On this week’s show, Lindsey Rauch interviews Kate Horrell, a retired Navy spouse and personal financial educator who comes to us to talk about college funding strategies when you have the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Kate Horrell is an Accredited Financial Counselor® who helps the military community make the most of their pay and benefits. Not only does she have 10 years of experience working with military families, she also has a personal understanding of the concerns of military families who are currently serving or who have separated from the military, as she spent over 28 years roaming the globe with her now-retired sailor.
Listeners, if you would like to learn more about how being strategic about how to use the GI Bill to save your family money, you can connect with Kate on Facebook or by visiting her website.
We would like to thank today’s Podcast Partner, Defender’s Gateway.
Defender’s Gateway is a St. Louis based company who is building The Defenders Network, a national network of support for ALL Defenders and their families.
Whether you’re an active Military, Veteran or First Responder Family, many of you have experienced long hours, family separations, missed birthdays or special occasions. Perhaps you’ve experienced the trauma of violence, death or serious injury. YOU have ANSWERED your Nation’s CALL! Defenders Gateway’s Mission is to Serve and Support YOU by growing a relevant resource hub providing easy access to non-profits, businesses honoring you with savings, health & wellness resources, transition and educational programs, job listings, and career opportunities. Activate your Virtual ID in the App!!
Download TODAY as thousands more resources are coming including the new Defenders Gateway Chat and Kids Corner! Find the Defenders Gateway App at Google Play Store or Apple Store.
Again, a huge thank you to Defenders Gateway for being this week’s Podcast Partner!
This week’s Resource Recon is all about SOLIDARITY, which is a core value here at Mission: MilSpouse. We are all united in this military life but it is easy to feel alone when you are overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of your day to day activities. One of our Command Team members recently wrote a blog titled “Solidarity: We’ve Been There. You Aren’t Alone” – let’s take a small peek at what they had to say about it.
Why feeling alone is okay sometimes.
- Being alone can breed confidence, which leads to empowerment
- Every time you accomplish something, you think you couldn’t do, you are reminded where your strength comes from.
- Life is a balance – we need the valleys to appreciate the mountain tops.. It fills your empathy cup so you can understand what others go through.
There are so many other great examples from other military spouses to show that you are never truly alone in your military journey and that at some point, we have been right where you are.
Today we are showcasing our Everyday Empowerment recipient, Elaina Mayer, who was nominated by Will Brauning.
Will shares, “Elaina and her wife Meg have created an amazing yoga platform that brings affordable wellness, fitness, mindfulness, meditation and nutrition to our wives for basically free. I think it’s roughly $10 a month, but through the digital programs they have made with Evolution Go, my wife’s depression and anxiety is almost gone. My wife has a morning ritual that involved getting the kids ready for school and seeing them off, then taking an hour for herself to do her morning yoga class.
Evolution Yoga’s EvoGo platform not only helps our military wives in PA, but also other local groups. They are an LGBT+ safe space that works with under priviliged communities, the womens hospital, a retirement facility to provide chair yoga, they do athletic programs with local sports programs, and larger ones like the DC Eagles of the USAFL. The two owners have an open door policy, put their money where their mouth is, and lead from the front in serving the central PA community.
If you like yoga, you should try their programs. Baptiste power yoga, chair yoga, a slow refresh thing that’s like an hour of yoga nap-time. And everything they do gets saved, so you can literally redo your favorite session anytime you want.”
On behalf of Mission: Milspouse, thank you so much to Elaina for doing your part to empower military families all across the globe.
Hello everyone, it’s Amie, and I’ve got a Moxie Minute that is sure to leave you inspired. So, I recently finished reading a fantastic book called The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. Trust me, it’s a must-read—historical fiction mixed with humor. In the book, Flagg sheds light on the incredible story of the WASPs.
