, even for a short period of time.

And while deployments don’t allow military spouses to visit troops in country, many spouses do make the decision to follow their service member while they are on temporary duty.

I certainly appreciate the desire to be near your spouse, especially when a separation comes after basic training or in conjunction with a PCS to a new duty station.

Should Military Spouses Tag Along on TDYs?

Few military spouses have the luxury of packing a bag and hitting the road. If you plan to follow your service member on temporary duty, you’ll need lots of lead time to prepare.

But before you pack a bag and make a long-term hotel reservation, here are a few things to consider.

Your Service Member’s Free Time May Be Limited

A TDY typically involves some kind of training or special mission requirements. As such, a service member’s free time may be limited or they might be restricted to the duty station or facility. They may also work odd hours or have homework that limits the amount of free time they have outside of work.

So what does that mean? You might find yourself sitting in a hotel room in a town you’ve never been to before with no spouse to keep you company and zero support network.

If you are prepared for the possibility of spending a lot of time alone, make sure you have something to focus your time and energy on in between the sporadic visits from your spouse. You may want to take an online class, write a book or volunteer for a local nonprofit organization.

Planning Ahead Is a Must

Few of us have the luxury of packing a bag and hitting the road. If you plan on following your service member on temporary duty, you’ll need lots of lead time to prepare.

If the TDY is in conjunction with a PCS, you may need to give notice to terminate a lease and schedule a household goods pack-out.

Reservations at many hotels around busy military installations may be limited or long-term stays and temporary or short-term rental properties may not always be available. If you have pets, availability may be limited even further.

It is tempting to throw caution to the wind and figure it out as you go. But consider the extra strain and stress on a service member if you are unable to secure living arrangements.

Training and focusing on the mission becomes infinitely harder if you are worried about your spouse sleeping in your car.

If you make the decision to accompany your spouse, don’t leave the planning to the last minute. Plan to have a conversation about expectations. Try to talk to other service members about services and facilities available for a short-term relocation. Have a plan B in the event that a 3-week course suddenly becomes 6 weeks.

TDY Life May Be Costly

Perhaps the biggest consideration for a short-term relocation for military spouses is budget. Can you afford to quit your job or take a leave of absence, for the duration of the TDY?

Don’t forget that you may find additional costs associated with living out of your suitcase. If your living arrangements don’t include a kitchen or a washer and dryer, make sure you include those costs into your monthly budget.

The seasoned spouse in me wants to tell my fellow military spouses contemplating one of these temporary relocations to reconsider.

That the potential strain to relationships and budgets aren’t worth the occasional opportunity to see your spouse. That being alone in a new place without the benefit of a unit to turn to in times of need is time better spent in a familiar place or with family.

But instead, I will simply say this — Military life affords us ample opportunities for adventure and promises countless nights will be spent counting down to a reunion.

Separations are never easy, but we can and do learn to persevere through them. We must each make decisions about what is best for us and our families. If you decide this kind of move is right for you, be smart about your reasons and be fair in your expectations.

Have you ever moved to a location temporarily while your service member was conducting training or a short assignment there?

Repay Your Enlistment Bonus? No Way!

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Enlistment bonuses are the pot of gold in military life. Not everyone gets them. If your solider is offered one, count yourself lucky and take it. Don’t ask any questions. Just take that money and use it to pay off your debts or buy a house.

That’s the opinion among many service members when it comes to an enlistment bonus. It’s free money. Take it or leave it. But it would be smarter to take the enlistment bonus.

Repay Your Enlistment Bonus? No Way!

Enlistment bonuses are the pot of gold. You are lucky if you find one.

That’s why when the Los Angeles Times reported that nearly 10,000 soldiers with the California Guard were ordered to repay their enlistment bonuses, many like myself were thinking “repay? no way.”

Here’s what happened.

During the no-end-in-sight wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the mid-2000s, the Defense Department struggled to retain service members and meet recruiting numbers. To combat this shortfall, cash incentives, similar to a sign-on bonus in the civilian sector, were given to service members.

But not every service member. Only soldiers with certain assignments – for example, intelligence, civil affairs and some noncommissioned officer posts – were supposed to get bonuses, according to the Los Angeles Times’ article.

But an investigation, which was triggered by a whistleblower, found that California Guard officials mismanaged their enlistment bonus funds. They gave enlistment bonuses to soldiers who didn’t qualify for them.

This investigation lead to an audit of the enlistment bonuses given to California Guard soldiers. This audit lead to nearly 10,000 soldiers being notified that they needed to pay back their bonuses. They didn’t have a choice. They were ordered to pay back this money.

It wasn’t their fault that this money was mismanaged. They didn’t do anything wrong. Yet, they were ordered to pay back their enlistment bonuses.

