Space A Magic

Visit http://www.baseops.net/spaceatravel/ for more Space A information!

I know for many of us, flying Space A is a big unknown.  I've only flown twice myself, as a military dependent many years ago.  We waited many days in Dover, Delaware trying to catch that perfect flight to Germany to visit my grandparents.  It's clear in my mind that we went to the terminal every day, only to be told there was no flight that day or that a previously scheduled flight was cancelled.  We made the best of it, enjoying the shore and some beach time and luckily, my parents had budgeted to stay in a hotel off post nearby.  We waited just about a week.  The flight we ended up taking was a military craft with the seats suspended inside.  So this is what the guts of a plane looks like I remember thinking.  But what sticks out the most in my mind was a mid-air refueling training mission (yes, they did warn us), and WOW, it was enough to make you think you were riding a roller coaster...up and down...up and down...enough to make you blow your lunch which the air crew handed out in little boxes a few hours before.  One of our readers, Jo recently flew Space A and offers these tips for us below.

The first and most important thing to remember is that Space-A is a privilege, not a right. If you aren't on an open schedule (meaning, come and go as you please) then it's VERY important to have a back-up plan).

Where are you trying to go? What is your closest AF Base that can get you there or somewhere you can transfer from? Some bases have regularly scheduled flights (ex: On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday there is a flight departing XX base, and it stops at YY and ZZ).

Visit this link to get an idea of where some of the bases' frequent stops are located.

Have all your valid and required paperwork to travel. Are you flying with or as a servicemember? They/You will need to be on leave before they can even 'register' for Space A. If you're flying and your spouse is currently deployed, you will need a letter from his CoC stating you are allowed to fly Space A while the servicemember is out in theater. This letter needs to include your information, along with any traveling dependents and your spouse's information as well.  You will also need to bring proof that you are command sponsored, meaning that you were included on his orders to his current duty station.  The S-1 or admin folks of your husband's unit can type that up for you.

REGISTER - Once you have an idea of where you would like to go, register with the bases that you may be flying out of. You can register in person, by fax or via email. Sign-Up email addresses can be found here.

If a servicemember is traveling, they CANNOT register until they are ON leave. The email you send needs to include leave start and end date. If you are traveling sans SM, scan and email a copy of your CoC issued travel letter. Email any and every base you may be using. Better to be safe than sorry. Registering early is important because if there are three Active Duty (AD) Category 3 personnel on leave trying to fly, the person who registered FIRST gets priority. Once you register, it is active for 90 days (or 60 days, so double check) so you won't need to register every single time you fly so long as it's within that timeframe.

You should receive a confirmation letting you know that you are registered. If you don't receive it in 24 hours, call the base. It's possible that they may have an incorrect email listed. Be proactive and don't make assumptions. Again, it's better to be safe than sorry.

All that squared away? Great! Now you're probably wondering "well, how do I know when the flight is?". Most bases do not provide a flight schedule earlier than 72 hours out. Some have automated answering services that give you a destination and how many tentative seats there are and a "showtime". Showtime is when you need to be checked in by. Continue to call everyday within that 72 hour gap to make sure the flight info is accurate. They are subject to change (this happened to us) and you could get stranded somewhere you didn't intend on staying.

Please pack a sweater or blanket in your carryon, especially if you are flying overnight. You won't know what type of aircraft you'll be on and a C-17 can get very cold. We shivered our entire trip to the east coast. Lesson learned for us.

Show up! Make sure you have your proper IDs, Passport (if going overseas), and bring your CoC issued letter or Leave form. Although you may have submitted it, keep it on you. I'd also print out a copy of any confirmation messages or emails you may have received showing your 'registration' date. Once you arrive at the AMC Terminal you will mark yourself' present' so they know you would like to take a flight out. Afterward, you'll wait until they call your name. This is done by category. If you are flying with an Active Duty (AD) servicemember, then you'll be category 3 and for the most part, you're at the head of the line. The only categories flying ahead of you are Emergency Leave or those on PCS orders.

Have a safe flight! flying Space-A may not be the most convenient in terms of time, secured seats or comfort but it's free! I'll deal with all of that vs paying an outwards of 1000K for a flight overseas.

Thanks so much Jo for your input.  Stay tuned where Jo will talk about her family's personal experience in an upcoming blogpost.  The only think I would add...and try to pound in your head, you absolutely have to be flexible and need to have the time to do this.  If you want to try to use it during the summer, I would definitely re-think that.  It is the heaviest PCS travel season, and you could be trying to get on a flight for days.  If you have the time and patience, go for it....if not, find an alternate means of travel.  I believe MAC flights also only take you to the first point of entry in the US.  You need to keep that in mind when planning the rest of your transportation to your final destination.  Will you grab a commercial flight the rest of the way?  Rent a car?  Have family come get you?  Have it all planned out including alternate ideas.  MAC flights may only get you so close, and the rest of the plan is yours to figure out.

Something interesting I have found when friends have traveled from Germany, is that every plane can be different.  Do you know the G5s have space sometimes?  Yes, I know it's a $50 million aircraft!  Yes, I recently read about a military wife who rode a G5 plane from Korea to the US....plush leather seats and personal service usually reserved for generals. How she snagged that, I don't know.  I owuld post the link with her happy smiling child...but I can't find it, sorry!  Coming out of Ramstein, be prepared for flights loaded with wounded going back stateside...some in fairly grave condition.  I had a friend who passed on one of those flights, because she was afraid to expose her children to so many injured soldiers.  I am not saying that was right or wrong, just something to think about when accepting a flight or not.  You may even have a flight with NO SEATS.  Yes, I had a friend fly on a military craft that didn't have any, and there must have been many veteran Space Aers on the flight, as they rolled out their sleeping bags and hung out using their pillows as luggage!

One more resource to throw your way, be sure to check out the AMC's Space A Facebook page.  It's a great resource and what a great way to get your questions answered should you have any.  If anyone has any other sites or stories to share, please do so below.  I would love to hear them!

Video: Being a military girlfriend (or even boyfriend)

It seems that when I wrote about being a military girlfriend, it moved up towards the top of the reading list on this blog (see bottom right of the homepage).  I must've hit a nerve...either that or there isn't a lot out there on being a military girlfriend.  I'm going to go over some things you need to think about before dating that handsome man (or woman) in the uniform!

Here's what I had to say. Go get a soda and see if any value can be squeezed out of it.

Ask VMW: What's it like on a US Army post?

I've gotten this question a few times and thought I'd better answer it now.  It's nice to see that some blog readers are not affiliated with the military and are interested to know more about what goes on here.

"Hi, I watch Army Wives every week and I always wonder what life is like behind the big fence.  Could you tell me what can be found on an Army base?"

Ahhh...the sounds of the bugle playing reveille in the morning, retreat being played at 5 pm as the American flag is lowered, taps at "bedtime" and the etiquette that goes with it....that sure brings back memories for me (We are on a NATO base right now, so none of that!).  That's the first thing that came to mind!  Thanks so much for your question!  Life behind the gate can certainly be different than civilian life...but then again, you'll see a lot of similarities.  I think everyone who has ever lived, worked or visited there knows this.  I'd like to clear up that Army posts are called "posts".  You'll only find bases in the Navy and Air Force...and of course the few Marine bases.  There is some historical reason for this......just know that it's different.

Army posts are scattered all throughout the US...I believe every one of our 50 states has at least one Army post.  Just ask your Congressman or Senator...they are always fighting to keep bases and posts from being closed....every few years, our government goes through a Base Closure & Re-alignment dance, and all the states usually sweat it out before it's all said and done...overseas too!  Bases beef up the economy and bring jobs and money into the areas they lie.  No one wants to have their bases or posts closed.

