My Life As A Military Spouse: December 2008

2008/12/18

Blog Silence

We are traveling over the holidays!

See you in 2009!

2008/12/17

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes @ Yahoo! Video

2008/12/15

2009 BAH & Military Pay

Here's what you can expect for 2009 -

Pay:

• 2009 Enlisted 3.9% Pay Increase
• 2009 Commissioned Officer 3.9% Pay Increase
• 2009 Warrant Officer 3.9% Pay Increase
• 2009 Guard and Reserve 3.9% Drill Pay Increase (PDF)

If you have trouble linking to the above pay charts you can also view the 2009 Pay Charts here.

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH):

Locate current rates here and FAQs here.

Also:

What you need to know about BAH/OHA fraud.

****As I do each year when posting pay information.....*****

Let me end on this note:

I receive many hits of people searching for "military spouse pay" "military married pay" and the like, so let me clarify something. You DO NOT receive pay for simply being married.

If you are married you what you will look for on the LES (leave and earning statement) will be BAH (housing allowance, if not living on installation and at a different rate than single service members) and BAS (substance allowance)..........but basic pay is basic pay whether you are single, married or divorced.

Well, it's done......

The move from one house to another is complete. I am more relieved than I can express in words. We must still officially clear the old house, hopefully that will go smoothly b/c I was literally down on my hands and knees scrubbing floors, walls and base boards.

My entire body aches, but all of the heavy lifting has motivated me to get off of my arse more often and actual do something besides walking each day. I can feel the guns in my arms again and that is nice. I cannot see a difference in the giggle of my triceps, but the biceps are good. It is interesting what two weeks of forced 'exercise' can do for a person. Did I already say that my entire body aches? LOL

Overall, I am pleased with the new house. I don't called it renovated, instead I call it a home makeover. There is paint on the walls - my how glad I am to not have to paint this time to relieve myself of those nasty white walls. We have more than one bathroom - no more of everyone yelling out 'I have first dibs on the bathroom' as soon as we turn into our street. I have a dishwasher - enough said. I have a laundry room - it is small and cold, but I am thankful to have my washer and dryer out of the kitchen. The flooring is new - now I just run around yelling at the kids to NOT run their toy cars down the hallway floor, do it in the kitchen.

As to the title 'home makeover' - I call our house made over b/c they did not renovate as you would expect in a real renovation. A true renovation would include insulation, energy efficient windows, energy efficient appliances, etc. None of that was done, but the cosmetic stuff is nice.

I have a very few days to finish unpacking and organizing the new house, then we get ready to head west to warmer weather and family for Christmas.

Upon our return CO hits the ground running with a new job, one that will require even more TDY than he has been doing thus far. That should be interesting while he is still healing from his shoulder surgery. We are also throwing around the prospects of him deploying as an IA later next year. We both hope for it to go through, as it would be easier, in our opinions, for him to deploy again on this side of his upcoming required year of school rather than on the other side of the schooling. We will see how it all works out - as with everything in the military, you can plan and hope all you want to, then someone will call you tomorrow with change of plans. And likely a change that you never even considered before. Overcome and adapt, right?

Christmas cards and packages are mailed, now I better get to the unpacking and stop staring at the computer screen.

2008/12/12

“Patriot Family Pet Photo Contest’’

Also posted at SpouseBUZZ

Here is a little something for all of you milpet owners.

Pet Photo Contest

The deadline is midnight Central Time Dec. 15 to enter your pet’s photo in the “Patriot Family Pet Photo Contest.’’

As of Dec. 12, more than 400 entries had been received, and they’re still coming in, said Judd Anstey, spokesman for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Besides becoming famous, your pet could win you a $1,500 AAFES shopping spree. Six winners will receive from $350 to $1,500 each in shopping sprees. Winners who don’t live near an AAFES exchange will be able to shop online for their prizes. The contest is open to any eligible exchange shopper, regardless of your branch of service.

To enter, shoppers can send a photo of themselves or family members with their pet to PatriotFamily@aafes.com with “Patriot Family Pet” in the subject line. Include name, address, phone number, rank/occupation and pet’s information — name and breed or type of pet — in the e-mail. Also send a description of the furry, scaly or feathery friend, explain why that pet is so special, and keep it to 50 words or less.

In addition to the shopping sprees, the winning photos will be featured in future AAFES advertisements as well as on Exchange TV, AAFES’ in-house TV network.

2008/12/10

Please Consider Helping Soldiers' Angels

Thanks to the support of loyal friends like you, Soldiers' Angels has sent out thousands of WRAPPED IN HOLIDAY SPIRIT care packages to our soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan or recovering from injuries in a hospital far from home.

But now we have an urgent situation on our hands...

We have run out of funds to pay for the postage to ship out the remaining 40,000 care packages!

It is absolutely critical that we raise $150,000 in the next three days to send out the remaining 40,000 care packages for our soldiers so they arrive in time for Christmas!

