2021 MF DECEMBER

Our Members Are the Mission

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ne of my favorite holiday traditions is something I named “Christmas Eve Around the World.” Each year my family and I chose a different international restaurant to visit for Christmas Eve dinner, where we try cuisine often out of my children’s comfort zone and learn about the holiday customs of other countries.

The annual event has become something we savor, and I always chuckle to myself when thinking about how something my kids think of as so special was originally a secret way to expand their picky palates. Traditions — from gingerbread house decorating to matching Christmas morning pajamas — definitely enhance the holiday magic throughout the season and maybe even become something passed down to the next generation.

In this issue’s cover story Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tae Willis talks about how creating holiday traditions is at the top of her list of anticipated moments for her young family. With two sets of twins under 2, I am guessing this Christmas may be a bit of a blur, but rituals that remain consistent always seem to be the ones that make lasting

If you are looking to try a new tradition, we offer you plenty of suggestions on our pages this month. Army spouse Shakira Patterson teaches us how to create an Occasions Bin on page 14 — picture a festive place to store all of the little things that make this the most wonderful time of year. Our Off Duty section offers a simple and healthy holiday appetizer to make with the kids.

For something really meaningful, why not start the tradition of giving back? My “Spirit for singles” story profiles a few organizations with a mission to brighten the holidays for all of the single service members away from friends and family. Find out how you can help on page 26.

As we wrap up 2021, it’s important to take time to remember all of the events — both good and bad —that shaped the lives of military families in the past year. To help you reflect, we kick things off with our Year in Review photo essay.

I wish all of our readers a season of memorable moments.

Lynn Beha

Laura Briggs

Emma Comery

Gillespie

Melissa Stewart Content Editor

Kristen De Deyn Kirk

Crystal Kupper

Jessica Manfre

Sean

Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Charlie Willis, Petty Officer 2nd Class Tae Willis and their double set of twins. Photo by Skylar Wyatt Photography.

My family showing off a sugary masterpiece during our annual gingerbread house decorating tradition.

Army spouse Shakira Patterson and her family mix gingerbread with pj's. Turn to page 14 for more of her memorable traditions to try this year.

Twins times two

byJessica Manfre

Everyday magic

by Teal Yost

Military Families Magazine by AmeriForce Media, LLC, is published 12 times a year for active duty service members and their families. Copies are available through participating family service centers, relocation offices, transition offices, base lodges, libraries, daycare centers, MWR activities and other locations by request. Unit requests can be made online at https://militaryfamilies.com/ print-magazines/

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4 tips to maximize your TSP savings

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YEAR IN REVIEW

On the following pages, we gathered photos reflecting the important events that garnered the attention of military families in 2021. From historic appointments and a meaningful anniversary to evacuations and vaccinations, these images reflect the past year’s poignant moments.

Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star Army general, is confirmed as the first Black defense secretary in U.S. history. Here: Austin briefs the press from the Pentagon Briefing Room. Photo by Sgt. Jack Sanders.

Service members begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations are later mandated for the military in September. Here: Lt. Col. Susan Piper, medical surgical nurse with the Medical Detachment, winces as she gets a COVID-19 vaccine administered by technician Staff Sgt. Aaron Wallace.

Photo by Spc. Jesse Elbouab.

April

First lady Jill Biden announces the White House will reinstate Joining Forces, an initiative to support military families, with Marine spouse Rory Brosius serving as director. Here: Brosius (right) poses with MFM writer Jessica Manfre during an interview on her objectives for our July issue.

July

Troops compete in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Here: Army Reserve 1st Lt. Amber English wins the gold medal and sets a new Olympic record in women's skeet shooting.

Nathaniel Garcia.

August

President Joe Biden announces his intent to complete the U.S. evacuation mission in Afghanistan by Aug. 31, 2021. Desperate Afghans, many U.S. allies, try to flee the country and escape the Taliban. Here: Marine Cpl. Caitlin McCormick, an Evacuation Control Center Marine, carries a child to a plane at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle Jia.

Photo by Maj.

People around the world recognize and remember the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Here: The base Honor Guard sounds retreat and lowers the U.S. flag at a 9/11 memorial event at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

U.S. bases host Afghan refugees and rally to collect clothes and necessities for them and their families. Here: Senior Airman Christian Mosley loads donated supplies onto a pallet at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington.

Retired Gen. Raymond Odierno, the former Army chief of staff who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq, dies at age 67. Here: Odierno retires in a ceremony supported by the soldiers of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Photos by Spc. Cody W. Torkelson.

Colin Powell, who dedicated his life to service, becoming the first Black U.S. secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passes away. Here: Powell greets service members on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, during a brief visit there. Powell took time during a business trip to the country to speak to the troops, calling them a great generation.

