Confessions of a Military Wife


Book Description

“This book will have you laughing so hard you cry . . . As Confessions aptly demonstrates, military spouses lead interesting lives.” —Tara E. Crooks, cofounder of Army Wife Network As the wife of a Marine Corps officer, Mollie Gross learned the hard way to laugh instead of cry at what she could not control—and as she quickly discovered, nearly everything was out of her control. A standup comedienne, Mollie explores everything about the “issued” spouse, from deployment and the stress of having a husband in a combat zone, to the realization that marriage changes when your husband returns home from war. Nothing is taboo or out-of-bounds in this funny, poignant memoir, including the “parties” military wives throw for themselves before hubby returns. (You’ll have to read the book to find out about those.) “Mollie Gross is the Chelsea Handler of the milspouse community. She’s unfiltered, honest, and hilarious, with an underlying message to stop whining and be proud. Think of it as heartfelt humor for the home front.” — Military Spouse magazine “Mollie’s no-holds-barred account of what it was like during her first four years of being married to a Marine, dealing with the moves, wartime deployments, and life on the home front, will leave you laughing, crying, and shaking your head in disbelief asking, ‘Did she really just say that!?’” — Kristine Schellhaas, founder of USMC Life




Enlisted and Alone


Book Description

A memoir of one woman's struggle to adapt to the different military lifestyle of loneliness, patriotism, and being a "married-single parent." It's an account of how love, honor, loyalty, courage, commitment, and resilience helped keep her family together through tough times and marriage to life in Naval Special Warfare.




Arms And The Enlisted Woman


Book Description

Explore the experience of American women in the military.




Under the Sabers


Book Description

Under the Sabers is a groundbreaking narrative detailing the complex personal challenges Army wives face, presenting a provocative new look at Army life. Tanya Biank goes beyond the sound bites and photo ops of military life and shows what it is really like to be an Army wife—from hauling furniture off the rental truck by yourself at a new duty station when your husband is in the field, to comforting your son who wants his dad home from Afghanistan for his fifth birthday—she takes readers into the hearts and homes of today's military wives. In the summer of 2002, Army wives were in the headlines after Biank, a military reporter for the Fayetteville Observer, made international news when she broke the story about four Army wives who were brutally murdered by their husbands in the span of six weeks at Fort Bragg, an Army post that is home to the Green Berets, Airborne paratroopers, and Delta Force commandos. By that autumn, Biank, an Army brat herself, realized the still untold story of Army wives lay in the ashes of that tragic and sensationalized summer. She knew the truth—wives were the backbone of the Army. They were strong—not helpless—and deserved more than the sugarcoating that often accompanied their stories in the media. Under the Sabers tells the story of four typical Army wives, who, in a flash, find themselves neck-deep in extraordinary circumstances that ultimately force them to redefine who they are as women and Army wives. In this fascinating and meticulously researched account, Biank takes the reader past the Army's gates, where everyone has a role to play, rules are followed, discipline is expected, perfection praised, and perception often overrides reality. Biank explores what happens when real life collides with Army convention. Biank describes what it means to be a wife and mother in a subculture that is in a constant state of readiness for war. In this hard-hitting and powerful book, Biank takes a close look at the other woman—the Army itself—and its impact on wives, marriages, and home life. This story of strength and perseverance is an eye-opener for those who have never experienced military life and an anthem to those women who each day live the "unwritten code."




Navy Spouse's Guide


Book Description

Naval officers and enlisted personnel undergo extensive training to cope with the special demands of their duties at sea and ashore, but what about their spouses and children? This practical, one-of-a-kind guide fills the gap by helping families navigate the unique challenges of Navy life. Personal, friendly, and easy to use, this updated edition of the original 1997 guide is based on interviews with Navy spouses and a lifetime of lessons learned by the author as a Navy junior and wife of a career naval officer. Using an array of hard-to-find diagrams, charts, facts, and figures from a wide variety of sources, Laura Stavridis explains every aspect of Navy life in a frank, open discussion. The particulars of pay, living expenses, travel, children, emergencies, support groups, and social life, as well as medical, legal, and educational issues are described in an interesting, spouse-to-spouse format. Readers learn what to expect with regard to separation, homecomings, life overseas, shore duty, marital dynamics, and divorce. Also covered are such vital topics as military careers, spousal careers, reenlistment, retirement, and transition to civilian life. Useful phone numbers, checklists, glossary, and an up-to-date primer on the Navy's organization, ships and aircraft, and chain of command complete this unique reference. New to this second edition are discussions of e-mail communication, Internet resources, and spouse leadership roles within the Navy. For anyone starting out or contemplating life with a mate in the sea services this one-volume source of user-friendly information will prove invaluable.




Undaunted


Book Description

As she did so provocatively with military spouses in Army Wives, Tanya Biank gives us the inside story of women in today’s military—their professional and personal challenges from the combat zone to the home front... Since 9/11, more than 240,000 women have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan—more than 140 have died there, and they currently make up fourteen percent of the total active-duty forces. Despite advances, today’s servicewomen are constantly pressed to prove themselves, to overcome challenges men never face, and to put the military mission ahead of all other aspects of their lives, particularly marriage and motherhood. In this groundbreaking, insider’s look at the women defending our nation, Tanya Biank brings to light the real issues—of femininity, belonging to an old boys’ club, veiled discrimination, dating, marriage problems, separation from children, questions about life goals, career trajectories, and self-worth—that servicewomen are facing by focusing on four individual stories. Brigadier General Angela Salinas, the Marine Corps’ first Hispanic female general, faces the challenge of commanding an all-male institution. Second Lieutenant Bergan Flanagan finds herself on the frontlines in Afghanistan, serving in the same military police company as her husband. As a marine drill instructor, Sergeant Amy Stokley demands the very best from the recruits at Parris Island. And Major Candice O’Brien deals with deployment to Afghanistan, with two young children and a strained marriage back home. Undaunted is the story of these courageous trailblazers—their struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs in the name of serving the country they love.




Sharing the Journey


Book Description

"A unit's command team is the partnership among the commander, the senior noncommissioned officer (NCO), and a volunteer lead spouse. As the primary advisor, ambassador, and advocate for the spouses and families of members in the unit, finding the right person to undertake the important role of volunteer lead spouse is one of the most important decisions a commander will make. Once a spouse in the unit decides to take on the role, it can be challenging and incredibly rewarding to navigate working with military leadership, state or local government, base programs and organizations, and other military spouses to take care of families. This book captures "words of wisdom" collected by Mrs. Dawn Goldfein, spouse of the 21st Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen David L. Goldfein over their 37-year career. For command teams that seek to understand and leverage the military "spouse network" of command, lead, key, and key spouse mentors within their unit or their installation, it offers a treasure trove of useful ideas and stories"--




The Wives


Book Description

Uprooted from NYC and dropped into Columbus, Georgia, when her husband is deployed, Army wife Simone Gorrindo navigates this new world alone until she meets the wives, a remarkable group of women, in this profoundly intimate look at marriage, friendship and today's America.




Congressional Record


Book Description

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)




Bulletin


Book Description