A base or post is like a small city.  The mayor is actually the base commander...an officer in the rank of Colonel usually to even a General for some of the super-size bases, changing every few years.  He or she is charged with running the infrastructure of the base and keeping in touch with the local civilian community and government...providing a link between the two and making sure he is being supportive in the decisions he makes.

Almost all posts, or in the case of overseas, a collection of small posts in an area, will have basic services to keep things running smoothly.  The military provides legal and administrative services on post through some of its military units.  For example, a large post will actually have an Army Finance Battalion (a few hundred soldiers) providing financial and pay services for their military members.  A smaller post may only have a company-sized unit there.  As far as non-military units, you'll also find a commissary, run by DECA, which has commissaries world-wide providing the food and supermarket products we are familiar with.  I always joke about some of the "special aisles" we have in the commissary.  If we have an aisle with ethnic foods, like German or Asian...it is because servicemembers married a lot of spouses from those areas....it's not racist, just true.

The PX or "the Exchange" as it's now called is run by AAFES.  You will find them on all the bases too.  They used to provide products at great prices, back when we didn't have the big box stores and Walmart...but these days, especially overseas, I see them carrying expensive Coach purses (yes, they are discounted some) and higher end stuff, when I want the comfort things from home and just highly consumable simple products like printer paper!  They can never seem to keep that stuff in stock or deliver it to a PX location near me.  Some PXs will also have a gas station attached to their shopette...a kind of 24-hour convenience store.  An interesting fact, is that their gas prices stateside must be in line with what is being offered outside the gate.  Overseas, they use a formula to give us discounted prices less than what the Europeans are paying...much less.

In the US, where segregation was an issue in our country's history, you'll still find schools onpost...mostly elementary schools.  All overseas posts or collections of posts in a geographical area will have schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade in order to provide an American education.  These are run by DODEA (used to be called DODDs).  BTW, DODEA teachers overseas get some great pay...easily 4x what most stateside teachers get paid.  If you are a teacher and looking for work, be sure to check it out but please don't just do it for your "European vacation"....we have a few teachers who do it for that reason rather than the kids and education unfortunately.

You'll see gyms and fitness centers....many state-of-the-art....even some indoor/outdoor pools.  They are all mostly free.  I've only ever had to pay for aerobics classics and signing up for organized sports.  Sports teams, competitions and sports programs for children of every sport you can think of have some registration fees involved but are many times affordable.

Youth Centers on post are very popular with tons of programs for kids along with after school and summer programs at reasonable rates...these are not free, although spouses of deployed soldiers can get some costs reduced.  The childcare center on post also allows for this too.  It is called the Child Development Center.  Here is an example of one of the larger ones.  We do have many dual military couples with children who get priority for their children at the CDC but others use it as well.  Many times unfortunately, there is a waiting list and some take their children for off-post care or they use one of the home daycare providers that are licensed by the government who live onpost and sometimes off-post (FCC providers).  Some spouses make extra money by running this out of their home.  Yes, it involves lots of inspections and some say it's not worth the trouble, but just as many enjoy doing it and like that they can always find work wherever they are stationed.  There is ALWAYS a childcare shortage on post I have found.  It is one of the top issues complained about by Army families every year.

Many posts will have a movie theater run by AAFES...not first-run but in today's age, they do show movies a few weeks after they hit the civilian megaplexes at a lower cost.  Of course bowling alleys along with their short order kitchens are plentiful on military posts....and don't forget the foodcourt, also managed by AAFES.  I always found it strange that I can find a Burger King, Anthony's Pizza or even Frank's Franks pretty much worldwide at any AAFES foodcourt.  Remember, eating at the foodcourt and buying at AAFES is tax-free.  The commissary is tax-free as well, but they do put a small surcharge on your total which goes back in to maintain their system.

Ask any retiree about golf courses, and you'll see some of those.  Not on every post...but many do have them.  In the old days, you had the Officer's Club and the Enlisted Club....they used to socialize separately.  I still remember going with my parents to once-a-week Happy Hour at the O'Club, loading up on the free appetizers and snacks every Thursday and then playing on the playground while they hit the slots (yes, they had slot machines...some still do) or socialized with their friends.  Nowadays it's called a Community Club and all military and civilians and their guests are welcome.  They typically have a bar there...a snackbar and fine dining and a variety of special events throughout the year.  I don't know if they still do stateside, but sometimes there was a cash cage where you could cash checks.  BTW, the PX will cash personal checks for you too. 

Overseas, you'll also find a Car Care Center.  It's usually small, but you'll find some of your favorite stateside car care products and also some parts.  They have mechanics that can work on your vehicle...sometimes the wait can be long for an appointment, but I am thankful they do offer that, especially if you come over with an American car that is difficult to service on the economy.  Yes, they have American dealers & service centers over here but many times they are not familiar with our American models....so I've had to have some parts shipped from stateside for my Honda the few times I took it to a German Honda dealer.  Where would we be without the internet and APO shipping overseas?  And if you are mechanically inclined yourself, you'll find an auto craft shop where you can work on cars with maintenance bays and tools provided...very handy!  I even had one of the shop personnel, many years ago, show me how to change the oil in my car...they do things like that.

Of course don't forget our religious service centers...used to just be called chapels.  We have military chaplains of every denomination on post and if they don't for some reason, the chaplains there will provide you with the resources and equipment you need to follow your faith.  At my basic training post, we did not have any chaplains of the Muslim faith, but they made arrangements for our soldiers to visit with their civilian counterparts and also provided a room, Korans and prayer rugs...whatever they needed.  You'll find multiple services on post as well of all the major faiths.  They also have a variety of programs for single soldiers, families, religious education and fun kids' programs...whatever you can think of!

Now what did I leave out?  Oh, laundromats...most posts have them....sometimes car washes too...plenty of parks and running/walking trails, playgrounds too.  I've even been on posts that have stables and lakes with picnic/camping facilities, boat rentals and fishing possibilities.  Of course you'll see onpost lodging, used mostly by people moving in our out of the post...but also soldiers and civilians on temporary duty there and some vacationers.  Many of these lodging facilities have been nicely renovated or are new and are much lower in cost than their civilian counterparts...imagine staying close to Disney World in Florida, or Key West, Hawaii or in the foothills of the Alps in a military lodging facility....yes, you'll find those.  And, I almost forgot the on-post housing areas scattered around the post.  Most of the administration of these are contracted out and many can be small and cramped...but other than your phone and cable bill, you don't have to worry about utility bills (although this has been changing), maintenance costs...but do have to worry about keeping your grass cut and keeping your area neat.  Just ask the highest ranking officer of your neighborhood, who has been appointed as a "mayor" of your housing area.

One of my favorite places to go though when moving to a new location is Army Community Service (here is an example of an ACS).  The other services also have equivalent offices by different names (yet another thing you will learn...they all name things differently a lot of the time and with more and more posts/bases having all four services stationed there....being called "Purple Communities", know that you can go to ACS or whatever regardless of what your husband's service is - Army, AF, Marines or Navy..even Coast Guard).  ACS has new daddy and mommy programs...can get you in to see the WIC nurse, has mommy/child playmornings, a variety of free classes, programs and events...even job and resume training.  They also have a lending closet where you can get pots  pans and the things you need right after arrival....lots of newcomer resources and counselors through their Military Family Life Consultants who are free and don't keep any records...but help you get pointed in the right direction.....plus lots of friendly faces.

Sometimes, you get the feeling you are part of a special club, especially when you hand over that ID card as you enter the facility and leave the civilian world behind.  Going "on post" is like "coming home" at least for me.  I know what to expect once I go through that gate and know exactly where to go for what I need!