The Space Force unveils a new uniform for its guardians. Here: Lt. Col. Alison Gonzalez, a member of the Office of the Chief of Space Operations, shows off the elasticity and shorter length of the women's USSF service dress coat prototype on Buckley Space Force Base. Photo by Airman 1st Class Wyatt Stabler.

Photo by Senior Airman Kylie Barrow.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Lawrence Sena.

Coast Guard family navigates life with double the love

BY JESSICA MANFRE

TWINS TIMESTWO

When dual-enlisted coastie couple Petty Officer 1st Class Charlie Willis and Petty Officer 2nd Class Tae Willis found out they were pregnant naturally with twins in 2019, they felt an equal amount of first-time parent nerves and double blessing excitement. Nothing could prepare them, however, for the emotional overload they would face when discovering they were going to do it all over again.

PHOTO BY SKYLAR WYATT PHOTOGRAPHY

On Dec. 12, 2019, twins Aria and Bryson came into the world, and on Nov. 18, 2020, twin brothers Cayden and Dakari joined in on the fun.

The Coast Guard rallied for its shipmates, creating an Amazon wish list and doing some fundraising through the Chief Petty Officers Association. Support for the parents spread far and wide, with the military community throughout the country jumping in to help. It was amazing to see, the couple said.

Charlie and Tae also credit their local church and close-knit family for their success in wading through the challenges of raising two sets of twins under 2 at the same time. When Charlie changed duty stations in the summer of 2021 and was assigned to a cutter, frequently underway, the family needed the help more than ever.

“It’s definitely tiring, but you find your groove and it’s not so bad. We’ve definitely been fortunate that his [Charlie’s] mother came to help, and then mine did as well,” Tae shared. “When the cutter pulled in, and Charlie returned home, the four babies ran right for him.”

And when Charlie had to take care of the kids alone while Tae pulled an overnight watch, he said managing them was more challenging than being underway, and he didn’t know how his wife did it. But being away isn’t easy, either.

Charlie has been in the Coast Guard for 13 years, and this is his first cutter assignment since getting married to Tae and having children. Leaving was much more difficult than he had imagined it would be, he admits.

“It’s probably been the toughest thing I’ve ever had to endure just leaving her and the kids,” Charlie said. “Luckily her [Tae’s] mom and mine stepped in. We are big on trusting God and prayer. It’s what’s gotten us [through] so far.”

The parents are also deeply grateful for the in-home daycare they found for all four babies when the Child Development Center had no openings. With Tae having to pull overnight watches and Charlie underway, both agreed knowing the babies are being cared for by a loving provider has made all the difference.

“We feel like we are part of their family,” Charlie explained.

As for the naysayers or probing questions regarding the double set of twins, they shrug them off. Their advice to other couples battling commentary on family size is simple.

“It’s between a couple on how many children they want to have or how they live their lives. This is my family,” Tae said.

“Ignore the outsiders. They aren’t going to come over and take care of your children. Live your life and love your family,” Charlie added.

And despite the obvious challenges, both firmly believe the twins times two have been a huge blessing in disguise. When they navigated two unexpected tragedies, they say the newest babies brought them through both.

“Tae lost her dad, and then I lost mine right after she lost hers. Then the new babies came out looking like each of our fathers. We were battling terrible grief and they [Cayden and Dakari] helped us through it so much,” Charlie said.

In the midst of the diaper changing, feedings and lack of sleep, watching each baby develop a personality has been fun, they say.

“Cayden is an observer; he’s quiet, but he’s just everywhere. You’ll leave him somewhere, and next thing you know, he’s gone. He’s my little ninja,” Tae laughed. “They can all be such Sour Patch Kids, too. One minute they’re all driving you up a wall, and the next they just

give you a big smile, changing completely.”

As for what the older twins think of the newest ones the couple said it’s mixed. Aria enjoys being the center of attention and dislikes sharing her father with her brothers, often pushing them away. And none of the babies want to share food of any kind, especially graham crackers.

“They take each other’s snacks. They’ll fight over graham crackers … and those veggie pouches? Forget about it,” Charlie laughed.

Food fights aside the sweet moments when they play together or hug each other make it worth it, the parents agree. Envisioning the future and watching them grow is exciting, they said, and creating Christmas traditions is at the top of the list for anticipated moments.

Charlie and Tae both plan to make a full career as operations specialists for the Coast Guard. As they maintain their current roles in a high-operation district of the Coast Guard while raising all four toddlers Tae and Charlie credit a manageable schedule, a supportive family and their church with keeping everything and everyone flowing.

And the Crockpot slow cooker, of course.

TRICARE EXPANDS TELEMEDICINE SERVICES, COVERAGE

BY CRYSTAL KUPPER

Spurred by COVID-19 and all its accompanying concerns, TRICARE expanded its telemedicine offerings to military families in hopes of making doctor visits easier, quicker and safer.

