Hi! My name is A. and my husband and I have two great sons, Jacob~7 and CJ~5. We are newly ARMY. In January, my husband graduated from AIT school and deployed 2 weeks later. Since he was stationed out of state for his BCT and his AIT (at same place) I don't have sponsor or really anyone to show me the ropes of Army life. I am not seeking military housing as I already have a place to live. I would like to know about things like, proper commissary courtesies (I was surprised about the arrows and the baggers!), and simply how other moms/wives cope while their husbands are away. Mine has been gone since August (training) and came back in January to say goodbye before he deployed for 18 months. I would like to know what services are available for my family to utilize in relation to the military. I need all the help I can get! We are first generation ARMY - I only know where the commissary is because a former friend of mine took me there several years ago! Thanks in advance for replying to my request! God Bless!
Hey! Thank you ladies for responding! I got several messages too. Mamasource is wonderful! Because it's the weekend, I have been pretty busy so I haven't checked out all the websites y'all offered. Thank you so much!
Hi A. i am a Navy wife so i understand the feelings you have. here's a site that i and my DH both belong too an d there is all services there. www.militrysos.com I hope this helps you hun..
My hubby is AF, so my info might not be as in line with yours...but similar enough I would think. My advice would be to see if you can find a family support center on base, we have had one at every base, I would assume you have something like that as well. I am betting that if you step in there just to inquire about the things you are asking for specific to your base, they would be able to help you out a lot.
I would also advice you to make some friends with other moms that are in the same situation as you, so that you guys can help support one another while your hubbies are away. I know, many times that is easier said than done! Your base should have a library, theater (cheaper than civilian usually), we have had bowling allies, youth centers to enroll your children in activities. Each base is different though, and have different things, why I would recommend finding your family support center. That would be very hard to figure this all out while your hubby is away! I am thinking that you can email me through this website if you'd like, if you ever need anyone to talk to.
K.
Hi there!
Army wife here too! Actually, I've been married to my guy for almost 4 years and we've been together 7, but I'm just about to enter the "real" Army life as we are moving soon. He's in a Title 10 program, so when he was deployed to Afghanistan, I was on my own. He went over by himself and not as a part of a unit. So up until now, we've been living the "civilian" life, and I totally understand what you mean. I am very intimidated to be entering the "ranks" so-to-speak with such things as all their "SOPs"!
So, we can trudge though this one together if you want!
PM me if you want to chat!
Good luck and THANK YOU...you are serving this country by sharing your hubby and keeping those home fires burning!
Hi there---check out
http://www.belvoir.army.mil
http://wwww.belvoirmwr.com
http://www.myarmylifetoo.com
The first two sites will have links to all sorts of information specific to Ft. Belvoir (I'm guessing that is what is nearest to you). If your boys are interested in little league, I'm pretty sure they are still doing sign ups at youth services and that would be a good way to get to know other military families. I'm pretty sure there are a variety of resources for families who have a service member that is deployed--you should be able to find out more info at those sites (including discounts/freebies).
Also, I'd check out the post newspaper---it is a good way to get the "pulse" of the area and learn more about what is going on.
The second site is one I just found through Belvoir's main site. I haven't used it much, but it looks great--lots of information for families!
As for keeping busy while your husband is gone, the best thing I can suggest is to surround yourself with a good group of friends and "family" (whether they are actual family or not). Having church friends, school friends, other army wife friends can keep you busy, help with your sanity and keep you smiling. Know that there will be good days and bad ones, easy ones and hard ones---but eventually you will find a groove that works for you.
Good luck and welcome to the life of the military family!!
D.
Hi, A.. I saw your post on here and wanted to reply. I myself am not involved in the military, but my sister in law and husband are both active duty. My sister in laws late husband was deployed many times. If you'd like to send me your contact information, I can pass it on to her and hopefully she can fill you in on all the details on what you need. God Bless.
Hello! I'm a Navy wife, so I know about military life. While the Army and the Navy have different programs for families, they do pretty much the same thing. I'm not sure where you're located. Ft. Eustis may be the closet Army base if you live in the Hampton Roads area. What ever base is closet to you, you need to find the number to their Army Community Service department. They'll be able to connect you to a Family Readiness Group.
Hi A.,
I'm an army spouse of 14 years. Please check out the AFTB (Army Family Training) course through your posts ACS (Army Community Services)office. You can even take the course online through some military posts ACS websites. The AFTB is like the "Army Wives 101" course. It covers all of those questions you wish someone would answer for you. From things you might be too shy or embarassed to ask (Like what are those arrows on the floor in the commissary for) to explaining your spouses LES (Pay form) and all of these silly Acronyms! It even covers the rank scale, which when I was a new Army spouse I had NO CLUE what went where or in what order. It covers so much more as well. Seriously, back when I was a new spouse I thought my husband was going to be bringing home some papers and pamplets explaining things to me. Boy was I suprised when there wasnt ANYTHING but him explaining Army life to me. And all he knew was the Soldier side of stuff. The ACS will even cover the cost of childcare while you attend the courses. Good Luck! If you have any questions feel free to ask. PS. Im in the Yorktown area of Va in case you are near here.
I am not Army, but Air Force and I would love to get to know you. I have one son (Justus 3) and am due in June with my 2nd boy. I have been a military wife for going on 4 years now. Not sure where you live, but I am in Yorktown. If you are ever interested in getting together, just let me know.