Lastly, you'll find the buildings housing the military units who are actually stationed on that post.  They'll have their own infrastructure to an extent...also single soldier barracks and facilities for them, such as community rooms and kitchens.  You could find rows of motorpools if the unit has lots of vehicles.  Military police units are on each post, providing their services....yes, they have the right to search your vehicle on post, and you can get a speeding ticket from them...they do the same things civilian policemen do, just on post.  If you have pets, there is usually a vet clinc...yes, the military vets are also tasked with food inspection and taking care of any military working dogs and other animals on post (don't laugh, some units have mascots)...but they can also provide lowcost care on a space available basis (here's an example).

I'm sure I've forgotten something....like the banks that have a contract to be on post and the Red Cross, which you will find on every post or even the community thrift shops (like Goodwill)...even the housing office which manages the onpost housing or helps you find off-post housing, but those are the highlights.  I realize there are a lot of them......I have unfortunately droned on about this topic, haven't I, but if I did forget something, please post it below:-)

Joining Real Military Wives TV!

Woo hoo!  I am excited to be joining Susanna, Crystal and others at Real Military Wives TV.  Forget Army Wives on TV (okay, maybe don't forget it), but this is REAL military wives TV for and about military wives.  So, if you are just curious what we do everyday or you want to join us with your own musings, come join us!

Follow the link below and be sure to leave a comment on my own recorded video.  You know how I am about video...not a big fan to see my mug on film...but I am learning and forcing myself to try to be a ham in front of the camera.



I would love for you to join us with your own video...and if you have a blog or website, please be sure to add the graphic below to your site and link back to Real Military Wives TV to spread the word! 

http://realmilitarywives.tv/

 

 
Tell us what you think and stay tuned for more happenings and ideas that will come rolling out of that site!!!!

Take advantage of commissary early bird shopping

I think this program was rolled out a few years ago when commissaries began installing self checkout counters.  Double check your closest commissary before you head out, bu the gist of the program is that you can shop one hour before the store officially opens.  If you don't like crowds and can check out your own groceries (as it only works for self check-out), then this is for you!  Many commissaries also have limits to the number of items you can buy...usually not more than 20 or 40 items, so double check that too before you try it.

I know at our last duty station, I used to do it all the time.  Even on paydays, it was a ghost town.  I don't know about you but guaranteed parking and not having to navigate among all the parked carts in the aisle is what sold me on it!  You also tend to be a bit more selective in your shopping choices and not impulse buy, knowing there is a limit.

Oh, one more thing that you probably already know...but just in case....coupons are valid 6 months after the expiration date on your coupon if you go to an overseas commissary...so don't throw that old stuff away just yet!  You can also donate your old coupons...I believe to ACS, if you no longer need them...those of us overseas will still squeeze money out of it.  If I'm not mistaken, there is also an organization out there that sends expired coupons overseas.  I'd post it here but am momentarily too lazy to look it up!

Do you have any commissary shopping tips to share?

You'd be surprised who qualifies for WIC overseas

I say this not to draw attention to yourself or some other reason....nope...I knew a WIC nurse in Germany who gave me a few minutes of enlightening.  She told me to send as many ladies as I could to her, who were pregnant, had recently given birth or had young children.  I was our unit's FRG representative, so of course, I knew many mommies out there.  She dangled that carrot and told me I'd be surprised who qualifies for the WIC benefits overseas....hmmmmm.....

So, she told me that she even had some officers' wives able to take advantage of the program.  Free food and free money for food among other things.  Apparently, the program has different requirements overseas than stateside.  Perhaps there is a bigger bucket of money for us here?  And this is not just for military and military spouses...DOD contractors and civilian employees can also take advantage of the program.

Well...what are you waiting for?  Make an appointment TODAY with your local WIC nurse at your post or base overseas.  If you can't find your WIC nurse, be sure to check Army Community Service (ACS) or whatever office provides community services at your base.  Be sure to let me know how it goes.  If you hear of any other programs out there that people may not know about, please post it here!

"Think Outside the Box" FRG Fundraising

We all know the rules...or we should...Family Readiness Groups are not fund-raising organizations. That's fine...I had to laugh at friends, who 10 years ago were hob-knobbing with the Tennessee Titans and raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in concession sales and corporate sponsorship...yes, they did. That's why we have these new rules...that we all now have to follow. Things were obviously out of control. We can fundraise, but we can't solicit donations and the money has to be pegged towards something your FRG is planning in the future. So, we all end up doing bake sales...something unique to Germany, I think...brats burns, basically selling hotdogs at lunchtime...but else could we do that was something different? Here are some ideas to revamp your FRG fundraising.

Purchase a discounted rental quality Santa Suit (about $200-300 at a variety of stores on the internet) and then rent it out every year to the multiple organizations who are always looking for a Santa suit to borrow for whatever event. Charge $35 per rental, and book it multiple times for season, and you can see how it can make you quick money.

Get a porcelain Christmas Ornament made and have them available at your yearly holiday party for a suggested donation. We were able to use our unit crest and the name of our unit in fancy lettering underneath on white porcelain ornaments with red ribbon from CafePress. With a bulk and seller discount, plus coupon codes, each ornament cost us about $4. If we sell it for double, we'll make a nice bit of change there as well.

Giftwrapping at AAFES. Check with your local community to make sure this is allowed. People are amazingly generous here. Most people hate giftwrapping.  Since a dozen other organizations want to do this to, get the name and contact information of the AAFES manager EARLY in the season and tell him what dates you want right off the bat.

Since you can't raffle anything off, how about selling "opportunities to win" for a suggested donation for whatever you want to "give away" at your next event? Your item doesn't have to be something tangible. How about the Commander's parking spot, or the use of his office for a day or something like that? Be sure to check with your unit Legal Section though, as some of these things are illegal in some States and even in some military communities.  In Germany, since the parking spot was government property, that idea was shot down....but I bet you can be more creative than that...beyond throwing a pie in the commander's face I'm sure.

If your community has a yardsale or flea market, get a booth for your FRG. In the months before, have someone give up some storage space so people can donate small items. If they have large items, have them bring those the day of the sale. You'll also need volunteers to load up a minivan or two and people to collect the money the day of the sale.

A cookbook. Do a google search for "fundraiser cookbook". There are tons of companies out there that do this. Some will even ship to APO (ask first if you are overseas).  It also gives you a nice memory of your time at the unit. I have quite a few of these, and I have fond memories, finding a recipe in one of the books, and thinking of that person and their contributions to the unit while I knew them.

What do you do in your unit to raise funds for your next event?

The surprising thing about USAREUR overseas libraries

In case you haven't been to your overseas library....please go and check it out!  Yes, you can check out not only books (and they are not the old dusty things that were here in the 1970s)....yes, bestsellers too...but also DVDs (at our local SHAPE Library, you can rent both European and US region DVDs), Blu-rays and many games for whatever gaming system you have at home, including the Nintendo DS.  We are also lucky to have a nice library at Chievres Air Base as well, and the best part is that you can check out things from both and return them to either library, regardless of which one you got it from.  But wait...there's more....

Bring your ID card to get signed into the system...both Chievres and SHAPE (and all USAREUR libraries) are on the same system and card catalog online.  You'll get a username and password and can access the card catalog at home as well as many online databases and resources.  You can even request items through Inter Library Loan (ILL), where they will send the items from any of the USAREUR libraries, to include the ones as far away as our Italy base and post locations...wow.  USAREUR also does not skimp on the latest bestsellers....you'll find those too.  You'll have the ability to put all these items on hold and then get email notifications when they come in (and which library, Chievres or SHAPE, you'd like to pick them up from).  Of course you'll also get an email when your items are late, and they make it really easy to renew those items on line.  Best of all, there are NO LATE FEES, and the worst that can happen is you won't be allowed to PCS or move without clearing your debts from the library.  I hate to admit it myself, but we lost a DVD at our last USAREUR location, and all I had to do was provide a receipt from Amazon where I had re-ordered the exact same DVD with the library's mailing address as the intended recipient (great idea actually).  My husband never let me live that one down, but if that's the worst thing I lose.....then I think I'm doing okay.

