Military families miss out on experiences that most civilian families do not: birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, funerals and even the births of their children.Collection: Anniversary
If a heartfelt apology on Twitter isn't enough to restore some small semblance of faith in humanity, I don't know what is.
The Coast Guard evokes images of search and rescue operations, maybe during Hurricane Katrina, or guys jumping out of helicopters wearing snorkels and fins - and that's accurate, but only part of the picture.
Alright, let's tackle the worst part of this pandemic: people are dying, or they're worried about their loved ones dying - and it's hard not to spiral out. After almost two decades at war, this has been the reality for military families for a very long time. Welcome to our club.
I got teary-eyed watching Mary J. Blige sing O Holy Night' at the 'Christmas in Washington' concert.
We have to challenge lies. We have to challenge falsehoods and conspiracy theories. If you don't, they fester - unchecked and unchallenged.
I feel oddly at peace with the ups and downs of pandemic life. They're not too different from the ups and downs of deployment life, which I've experienced a lot the last few years as my husband, an Army Special Forces officer, has been overseas.
When I married into the military a few years ago, I was failing at navigating the realities of deployment alone. When I turned to the military family community, their tried and true coping skills changed my life.
A lot of times, going into the interview, you have an idea of maybe what you want to talk about. And the people you are interviewing have an idea of what they want to talk about.
If you let things devolve into a shouting match, then it's really difficult to have a discussion, a serious discussion.
One of the reasons my husband and I connect is our shared value of service. It's why he went off to West Point at age 17 and never looked back. It's why I got into journalism in college.
Well, Dr. Siegel is more of a sycophant than a doctor. And he's not President Trump's coronavirus guide.' President Trump appears to be his.
If you only watched Fox News, you might think hydroxychloroquine is to coronavirus what Tylenol is to a headache, or that gathering in large crowds indoors without masks is safe.
The White House wants us talking about racism and the justice system because they use it as a springboard to scare Americans about looting, aided by Fox News running episodes of violence on an incessant loop, that their hearts and minds won't be able to look past the fear to see injustice.
At no time did I suggest that violence is justice, and I can't believe I even have to explain that. But the alternative is letting someone like Kayleigh McEnany misquote and manipulate what you say. McEnany, who repeatedly lies to the American people.
Real leadership is calm. Real leadership is steady in moments of crisis. It is not hysterical. It is not exploitive. It is not dishonest.
Before my husband deploys, he has a ritual that is familiar to many service members. He sits down with a generously poured bourbon, and he writes letters. One for his adult daughter, Rosalind. One for each of our little boys, Teddy and Antonio. One for his grandma, who raised him, and his family in Texas. One for me.
Members of the military appear to be on this President's mind only when they serve a purpose. In Trump's case, that's popularity by association.
I will say this, being an anchor is easier than being a reporter, because one of the things I'm able to do is essentially work a bit of a split shift.
What I've tried to do is focus on either my job or being a mom, and just go really hard on that so that I can feel like I'm doing my best job at both roles.
In military families, the service member is frequently the breadwinner. Constant moves make steady employment a challenge for non-military spouses.
Military families become familiar with trying to contort their lives around deployments and separations.
Military families are increasingly living away from military bases, embedded in civilian neighborhoods. It gives military families and civilians the opportunity for greater exposure to one another, yet many feel lonely and isolated.
I've spent most of my life like most Americans - without any immediate connection to active duty military.
My mom is my 3 A. M. phone call, my annual road trip buddy, the connective tissue between my father, sister and me - and one of the funniest people I know.
The day after my mom died I fly back to California and spend the three weeks before the California primary making arrangements for her cremation, planning and getting the house ready for a memorial service and covering political rallies in Southern California. The normalcy of work helps.
Negative public opinion of a conflict and the politicization of the military can negatively affect service members and contribute to PTSD.
On Veterans Day, the country honors those in uniform and the sacrifices they have made across the globe. But as a military spouse who reports on the issues facing military families, I've learned that one of the biggest challenges is when a service member transitions out of the armed forces and into the civilian workforce.
I'm honored to donate my time as an ambassador for Blue Star Families, the largest nonprofit organization serving active duty service members and their families through chapters in the U.S.
Military spouse employment is the issue that most people email me about when they are suggesting topics for me to cover in my Home Front' column.
Most employers see breaks in employment as a blemish on a resume. In the case of military spouses, however, it's due to their frequent moves.
It's head-scratching, really, that the most prominent Army base in America is named for Braxton Bragg. He was on the wrong side of history, as a Confederate general and a slave owner.