Many did. They refinanced their homes or took a second job so that they could pay back the thousands that they now owed the federal government.

Many tried to fight the order to repay. They filed appeals and got nowhere until the Los Angeles Times’ article went viral.

Only then did something happened for these veterans.

Rep. Duncan Hunter called the repayment demand a “boneheaded” move. President Obama ordered the Defense Department to “speed up a review of its attempt to recoup enlistment bonuses from National Guard members and to ensure that the Pentagon doesn’t ‘nickel and dime‘ them,” according to the Washington Times.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the Pentagon to halt its attempts to reclaim these enlistment bonus. He also promised to resolve all the cases by July 1, 2017.

“While some soldiers knew or should have known they were ineligible for benefits they were claiming, many others did not,” Carter said in a statement.

What happens next?

More investigating.

More number-crunching.

More hand-wringing.

Do I believe that thousands of soldiers will be allowed to keep their enlistment bonuses that on paper they didn’t earn because of the fraudulent actions of a few?

Honestly I don’t.

Enlistment bonuses are the pot of gold. You are lucky if you find one.

What happens if you stumble upon one by mistake?

You don’t get to keep it.

Now it’s your turn: What do you think of this enlistment bonus scandal and repayment order to thousands of California Guard soldiers?

Millennials: the Next Generation Called to Serve

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As Veterans Day approaches, we will begin to pay tribute to those who have nobly served our country. We will recall the bravery of the men and women who answered the call to arms in previous generations and those who have recently departed from service. Included in those numbers, are a surprising number of millennial veterans.

4 Surprising Things About Millennials in the Military

This newest generation of service members, millennials, has a lot to offer the Armed Forces.

Born between 1985 and 2000, the millennial generation is now the largest segment of the American population. They also encompass the greatest number of those currently serving in our Armed Forces.

The millennial generation, who came into adulthood amidst iPhones, Harry Potter and social media, is often stereotyped as lazy, narcissistic and entitled.

But as a mother of 2 millennials, I beg to differ with these stereotypes. Here’s what this newest generation of service members has to offer the Armed Forces.

4 Surprising Things About Millennials in the Military

They Know the Importance of Service

Millennials are driven to do meaningful work and are unlikely to pursue a career they don’t feel drawn to. They are unlikely to pursue careers just because of salary or position. They want to go home at the end of the day knowing the work they’ve done meant something.

When the United States suffered the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, millennials answered the call to service in massive numbers. According to the 2014 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census, in 2014 there were 1.7 million veterans under age 35.

Six out of the 11 service members awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan were millennials.

And with current millennial service member ranks totaling 2.5 million, the number of veterans from that generation will only continue to grow. If we let their service track record speak for them, dedicated should be added to the list of generational attributes.

They Thrive in Team Environments

Ask any service member to list key attributes of unit success and teamwork will be at the top of that list. Perhaps greater than any generation before them, millennials understand the importance of teamwork. Most tend to consider their co-workers as a second family. They look to each other, those in charge, and subordinate to them for ideas to solve complex problems.

Within this team environment, millennials are eager to lead if given the chance, but don’t assume they always know best. In fact, the majority of millennials understand the importance of drawing from the experience of leadership and place a high level of importance on mentorship.

That being said, the “it’s the way we’ve always done it” argument is often met with resistance. Millennials want to know that the way things are being done is the best and most efficient way to do it, even if that means changing a steadfast process.

They are “the Most” Generation

Modern military service has long touted the benefit of education and encouraged service members to pursue various degrees.

The millennial generation is the most educated generation in American history. In 2013, nearly half of those aged 25-35 possessed a bachelor’s degree and nearly 20% have a master’s degree or higher.

Hand in hand with their drive for education, this generation also faces the greatest amount of student debt. This is a factor that leads many to examine military service as an option for providing both a meaningful and a stable work environment.

Millennials are also the most ethnically and racially diverse generation of the modern era. They are also the most open to social change and are unlikely to see gender or sexual orientation as a barrier or hindrance to service.

They Love Technology

Modern warfare is dramatically different from the open trenches and massive land invasions of the two World Wars. From logistics to weaponry, administration to communication, technology is the driving force in our military’s superiority.

Millennials were practically born with a mouse in their hands – their ability to adapt and accept new technology is the foundation of how they interact with the world.

By 2020, one in 3 American adults will be a part of the millennial generation. Their influence is growing and will continue to have an influence on our society. Their impact on everything from the economy and industry to the structure of the American family and American dream will be prevalent for the next 60 years.

And from where I’m sitting, they’ve more than proven they are ready to take on that responsibility. We just have to be willing to let them do things their way, even if means trying something new.

What would you add to this list of surprising things about millennial veterans?