“Dynamic Force Employment” When I first heard this term, I thought it was a new program designed to help military spouses find jobs. There are new initiatives being created all the time to support spouses and families and I thought this might be one of them. I was wrong.
13.7 per 1,000
The rate of child abuse or neglect in military homes in FY 2017, according to a Department of Defense report issued last year -- Report on Child Abuse and Neglect and Domestic Abuse in the Military for Fiscal Year 2017. This is a decrease from the previous year's rate of 14.4 per 1,000.
One unique aspect of many military families’ lives is the experience of deployment – a time when a Service member leaves home for an extended period of time. In this final Staff Perspective post during Military Family Appreciation Month, I will explore the importance of helping children navigate deployment by maintaining communication and connection with the deployed Service member.
With a continuing focus on military families during Military Family Appreciation Month, today I want to talk about military families’ connections to the civilian communities that they live in. As a military spouse, one of the most challenging aspects of military life for me has always been the frequent moves.
I wanted to kick off Military Family Appreciation Month by giving special recognition to all of the military children who support the military mission in more ways than they know. (Stay tuned for April, which is the Month of the Military Child) Did you know that the official flower of the military child is the dandelion? You may ask yourself, why a dandelion? Well, it was chosen in 1998 due to it representing various aspects of a military child’s life (militarybrat.com). Military children have to put down roots in many places and tend to bloom wherever the military takes them, surviving in a broad range of climates. Simply put, they are hardy!