One thing that I have also discovered online, is the Army Digital Media Library and also Netlibrary from within the USAREUR library catalog.  It sounds like a great idea....you can rent DRM protected audiobooks, videos and ebooks....great idea...but the collection absolutely SUCKS! 

I hate to say that, but I hope that they think about getting a wider selection of items.  On the one hand, I watched a great documentary of a unit that fought at Normandy, but in the same shopping cart, I downloaded a horror movie that has got to be the campiest thing I ever saw about a group of folks traveling thru Texas who stay in a B&B in the middle of a killing spree freakshow basically....maybe it had some kind of artistic value...I don't know...as people died in some awfully interesting ways....or should I say were killed.  You can also download the items to mp3 players and ebook readers, as long as they can read the formats listed for the items in the digital library. 



All you need is your library username and password and choose "Europe" on the dropdown menu to make sure you access the correct system.  Once your rental period is up (up to 21 days) the items will magically disappear from your computer, so make sure you read them...and also keep them in a wishlist on the site as there is no record (at least that I could see) of what you checked out before.  I had a hard time finding a book title I didn't get to finish.

How do you like your library at your location?  Do you have any library tips to share?

Ask VMW: We are moving & our child is EFMP

I get this question or a variant of it about every few months.  I know it weighs heavily, especially on moms.  I don't know if I can help but here goes.

The question:

"My husband got orders for Germany.  They are for 36 months which I understand includes dependents. We are very happy because we wanted to go to Germany. On the other hand, once I started reading about the command sponsorship I became very concerned with the idea of us not being able to go. Our oldest son is enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). My first concern was if they have the special need resources at the school over there.  My question is, do you have a self-contained room for special ed? Do you know what happens if you don't have the services my son requires? Do they just cancel the orders, change them or they just send my husband alone for those 36 months?"

My response:

Please take a deep breath....and step back a bit.  I applaud you for taking the time to research your new duty station! I wish more wives would take the time to do this.

Now....the EFMP screening which you and your family will do, will determine if there are services for your son available at your husband's projected new duty station.  Right now, your husband only has assignment instructions....orders for his actual duty station will be cut (made) locally, once he and his family meets all the requirements, the most important being EFMP screening.

I can obviously not tell you what the doctors and administrators at this screening will say...you'll be in a room with a few doctors and administrators with your health records...they will also ask you questions.  I personally do not know if your projected duty station in Germany is equipped to handle your son's disability, and the American Disabilities Act requires that disabled students be integrated into the classroom as much as possible...this is not just military-wide but US wide.  There are some students with dedicated para-educators who are with them at EVERY moment of the school day.  They may take some small group or individualized instruction in the special education room/facilities and as their disability allows, be integrated throughout the day in the mainstream classrooms with a para-educator by their side, if needed.

If for some reason, the staff at the EFMP screening determines there will not be sufficient services for your son in this duty location (I have no way of knowing), then your husband's assignment instructions will be rescinded and others will be issued for another location.  I don't know if he'll be given the opportunity for an unaccompanied tour (2 years) either.  This will in no way hurt his career.  That is one of the reasons why the EFMP system was developed.

Please don't worry too much about this, as right now, there is really nothing you can do about this process that all overseas bound families must go through.  You can try to see if there are other wives on the Army Wives Forum and ask if anyone is in EFMP in your projected area.  There are many wives on that forum who are overseas. 

Unfortunately, many of the Army hospitals and posts have closed in Germany. The only REAL hospital is up in Landstuhl...the closest Army base or collection of bases would be in Kaiserslautern, still a very big military community. Ramstein Air Base is also nearby. The rest of the bases and posts, both AF and Army rely on US military health clinics and off-post care on the economy.  German healthcare is very comparable to ours and in many ways more advanced, so no worries there.  Yes, sometimes there are language barriers, but for the most part, many doctors and some staff do speak some English.

Good luck to you!

An Open Letter to AAFES Overseas

If I knew that someone at AAFES was going to read AND act on this letter, this is what I would write.

"Dear AAFES,

I have just come from my local PX in Belgium.  I live 30 minutes from the PX and do not travel there too often, but this is the fifth time in a month I have gone to the PX looking for simple paper to put in my computer printer.  This is the same HP printer that I used to try to buy ink for at the PX until I realized it would probably be weeks before I saw replacement ink for it.  Those shelves were routinely empty as well.  Back to the paper...keep in mind that the PX is the only local source of computer paper, as the local Belgian source only sells European-sized paper, which is about an inch or so longer than US computer paper.  This would create an extra step for me in using Belgian paper, as it would hang out of my binders either on the top or bottom, forcing me to cut that part off (I do like to be neat).

I see that your shelves were totally empty of ALL computer paper, the first four times I visited your facility.  The fifth time, there was a small ream of high quality thick HP paper, which costs almost twice what regular paper costs.  Since I had truly run out of paper at this point, I was forced to buy it or deal with the consequences of my children going on a homework strike.  I should've ordered it from the US you say?  Do you know how much paper weighs?  I guess this is also an option if I don't mind shelling out more money.

The truth is, I believe the PX should be overseas to support us....not make our lives more difficult or more expensive than shopping off-post on the economy or even through mail order.  I don't know who your overseas PX buyer is, but they apparently have not grasped that there are certain STAPLES that EVERYONE goes through in high volumes, printer paper being one of them....printer ink being another.  I won't even go into the other items that are routinely needed, as these are also items AAFES should be tracking for low quantities and should be ordering well ahead so the shelves are stocked.

If Walmart HQ can tell themselves how many bottles of water they have on the shelves of X stores right before Hurricane Katrina (and after I may add), then the PX should be able to handle the basic technology that would keep their stores stocked of staples.  If the stocker person who does the ordering has no clue what staples we need, what about a suggestion box in the front of every overseas PX, allowing customers to let AAFES know which staples they'd like to see on a regular basis?  It seems the commissary does a better job of this.  Maybe the PX guy can talk to the commissary guy and share notes.

Signed,
A Disgruntled AAFES Customer"

I for one would love to hear what AAFES has to say about this issue? I know having AAFES overseas is a privilege and not a right....I got that...but still.....your thoughts on this?

Free flight back to the US - COT Travel

So, I always knew that if you have back-to-back overseas tours...whether it's Germany/Germany, Germany/Belgium, Korea/Germany (seems to be a lot of that lately)...or whatever, you "earn" a free trip back to the US....to your military spouse's home of record.  This just means that the flight has a dollar amount attached to it, back to the home of record, and you can go anywhere in the US for free, as long as it's cheaper than that dollar amount (well, not free...the government pays for it).  If not, you pay out of pocket the amount ABOVE what you are authorized.  So why am I blogging about it?  One...what a pain in the rear to get the paperwork done (be persistent) and also just to let you know it's even available to you.  How do you know you are authorized this free travel for you, your military husband and the rest of your dependents, ie kids?


Look at your military spouse's orders assigning you to your new duty station.  There should be a line in there saying you, the dependents, are authorized COT (Consecutive Overseas Tour) travel.  If you PCSed (moved) from one overseas location to another, you are authorized this travel.  Once you've got those orders in hand, your military spouse then needs to take those orders to his personnel office to initiate the paperwork.  For us, that meant he had to go to three different offices...you know, NATO, no one knows who they really fall under administratively...which is sometimes different from who your boss is....then, when you nail that down, you can actually get the paperwork filled out and turned in.  Then you wait about three weeks and get notified that it came back approved.  My husband got his paperwork, which was indeed another set of orders approving COT travel, via email.