A short version is that during World War II, women across the country were stepping up to help in any way they could and worked in factories, took on various jobs, and even learned to fly. When word spread about these fearless female pilots and their willingness to contribute, the idea emerged to utilize them for non-combat roles, like ferrying planes from factories to military bases. This would free up male pilots for crucial combat missions. However, when the suggestion reached the top brass, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces, General Hap Arnold, dismissed the idea, saying that women pilots served no military purpose. But as the need for pilots grew, even the remarkable Eleanor Roosevelt voiced her support. She boldly stated, “This is not a time when women should be patient. We are in a war, and we need to fight it with all our ability and every weapon possible. Women pilots, in this particular case, are a weapon waiting to be used.” And so, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) were born. They became the first women to serve as pilots and fly military aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces. From September 1942 to December 1944, 1,074 women graduated from the training program, were stationed at 120 Army Air bases across the U.S. and flew an astonishing sixty million miles on operational flights. Tragically, thirty-eight lost their lives while flying for the Army Air Corps. However, as the war ended, the returning men sought to reclaim their jobs and despite efforts by the same Commanding General to have the group militarized, a smear campaign took hold, and Congress denied their recognition. It wasn’t until 1977 that the WASPs finally received their deserved militarization authority for their service during World War II. And in 2010, they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their patriotic contributions.
Honestly, I can’t do justice to their incredible story in just a few minutes, but reading about their experiences in this book truly brought these remarkable women to life. Their courage, determination, and resilience in the face of mockery, dismissiveness, and attempts to put them back in their “place” is awe-inspiring. They paved the way for all of us and truly embodied Moxie.
I loved this story and would love to know more. If anyone out there had the privilege of meeting a wasp or is related to one please reach out and let us know. The Empowerment team would love to share their story. I hope you all have a great week, continue to power on and grow in your own strengths as well. Until next time friends, moxie up!
Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of June 5, 2023, straight from M:M News 6 Correspondent, Emma Tighe:
New PCS Policies Pack a Punch ahead of a Busy Summer
Tis the season for cardboard boxes and wine in solo cups….. it’s pcs season! Fa la la la la.
Forever keeping us on our toes, the military has decided to keep things spicy by changing some pcs policies that went into effect May 15. The policy getting the most buzz? Lithium batteries.
Jason Todd, the director of Base Support Operations Transportation, 405th Army Field Support Brigade, said that effective May 15 the Department of Defense has changed up what is and isn’t allowed while shipping the batteries with your personal property shipments. “With the advancement of modern electronics, people have incorporated lithium batteries into their everyday lifestyles more than ever before,” Todd said, “but not all lithium batteries can be shipped in their personal property shipments.”
From now on, personal property items containing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries at 100 watt-hours or less (20 watt-hours or less per lithium-ion cell) and lithium metal batteries containing two grams or less of lithium content (one gram or less per lithium metal cell) are allowed to be shipped. These include items such as cellphones, power tools, robot vacuums, digital cameras, lawn care equipment and e-bikes.
Anything over the 100 watt hours will no longer be allowed to ship.
This, obviously, impacts our OCONUS families more than conus pcsers. If you’re moving from one state to another it’s easy to throw non approved items into the minivan along with your spouses “I love me” wall items. It’s a little harder to fit it into your carryon if you’re coming from Europe. Todd urges all pcers to check the wattage of your lithium items before the movers get there and have documentation of items wattage if it is not clearly marked on the item.
“The contracted moving companies are responsible for the packing of lithium batteries according to applicable regulations as well as preparing the certification documentation for the mode of shipping,” said Todd. “If a customer cannot identify if a battery is lithium or not, the mover will not be required to pack the battery due to the potential hazard it presents.”
Another lithium bummer comes with the policy change of storing items with these fire hazard batteries. Lithium batteries of any kind will no longer be allowed in long term storage, however short term storage it is still allowed.
While this policy might be an inconvenience to an already chaotic pcs cycle, I think we’ve all seen the pictures of moving vans rolling down the highway in flames like a terrible rock album cover. You’re ikea couch will be a little safer without your robot vacuum combusting.
Find out more at army.mil
Marines Honored for Heroism in Sudan
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro presented the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal to 11 Marines for their efforts in evacuating the American embassy in Sudan during the military crises the country started experiencing in April.
“The example that you have set protecting the life of the ambassador and the lives of all the people who were at the embassy has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Del Toro said, according to the release. “I wanted to make sure that before you left this building and head onto other assignments, that I came here today to look you in the eye and say, ‘Thank you.’”