Each of these packages has been lovingly packed by our caring volunteer "Angels," but without your immediate help they will not get into the hands of one of our heroes in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Along with a handmade blanket, each care package includes snacks, hot chocolate, a stainless steel travel mug, socks and a handwritten holiday card.

I can't bear the thought of thousands of our wonderful soldiers being left out and ignored this Christmas. And as a loyal friend to Soldiers' Angels, I'm sure you agree that we can't let our brave men and women down. No soldier should go unloved... especially during the holiday season.

Worse yet, the wounded will be recovering from their injuries at military hospitals... feeling homesick and very alone. Please, can I count on your support so that we can show each and every soldier how much we care for them?

Your generous support at this time would be a Godsend.

To donate now please click here.

The only way Soldiers' Angels can complete a job of this magnitude is to enlist the help of patriotic, caring Americans like you who support our troops.

That's why it's so critical that our most loyal friends respond today to this urgent request.

Thousands of our brave men and women are depending on us.

Please, we must raise $150,000 in the next 3 days to send the remaining 40,000 WRAPPED IN HOLIDAY SPIRIT care packages.

I hope I can count on your critical support once more.

I know our troops will love the WRAPPED IN HOLIDAY SPIRIT care packages you will help send.

Please help now in any way you can.

Sincerely,

Patti Patton-Bader

2008/12/09

Smart Shopping

Do you brand yourself as a smart consumer? Take a look and see what you might have been overlooking.

2008/12/05

The sweetest thing...

Operation Comfort Warriors

Operation Comfort Warriors: $50,000 goal by Jan. 1

When the Red Cross notified The American Legion that sweatsuits were in short supply at Walter Reed, the Legion immediately ordered 100 sets. But that's just a drop in the bucket. We have been told there's an even greater need for items at Fort Hood and Fort Bragg. Consider that there are 67 other U.S. military inpatient facilities and 1,369 VA inpatient and outpatient centers, and you begin to grasp the enormous need.

That's why the Legion is conducting a nationwide fund drive - to meet that need during this holiday season.

The American Legion family is calling this effort Operation Comfort Warriors. Contributing is effortless. No trips to the post office or packaging of comfort items are needed. We will handle all of that. You can use your credit card to make an online donation or mail a check to Operation Comfort Warriors, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

Administrative and promotional costs for Operation Comfort Warriors will be paid by The American Legion, so you can be sure that your entire donation will go directly to the troops. Many centers are not equipped to store large quantities of care packages, so monetary donations are needed in order to purchase items that are truly needed.

The U.S. government does a good job providing for the essential needs of the men and women recovering from war injuries in hospitals such as Walter Reed, Brooke Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Medical Center, just to name a few. But what about the so-called nonessentials, the things that don't show up as line items on a government spreadsheet? Non-essential comfort items such as loose-fitting sweat suits that can cover a soldier's healing body without adding pressure to the burns he suffered during an RPG attack in Ramadi? Or an iPod to help drown out the tinnitus that has plagued the medic ever since she drove too close to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan? Or a gripping novel that provides a welcome distraction from PTSD? That's what Operation Comfort Warriors is all about.

In 2007, Past National Commander Paul Morin, Auxiliary National President JoAnn Cronin and SAL Commander Earl Ruttkofsky challenged The American Legion family to raise $50,000 to purchase comfort items for our wounded warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Legion family members and other caring Americans responded in a big way. Thanks to their generosity, nearly $350,000 was raised and spent directly on the troops.

Operation Landstuhl was so successful that the Legion wants to do the same for other military and VA medical centers, with a goal of raising $50,000 by Jan. 1 - through Operation Comfort Warriors.

ONLINE DONATION

2008/12/02

FYI on AKO - Changes Coming

I understand the need for added security features, really I do. But - I am not keen on this soon to come security feature. Why? Because most days I do good to remember my own name and admit that I rarely remember where my keys and purse are located. If I have to answer 20 questions and remember answers to the said 20 questions, I will have to write it all down - and that is not secure in my book.

Anyway, onward with upcoming happenings b/c they will occur whether I have personal memory issues or not.........

AKO Log-in Procedures to Change

Operators of the Army's Web-based information portal "Army Knowledge Online" (AKO) plan to implement new security procedures on the system as early as January 2009. When logging into the security-improved AKO, users will be presented with three questions they must correctly answer before being allowed to continue. The questions are designed to be difficult for anyone but the users to answer. To prepare each user for the new security protocol, AKO will present each user with a list of 20 questions. Then, the user chooses to answer 15 questions. In subsequent logins, AKO will present three of those questions to the user, with multiple-choice answers. Users will need to choose the correct answer in order to log in.

I am.....A thirty-something active duty army wife. A mother and teacher. A southern born girl. I love sports! An independent conservative - sometimes I talk (or bash on) politics. You are not required to like my opinions or politics. I am a strong woman. I am not a feminist. Be sure to check out the sidebar for the most updated information.