I printed the thing out, then went to our local SATO office...where you can book official and leisure travel.  For our area, it is located in an obscure location on Chievres, next to the PXextra, in a little hole-in-the-wall place.  The ladies in there can then check flights for you.  Our cap, per person, ended up being just over $1000, so we were limited....when did flights get so expensive?  I haven't been back to the US in four years....golly gee!  I almost had to go to Chicago to go back to the East Coast...but instead, ended up going through JFK, which I don't like either, to get to where I'm going.  Forget direct flights, even though my destination is a major East Coast hub...go figure...never just simple, is it?  BTW, SATO at Chievres told me they are now getting some nice last minute deals, so check their specials website.

So, the lady did say if I change my mind about wanting to go to Newark, she can get me through there....great, why would I ever choose to go through there...isn't JFK bad enough?  They don't actually ticket you...which will be an electronic ticket eventually...until the month you leave, so changes can be made up til then.  I know they have government rates and such available to them....but I would still think, when the seats are gone, they are gone....so reserving earlier would be better I would think.

Well, that's the first part of my adventure.  I'll have to blog about the second part...when we actually go....still a long ways off.  You have a year BTW to take advantage of this travel I was told (but I read that Congress upped the amount of time to take it to the full however many years of your second tour)!

Ask VMW: Help, I am not on my husband's military orders...don't I get to come too?

I am catching up with some questions from readers.  Here is one that I've answered often through email, so I thought I would blog about it:

"Help, my husband just got orders to Germany and me and the kids are not on it!  I thought families could automatically go with their soldier to Germany?  We don't want to be left behind!  Please help!"

First....take a deep breath.  Not being on orders can be standard.  The first thing you need to find out is if your Army spouse is serving an accompanied tour (typically three years) or an unaccompanied tour (two years).  An accompanied tour means he is authorized to bring his family with him on the government's dime...meaning, the Army will fly them all over, and they'll get supported over there with special passports authorizing them to stay beyond the traditional tourist 90 days (a SOFA stamped passport) and of course healthcare, schools and all the other support they'd normally get, same as if the servicemember was stationed in the US.

You and your children (the dependents) will get an EFMP screening.  This is a formality where medical professionals will look at your medical records and also interview you to see if you have any special medical needs.  PLEASE do this as soon as your military member finds out his new assignment, because without this screening, he will NOT get his orders!  The military want to make sure there are facilities near the new duty station (whether military or civilian) that can care for your medical problem.  Some things that come to mind are asthma, hearing loss, special physical therapy needs and other medical issues that may require special care.  Just because you or your dependents are enrolled in EFMP does not mean you cannot come along.  Germany is a very modern country with good healthcare facilities, so chances are high this will not be an issue for your family.

The first step for your spouse is to attend the levy briefing on his current post.  This is where he will learn how to ship his household goods, cars and all the other information he will need to move.  I suggest you go with him if you can....two sets of ears are always better than one.  On some posts, it is even a requirement for spouses to go too (as much as they can require...okay, highly encouraged then).  This briefing is given by your outgoing transportation office on your post.  The personnel people on your post will actually be "typing up" your spouse's orders, depending on what his assignment instructions coming down from the Department of the Army say (such as what unit he will be going to or if he will be going to a centralized location like a Replacement Detachment and then further assigned to a gaining unit AFTER arrival in country).  Remember that there may be beaucoup duty positions for a wheeled vehicle mechanice in the rank of Private or Specialist...not so many slots for let's say a Lieutenant Colonel in the Infantry...chances are the private will be sent to the Replacement Detachment in the country you are moving to, while the LTC has a pinpoint assignment of his exact duty station and job...that's just the way it is, the higher up in rank you go.  What goes on the orders also depends on which overseas duty location your spouse will be stationed in.  Some duty stations have longer waiting lists for housing, so orders are automatically noted as "non-concurrent travel" for dependents, meaning the military spouse travels first, then the spouse and children later.  This is done to save the military money and when you think about it, it may be cheaper and less stressful for you too.

When deciding whether to travel with your spouse, take these points into account, and if they don't cause extra financial hardship or stress for you, then go for it!  Otherwise, you may be better off waiting until your military spouse is settled and has housing.

• Many times, there is no hotel or lodging on post/base, and you'll be staying at some civilian establishment.  Typically, your sponsor will guide you into where you should make a reservation or will do it for you.  You'll get travel pay to cover food and lodging, but that does not mean you can stay at the fanciest places and eat out for every meal (don't laugh...I've seen it done).  Know what your cap is ahead of time per day versus what it will cost for hotel and estimated food for you and your family...it'll be rank dependent.  Many overseas hotels have favorable government rates.  Read reviews on Trip Advisor and Booking.com.  See what other hotels are available in the area.  See how far they are from the post.  Walking distance?  Bus/metro routes?  Free breakfast or other freebies, like parking (if you get a rental car), amenities, etc.  The more they throw into the room price, the more travel money is left over for you.
• Do you have children?  Can you get adjoining rooms, ie two rooms?  Are there bathtubs (my kids like baths)?  Many European business hotels only have showerstalls.  Will you PCS during the summer during school break?  If not, do you have a plan to get them registered into school quickly?  Which school (if there is more than one US Department of Defense school)?  Is there busing from the hotel?  Will your child be able to change schools if your eventual home is in another zone (Stuttgart has three different elementary schools, and they are all not the same quality unfortunately...just like anywhere else).  Is it easier for your children to stay where they are now, especially if family is nearby?  Can they handle the change of moving multiple times from hotels to a home when you find it with sometimes temporary housing in between? 
• How will your pets handle being in a hotel for a longer timeframe?  Plan in being in a hotel for one to three months.  Sometimes, you can get temporary housing, which is basically apartment living, until you find a house or onpost housing is available.  You'd have temporary furniture and live there in the interim.  It all depends on what is available at the post when your husband signs in.  You'll get on the housing list as soon as he inprocesses after arrival....no earlier.  Is your dog a barker?  Is he not house broken or does he not do well under stress?  Even though European countries are very pet friendly, there are going to be times you can't take him along.  Will he be okay in his crate?  Is he crate trained?  Will he bark and growl at the cleaning staff?  Make sure you let your sponsor know you have a pet and make sure your lodging accepts pets and is tolerant of possible pet problems.  The Marriott in Sindelfingen, Germany (Stuttgart area) is one of the better places in Stuttgart to go if you have pets.
• Find out if your hotel has a microwave or a refrigerator.  Our last PCS hotel had a refrigerator that was barely cold, so no milk storage.  We also did not have a microwave, so we ate out alot, plus a lot of sandwiches.  Read my post here about being creative on a budget when it comes to mealtime.
• As long as you don't eat out every night, most people can make some money on their travel pay.....meaning, they give out less money than the Army pays them for travel expenses.  The average cost of a good restaurant meal in Germany, per person is anywhere from 15-20 euro, which includes drinks.
• Are you going to spring for a rental car to get you around?  The Army does not pay for a rental car, so ship your car from stateside....early, to get it sooner rather than later.  Rental car = more money going out.  Who will have the car most days?  Your spouse or you?
• Your spouse will most likely have to inprocess and also spend time at work.  You'll spend a lot of time bored (if you let yourself be) and alone.  Are you a self-starter enough that you can keep yourself busy?  Are you brave enough to at least venture out on your own?  If you choose to stay in the hotel, will you go stir crazy after days on end?  What about your children?  Hopefully, your spouse has a good sponsor, whose wife will come get you now and again.  Or, perhaps the Family Readiness Group is established enough to welcome newcomers and give a helping hand. We gave out welcome kits and visited the new spouse as soon as possible.  I think the Air Force even has folks (the sponsor or their version of the Family Readiness Group) who will fill your lodging refrigerator for you!  How about that!