These Marines don’t have much time to celebrate this honor, however, as they have already been assigned new counties to continue their embassy security program tenure.
A 12th Marine was awarded an even higher medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, awarded to service members who act “in a manner above that normally expected, and sufficient to distinguish the individual above those performing similar services,” This award went to the Detachment Commander, Staff Sgt. Derek Ferrari.
While the country fell into turmoil, these Marines spent 24 hours a day preparing the embassy for evacuation while also keeping guard. The days leading up to the evacuation they averaged three hours of sleep a day. “All the Marines, we took care of each other that entire (time),” Longstreet, one of the marines, told Marine Corps Times. “All of us made sure that we had a sense of humor. We were always there for each other. Some of us were cooking meals for each other. It was a full-team effort.”
“The detachment did exactly what is expected of U.S. Marines during times of uncertainty,” Akli, another of the honored marines, said in the release, “and being awarded for that by the SECNAV means a lot to myself and the rest of the detachment.”
Congratulations to the Marines for a job well done and lots of luck on a hopefully more peaceful new embassy job!
Find out more at militarytimes.com
Ultra Runner Air Force Pilot Takes on the Sahara
Maj. Chas Kabanuck added a check mark to a pretty impressive bucket list: Marathon des Sables in the Moroccan Sahara.
A grueling six-day, approximately 250-kilometer (155-mile) ultramarathon, the instructor pilot who calls Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas home, completed what many call the toughest foot race on earth in 43 hours, 18 minutes and 22 seconds.
“They know exactly how to challenge you on every level of your being: physically, emotionally, spiritually,” he said of the race in a recent interview with Air Force Times. “It is a mental game from the beginning to the end.”
This grueling race has gone on annually for 37 years and consists of five legs in five days, with a charity race tacked on to the sixth day. Out of the 1100 people who started the race this year, only 765 finished. This is not the first time he has shined in the ultra running world. He has won the Arkansas Traveller 100-miler two years in a row and came in sixth in the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley. Due to work constraints and injuries due to running, the pilot could not train in earnest until February of this year.
“I pretty much ran 50-mile weeks from the middle of February until the end of March, and then I got one 85-mile weekend,” he said. “I just decided, I’m going to do the best I can, with the best training that I’ve got.” “It was straight mental fortitude,” he said. “I’d go to my car, take my flight suit off, put my shoes on and go run from the parking lot before doing anything else.”
The Air Force granted him three weeks of leave to prepare for and complete the race, and he landed in Morocco two days before the start. And, in typical military fashion, he arrived to a sandstorm.
Other challenges that faced him had to do with the course itself. As it is a desert there are no roads, so the runners run across the sand with rocks and sticks as markers. He had to carry all his heavy equipment with him and had to provide and carry all his food. Temps got as high as 120 degrees and as low as 50.Of these challenges he said: “I know how to ruck. I know how to go without food. I know how to live in a tent and get my butt kicked, and I know how to go from surviving to thriving,” he said. “The Air Force provided me with all those templates.”
Congratulations, Major Kabanuck! You rock in the air and on the ground!
Find out more at airforcetimes.com
This Day in History
On June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F Kennedy was assassinated.
He was a shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the ambassador hotel and died the next day.At the time he was shot he was shaking the hand of 17 year old busboy Juan Romero. Kennedy was a United States senator and candidate in the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries. He was also, of course, John F Kennedy’s brother. He was at the hotel to address his campaign supporters.
Sirhan was a Palestinian Zionist who proudly claimed at his trial that the assassination was the result of 20 years of thought and malice. He was sentenced to death but a few years later it turned into a life sentence. He is still alive and has appealed for parol 17 times. It has been refused every time.
This assassination prompted the Secret Service to extend their services to presidential candidates. The 1960s were not a great time to be a Kennedy or to be in power in general as there are considered to be four great assassinations of the 60s, this one being one of them.
It’s also national bikini day! Sorry y’all. Tried to end on a high note but that’s all I got.
This has been Emma Tighe with News 6, where information empowers.
You can check out more of this week’s top stories here.
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