With all that being said, I think it totally depends on your personality and how independent you are, whether you travel with your military spouse or not.  Just be well informed and make the best decision you can make for your particular family.  If you're worried about flying with multiple children and pets, many times, the spouse can take off work to come back to the US to help you fly over.  I've flown over with two babies on my own...but my personality was able to handle that.  You have to know yourself what you are capable of and use the power of positive thinking while you're at it!  What other advice would you add?

Getting Stationed Overseas?

One of my favorite shops in Berlin

Congratulations on your upcoming assignment!  I bet you immediately had dreams of Paris, Rome...and everywhere in between!  Here are a few quick tips to get you thinking and mentally prepared for what's ahead!

Just some things to think about if you have never lived overseas...in Europe (I can only speak for places I've lived in) :

Europe will not be the US, and it's best to not compare EVERYTHING.  Even I struggle with this and now living in Belgium, I struggle and want to compare everything to the very efficient Germany....stop it...each country has its own customs and flavors so to speak!

You may be required to live onpost, as some communities have plenty of on-post housing.  Just check and see, so you won't be disappointed or want to compare everything to the US again.  Many housing offices are online now.  For example, to get an idea of what the Stuttgart community has (and what is typical in Germany) visit this site.

Along with that last one, know what your Overseas Housing Allowance is for your spouse's rank; that way you know what price range you should be looking at...the farther out, the cheaper it'll be (or if it's close by, be prepared for living in a little box!).

With that all being said, sometimes, as a first timer over here, it is easier living on post.  You won't have bills (other than cable tv, internet and phone).  Maintenance people will come fairly quickly if something goes wrong.  You have the security of living on-post and a close support network of neighbors.  Off post, especially if you do not speak the language can be challenging, and you have to be ready to work a little harder and spend a little more money.

European houses for the most part, do not have closets....so plan to buy some (either new, antique or used ones that you can sell when you leave again).  On post living is mostly what we call "stairwell living" or apartments, anywhere from 700-2000 square feet as the norm.  Some communities, such as Grafenwoehr and Vilseck have newer onpost duplex housing now.  You'll also see contracted housing off post as well.

Know the Euro currency...no one Euro bills, but one Euro and two Euro coins to which many Americans have trouble getting used to.

Fast driving and priority to the driver coming from the right.

Limited shopping hours; many times everything is closed on Sunday and some restaurants on Monday too.

If you purchase a vehicle with European specs, don't plan on taking it stateside, as it won't pass inspection and would need expensive upgrades.  Many have the military ship their American car over for free...and then buy a second hooptie or clunker they can get around town in and sell again when they leave.

For the most part, no doggie bags in restaurants.  I insist sometimes, and it's been interesting some of the butcher paper and other things waiters have brought out for me....I sometimes am a total American and bring a tupperware-type container!

Look at your household goods....you may not need it all over here...houses and apartments are typically smaller with chopped up rooms (not many with great rooms and high ceilings)....although, I have friends who have homes in both Germany and Belgium with two master suites, tons of bathrooms and six and seven bedrooms...but this is not the norm!  The military will pay to store items you designate as your "storage shipment".  I honestly could not tell you off the top of my head what is in my storage shipment, and I bet I'll get surprised when we finally go back stateside!

Make sure all the adults have valid stateside drivers' licenses or else you can't get one over here without paying for an expensive driving course.  If you have teenagers, get them their licenses if you can, before you move.

Depending on which country you are going to, contact the onpost driver's testing facility if you have a motorcycle, It is my understanding that without a valid stateside license, you can at least forget it in Belgium...not sure about Germany or the other duty stations.

Your fuel for your vehicle is a rationed item (and so is coffee and cigarettes...hard liquor too).  You'll get a ration card and can only get that amount every month.  For some reason, we get less fuel rations in Belgium than in Germany.  It depends here on the size of your vehicle/engine what you will get, and you only get fuel for one vehicle (if you have two, you have to share rations unless the other spouse works and can get extra rations).  Rationed fuel is priced less than what the posted price is...fuel is VERY expensive in Europe, and we should NEVER complain about our American prices!  In Belgium, our government has a deal to get our fuel from the Total gas station brand...in Germany, it's Esso...not sure of the others.  Of course you are always welcome to buy any fuel you want at any gas station on the economy at the same price the locals pay.

Stock up on some of your favorite non-perishable items, if you think you are going to miss them while over here.  The commissary does have some case lot sales now and then....and you can order from the US, but then you pay shipping....and European stores just don't sell the stuff in bulk like we do at Sam's Club or Costco.  I see there is one store here in Belgium doing it, Colyrut...but it is a shadow of our big box stores in the US.

You will find IKEA over here (just not in Southern Europe yet), so no need to stock up on that stuff, plus, the prices are comparable...they even have the same products.

Start learning some basic phrases of the local language.  It's always more polite to at least TRY to speak their language, and you'd be amazed at how the locals open up to you more if you at least try.

Most onpost housing has 110 and 220 volt outlets.  You can use American 110 volt appliances over here if your onpost housing has it OR you purchase transformers that you can scatter throughout your home and plug your stuff into.  To figure out if your transformer is heavy duty enough to plug in your appliance, you have to check the amps of your appliance (or multiple ones you plan to plug in) and make sure it doesn't exceed your max amps on your tranformer...they come in different sizes of course...higher amps means they are more expensive.  It's best to get second hand ones at your thrift shop rather than the PX, although the PX does sell fuses for transformers if you blow one out.

Only GSM cell phones will work over here...many American cell phones are different technology. Read up on that.  Most Americans do the prepaid phones over here to save money.  Contracts are hard to get out of, and if you lose your contract phone....you will pay through the nose!

Be sure to read my other tips and to read my moving articles on this blog.  Do you have anything to add?

Hidden in the back hallway

I rarely talk about my hubby...he likes to stay low-key...but then again, he's an overachiever too.  So, in the back hallway, where we parked some bookcases before you go up into the attic, he's stashed his military coin collection, if I can call it that.  You know the one...the oodles of coins of all shapes and sizes that most men will put into a display case...or two....to be proud of.  You see what my husband's looks like?  I mean...these are supposed to be special.  Something given to you by "an important person or organization" as an atta-boy or a pat on the back for a job well done.  My goodness, some of these are even numbered!  That means the general, or in one case, the Secretary of State handed it out...and somewhere (his aide probably) maintains a list of who got each coin...yes, they really do that.  If they are supposed to be this treasured, then why are they sitting in a jumbled mess?
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What's so awesome about being part of the NATO crowd?

I still remember when my husband told me that his next assignment would be a NATO assignment.  I had visions of us going to unit events with everyone laughing, dancing and singing kumbaya or attending embassy-like parties like they used to have in "the old days", pre 1990 (I am REALLY dating myself)!  Now that I've been here a few months, has it really been that way?

Not exactly....but things have certainly been interesting...and aren't too far off from that ideal:

Every month I can go to a spouse's luncheon hosted by a different nationality...this  month....Germany...with authentic food, fun and entertainment.

I can now say basic phrases in five different languages and make gestures in three.

Seeing a soldier with stars on his rank does not mean he is a general.  You should see all the different combinations and colors of uniforms, boots and hats!

The Silver Spoon in the HQ building is a neat place to eat, as there are always dishes being offered from the different NATO countries.

I like that I can take an Italian cooking class, bank at an Italian bank, shop at a Belgian store (or an American one) and check out library books in about eight different languages.

I can have friends from around the world.....right here where I live.

My kids come home and throw out curse words in....four...no...five languages (okay, maybe this...I don't like).

My one son's soccer coach really knows something about soccer...he's Argentinian BTW.

Where else can kids say they will be taking a field trip to the Louvre in Paris?

We get to celebrate (and have time off) for all the European holidays, which are typically longer than American holiday breaks...more time to travel.... (yes, Turkey Day is a work day....but imagine all the Americans bringing in their turkeys to grill at work and families joining their military spouses too....sounds like good times to me).

Shopping the international second hand goodies at the Spring and Summer monthly flea markets and community thrift shops. 

The wide selection of crafts, antiques and goodies at our international bazaars.

The lowcost language classes....some are even free!

Tax free shoppping of European products...just like at the airport.

Learning that sometimes things just are the way they are....like the movement of each NATO country's flag in the order of display so that no one flag will be first....or last....every Sunday at midnight like clockwork (wonder who has that duty?).

Tanks in Town - Felt like we were in "Band of Brothers"

One of the neatest things about Belgium...I have found....is that rules here are a little different than elsewhere.  Where else in the world, would a city allow a battalion's worth of armored vehicles, tanks and other WWII era vehicles....with a few modern ones thrown in....free reign throughout the city and countryside?  Apparently, only in Mons is this possible!  Every September, you can see the world's largest congregation of MOVING WWII era vehicles.  I think I also saw every kind of uniform or best guess as to a uniform....loved the kids in their French and Belgian resistance uniforms with their berets, sweater vests and Tommy guns!  Here's how to best enjoy this event for next year, and I highly recommend traveling from other duty stations in Europe for this once-in-a-lifetime event, where you can even ride a tank, or whatever else grabs your fancy!

First things first, visit the official site of the event.  I'm hoping they will get more sponsorship in 2011, because the rumor is that the city of Mons has pulled back sponsorship for future events.  Let the tourist bureau know this is an important event or else it risks being on a much smaller scale!

If you want to ride the tanks or wheeled vehicles, the organizers set up an obstacle course at the Bois Brule.  You must prepay on the official site.  It entails filling out the form with your name and information, as well as which vehicle you'd like to ride in and whether you'd like to do this on Saturday or Sunday.  Then, go to your local bank or use its online banking system to pay the account # listed at the site.  You can also pay internationally, as they list their international bank codes as well.  Print out a copy to show proof of payment, and take it with you.  Once you get to the bivouac site, which is right on the edge of the obstacle course at Bois Brule.  Look for a tent that is giving out the ride tickets.  They make you sign a waiver, and they also have a list of who rides what and on what day.  Arrive early in the day to avoid waiting in line.

We arrived right around 0930 am on Saturday, which was perfect.  As everyone else, we drove behind the barriers on the canal road, and parked right there on the street behind the other cars ahead of us.  We walked about half a mile to the entrance of the bivouac site, which also held a military fleamarket, which was worth it alone to visit.  So many uniforms (not just WWII), memorabilia, items dug up from battlefields and my youngest was just tickled a vendor let him where the German Pickelhaube, which was probably a copy....but it was cool anyway!  I was also surprised to see some swastikas and Nazi stuff displayed, but then realized this is not Germany and it is not illegal to display.  Before the day was over, my little one was decked out as a WWII doughboy.  The prices are also very reasonable, and I even saw a sign of some guy advertising that he could retread your tank for you....these people are SERIOUS!

Remember that Saturday is always free for SHAPE ID card holders, so be sure you show it at the entrance or pay the small fee.  Sunday is "Family Day", and I guess is free for families.  You'll get an armband before entry.  Of course we saw many,  many in uniform.  We also saw SHAPE soldiers in their duty uniforms.  We walked through the bivouac and saw numerous tents and conglomeration of sleeping arrangements, as well as static displays of many vehicles.  Of course there were also food tents and beer....and more beer.  Everyone was having a great time.

The boys chose to ride the T-72 Russian main battle tank...and they were not disappointed...the obstacle course was a bit of a roller coaster and boys got to sit in the gunner's and tank commander's hatch.  What an experience they told me!!!

On Sunday afternoon, we headed out to Mesvin and the farmer's field where the mock tank battle was scheduled to happen.  Arrive early!  There will be police and organizers directing traffic, and you'll end up parking in the town and walking out to the field, which takes about 10-30 minutes depending on how early you arrived.  They started the tank battle early this year, and I swear it lasted only five minutes, so don't get disappointed....leave in plenty of time and arrive early!  The tank battle had lots of booms, tanks and vehicles running around and also infantry soldiers in hand to hand combat with the first German soldiers I'd seen.  The official site says German uniforms are strictly prohibited....but you'll see them here and only here.  One German had to be taken on by three US soldiers, and I think they had more fun than the rest, in an impromptu wrestling match.  They even had one German vehicle and the Germans occupied defensive positions.  Of course the Americans won!  That was the last we saw of the Germans as they were hauled away, never to be seen again.

Then things got exciting, as all these vehicles lined up in positions for the road march into Mons Grand square.  I must say, this must've been highly orchestrated....everyone seemed to know their place.  We found a place along the parade route, at a corner, so we could see the tanks pivot and turn....and weren't disappointed there either.  Many left themselves some space as they gunned it around the corner, tearing up the roads in the process.  Many also threw bon-bons to any kid they saw....they loved it!  We even saw my son's science teacher go by manning one of the anti-aircraft guns.  We kept saying, isn't this something to see....we felt like we wereo on a movie set, especially with the old WWII Harley motorcycles whipping around back and forth with determined riders in goggles and leather helmets....loved it!

We ended up slipping out the back way ut of town...through some goatpaths to the next town, and headed around the back way to Mons.  We wanted to reach the square before they did.  We even found parking downtown, by the train station, and since it was Sunday, parking is free.  We then walked the five minutes to the Grand Place, which was already prepped for the convoy's arrival.  The Italian restaurant in the square still had plenty of seating, so we pulled up some chairs and had an awesome pizza and pasta meal, watching the tanks and other vehicles roll in....we even saw General Patton at one point....boy, he had gained some weight!  They must've packed hundreds of vehicles in that square and much to the delight of the crowd, the parade barriers were moved and everyone could interact with the vehicles and their operators.

It was amazing to talk to some of the re-enactors.  It is a culture and not just a hobby.  Many of the tanks had one owner but had teams who took care of them.  Many were so lovingly restored.  We talked to one man, who came from England and said this is the premier event world-wide for things like this, whose American tank he bought from the Croatian Army!  He ended up taking out the jerry rigged Russian engine and restored it back to all its original parts....can't imagine what that must've cost!  One tank was even rescued, even though it had a major hole through it from an anti-tank round in a real battle (which was artfully covered up of course).  Anyway, lots of close up photo opportunities and fun interacting....these guys are just a trip!

This event is highly recommended for WWII buffs, and kids will find it absolutely fascinating!  Put it on your calendar if you are in Europe!

The Goods Brought Back from Deployment

I just realized I have a collection going. I call it my "brought back from deployment" cache from the many deployments I've endured (yes, endured). What's so funny about that? It's just that, about two dozen of my friends, have almost the exact same things I have. Let me add, that we are also very careful not to bring back any antiquities, weapons or other forbidden stuff (just don't do it; it's not honest and should make you feel bad really).  How much you wanna bet you have some of these same things yourself if your spouse is going where our spouses are going?

Here is my list of treasures:

• a "real gold" necklace in the shape of a palm tree from Kuwait that broke apart the first time I wore it
  
• a sterling silver hand-hammered necklace with a stone I don't recognize and that hangs just low enough to get hidden under my shirt and fall into my cleavage (not on purpose really)
  
• a Burkha (am I supposed to wear it or use it as a costume for Halloween?)
  
• a prayer rug from Afghanistan (makes a warm spot for my feet getting out of bed)
  
• a wooden African elephant with a possible termite living in his butt after repeated piles of wood dust showing up in his rear area (he is no longer with us)
• a soapstone tiger that looks more like a kitty
• a handmade chess set (really well done I might add)
  
• a real honest-to-goodness handmade Persian rug (one that is actually "real")
  
• a wooden collapsible basket with concentric circles (very cool and they make great gift baskets)
• a wooden heavily engraved door from Timbuktu (they are known there for these things you know)
• a handmade silver bracelet I truly believe is the only one like it, it is so unusual
• many colorful silk and pashmina scarves (I LOVE these!)
  
• a handmade silver ring with a Chinese stone and a scripture of protection from the Koran written in minute detail on the face of the stone (yes, I needed my neighbor who spoke the language and a magnifying glass to verify this was indeed true!)

I love all my treasures!  Thank-you hubby!  Do you have any favorites that were brought back from a deployment?

Don't Want to Forget

Here we are up to our ears in Christmas cookies, garlands and in my house...pine needles from a tree that is obviously not getting watered enough. As I sit here wrapping gifts and mentally going over my Christmas Dinner shopping list, I am thinking of our extended family...the soldiers.

Please take a break from your hustle and bustle and stop by Great Americans to see where ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary deeds....and a reminder to say a few blessings for all our men and women who will not get to spend the holiday with their family but are determined to carry out their jobs so we can enjoy the season.

One Soldier's Sacrifice - watch more videos

Do It Yourself Fundraising Ideas

If you've spent any amount of time in a Family Readiness Group, you know that money always seems to be short in doing what you want to do with your families. I actually was in an FRG once where EVERYONE got tickets to a great amusement park or got a large percentage of their formal ball tickets subsidized. I also remember...now I'm just talking fundraisers in general...our children's school would always send home this crap, whether it was chocolate or wrapping paper to sell. I would rather just write a check and be done with it! But here I am, heading up an FRG and have to be somewhat creative so we can make some money to spend.

Here are some ideas to get your creative braincells churning. I know I don't have any, so I have to dig in my memory for some of the things that have worked in the past and have included those as well. As with everything we do in an FRG, you gotta make sure you swing this stuff by your legal section. We had another unit on our post over here in Germany want to raffle off their commander's parking spot...what a great idea, right? It was great alright until legal slammed it down. You can't raffle off government property and this spot on the ground was deemed government property...so they weren't able to do it....but, they could raffle off...or should I say "give an opportunity" to slam a cream pie in the commander's face...doesn't seem fair, does it?

I found some interesting fundraising ideas on the site below.

Fundraising Ideas

Some things that we've done in the past include....

• Brat burns. That's what they call it over here in Germany. You grill bratwurts or hotdogs and sell them with a soda and chips. Now, as an FRG you can't solicit anything, so you stick out your coffee can and have a sign for a suggested donation amount.

• Bakesales. But these are going the way of the dodo bird...I have never found them worth it, but it you have a lot of sweet tooths in your unit, it may pan out.

• Anything on CafePress. This is a great inexpensive way to take advantage of personalized printed items. You can use your unit crest or insignia as long as your commander approves it. We've done baby onesies, shirts and even Christmas ornaments which we will "sell" at this year's holiday event. If you open up your own store on Cafepress...with your one logo or design (that is the way to keep it free), you can get discount and bulk pricing.

• Get an extended family member to donate something to raffle off...or should I say, you sell an opportunity for this item...in some states, raffles are illegal too without proper authorizations...make sure you know the rules. We had a generous mom donate a $100 Michael Garman statue. We also had some ladies make some table centerpieces, which will also get raffled off at our holiday event.

• Get involved in community events. We recently collected items for a community fleamarket. Our ladies were very generous with all kinds of things, and it only took a handful of us to actually run the sale tables.

What do you do to raise money for your FRG?


Some "outside of the box" fundraising ideas here!

Things I Learned at My Unit's Last Holiday Party

Our annual holiday party is now over for the year. It was a party for most who attended, but for a small handful of us...it was some serious work...that started about a month ago. We opted to rent a community club...a nice large room with a bar area, plates and flatware provided, along with a sound system and a stage for Santa. We had it catered by a favorite restaurant and had everyone bring their favorite dessert. We provided sodas, water and juice boxes, along with some traditional German hot drinks set up in crockpots. Our teenagers set up craft tables along the side to keep the little ones entertained and busy. We also had a door prize type of raffle, a raffle for a donated $200 statue and sold limited edition ornaments and some we made ourselves on CafePress. We ended up with a very tidy profit, tired feet, but many happy partygoers. In looking back, here are some tips I can share that we'll keep in mind for next year.Ideas may include:

• You can't do it all. Delegate tasks and do it early. A holiday party committee with regular meetings in the two months before the event is a stellar idea.
• Email invites are great but also budget for snail mail invites and signs around the battalion, company and barracks areas. Also make sure First Sergeants put the information out in formation and at staff meetings.
• Sell ornaments with your unit crest or insignia. This can be a huge moneymaker. We spent about $4 per ornament (we had a bulk order plus a shopowner discount) and charged $10 each. We uploaded our battalion crest and wrote in the name of the unit below on one of Cafe Press' oval ornaments. It was a big hit and a great memento from our unit. We set up our one shop and our one product (this keeps it free) and ordered our items early. Even though we had a small handful of defective ornaments, Cafe Press immediately sent out replacements and told us to discard the defectives...great customer service. Turn around time to our APO address was only 10 days.
• Secure donations to raffle off...or sell opportunities to win (whichever is legal in your area). We had a soldier's mother donate a Michael Garman statue. We also got some items from our local USO and other generous donors to raffle off. Someone's father was the member of a military organization, and they sent two checks to buy items. We had a separate raffle for the statue and another one for the door prize items. We used regular raffle tickets for the door prizes and for the Garman, we used a deck of cards. We cut each card in half as a person purchased a "ticket", we kept one half and they kept the other.
• Identify who will set up and clean up. We did ask the company First Sergeants for help and details to do the heavy lifting and work...but the spouses were also knee deep in the work as well. The most labor intensive work was bussing the tables and running the commercial dishwasher in the back...keeping the plates and flatware coming. We were willing to do this because it gave us a huge break on the rental of the facility. Had we gone with another facility that provided this service for us, we would've spent twice as much. Also, let the companies know, we need a detail of x number of spouses from each company to help out.
• Be creative at your party. Try something different this year, see below.

How about...

• Potluck rather than catered (assign each company a type of dish)
• Use FRG funds to purchase juiceboxes, ice and sodas
• Have each company responsible for setting up and running a craft table
• Have the unit bring a laptop and projector for a slideshow. Start soliciting early, through email, for photos or have people mail in CDs. Have one person in charge of putting that together.
• Identify a sound system and microphone so that everyone stays informed what activities are going on and are upcoming; it may also help to have a whiteboard posted with times of all the scheduled events
  
• Fundraise by selling holiday themed items specific to the unit (like ornaments) and sell raffle tickets for donated door prizes
• If you opt for catered food, have people bring desserts to share
• Reserve a location early (at least 6 months out or more)
• Reserve a Santa suit as early as you can or consider paying $300-500 for a rental quality suit you can then rent out to other units every year
• Instead of having people wait in line for Santa, give out numbers or have people sign up on a numbered list and call out the numbers in groups of five or ten

Even with our success, I would've done a few things differently. That is why our committee is having an AAR on Friday...just like the greensuiters do...after every event we plan and run, we look at the event afterwards...what went right and what went wrong...what we could've done better and what we'll keep for next time. It'll make it that much easier the next go-around, even if you have all new people doing the arranging. Next year, we may consider doing an event just for spouses...perhaps a dining out. Maybe we can set up "Photos w/Santa" for the kids or a kids' holiday party separately. We would also have a back-up microphone and send someone over to the place, early the morning of (the unit who had the place the night before, for lack of a better word...trashed the place and lost the microphone and there was a bit of scrambling as we got them to come in and help clean up...although we never found the microphone). But otherwise...it was a fun party....now...looking forward....we have to concentrate on our PX giftwrapping fundraisier and baking cookies for our single and unaccompanied soldiers...

How does your unit do its holiday parties?