Telemedicine (sometimes called telehealth) is when healthcare providers communicate with patients and their families through phone conversation, texts or video conferencing platforms like Zoom. Such virtual caregiving eliminates anxiety in crowded or unhygienic waiting rooms, as

well as the time and money spent traveling.

“Patients don’t always need to see a healthcare provider face to face, and sometimes it’s inconvenient or impossible to schedule a face-to-face appointment,” said Army Capt. John Bockmann, a physician assistant. “We have this problem while deployed anyway, so building our telemedicine capability makes a lot of sense.”

TRICARE now covers telemedicine visits, waives cost-shares and copayments for all covered services and allows more providers to offer telemedicine options. The benefit

can be used for needs like office visits, preventive health screenings, mental health services and certain services for specific conditions like end-stage renal disease and autism.

Marine spouse Molly Dee used telemedicine multiple times since March 2020. Right after the world locked down, she noticed a lump on her son’s neck. But when she tried to get him seen, base providers told her she would have to take him to the emergency room, as no doctor was examining patients unless the problem was life-threatening.

— Marine spouse Molly Dee

“I was incredibly upset that they wouldn’t even let me send a photo of my son’s neck,” Dee said.

Thankfully, she was directed to a telemedicine appointment instead.

“I was very happy for my telemedicine appointment because all I wanted was a referral to dermatology, which they sent in for me.”

Rubi Meltz is an Army spouse whose husband is stationed at rural Fort Huachuca near the Mexican border. Recently, three of her children were scheduled for appointments in Phoenix — a full four hours away — but Meltz couldn’t find childcare for her fourth. So, she turned to telemedicine.

“It’s awkward for children who do not like to sit in front of a screen or feel weird showing their bellies and backs to a phone,” Meltz explained. “But I appreciated the saved trip.”

The future of virtual doctor visits

Telemedicine isn’t a whenever-you-want catchall for every sort of medical service. Depending on the TRICARE plan, patients may first need a referral, like with activeduty service members who need referrals for “telemental health care” (psychotherapy, psychiatric diagnostic interviews and exams and medication management). Additionally, for those stationed OCONUS, telemedicine must be legal in the host nation and the provider licensed to practice in that location.

Bockmann sees strong growth in telemedicine’s role in modern healthcare.

“Telemedicine is really only good for a certain type of low-acuity, basic appointment. But if it spreads across the DOD — and I think it will — it’ll be here to stay,” he said. “It’s cheaper, it extends our geographical reach, it’s pandemic-

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friendly, and the institutional inertia involved in implementing it across the DOD means it’s likely to achieve critical, self-sustaining mass as opposed to withering away.”

That’s perfectly alright with Dee, who especially hopes telemedicine can help those with mental health needs.

“As long as the providers help you, it’s great,” she said. “There’s nothing worse than needing antibiotics and waiting on the doctor, only to have them say you need to go to the ER or urgent care.”

In a world where almost everything seems to be virtual, Bockmann asked, why not healthcare, too?

“Keep in mind, we’ve done ‘telemedicine’ for a long time with T-cons (telephone conferences), and most everyone uses videoconferencing socially or professionally,” he said. “I think this is a natural next step.”

For more information on TRICARE’s telemedicine offerings, visit tricare. mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/ Telemedicine.

©2021 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (RELM-782)

St. Jude patient Mikayla

“As long as the providers help you, it’s great. There’s nothing worse than needing antibiotics and waiting on the doctor, only to have them say you need to go to the ER or urgent care.”

Everyday magic

Army spouse aims to make all occasions memorable

BY TEAL YOST

Army spouse Shakira Patterson has always loved celebrating big moments and events. But she knows from experience that military families may not always be together during holidays, so she encourages families to make every day and ordinary occasions memorable.

Patterson met her husband, Army Capt. Mark Patterson, while in graduate school at Radford University in Virginia. Since marrying almost 10 years ago, military orders have taken them to Germany; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and currently, Monterey, California.

Traditions are big in the Patterson house — from first day of school pancakes to gingerbread house decorating.

Their three children — Raegan, 6, Zarie, 4 and Xander, 1 — are a big part of that.

“I’ve always loved traditions,” she said.

To share some of those traditions, Patterson started her blog, Occasions By Shakira, in 2018, right before her husband deployed.

“It was a way to deal with deployment,” she said. “At that point, I had two young girls, and so, after they were in bed, I poured myself into the blog at night.”

The blog started as a way to showcase creative things she and her kids were doing to pass the time while Mark was away.

“I’d stay up and write and gather photos and come up with ways to make the time special for my kids. Especially since it was just us.”

It wasn’t long before she and her girls were finding plenty of reasons to celebrate, Patterson says.

“I love to celebrate and make the big moments in life really big

and really special, but I think my larger focus is to create magic in everyday occasions.”

For Patterson, that might include making snack time extra special, having breakfast for dinner, making s’mores “just because” or planning a themed stay-at-home movie night.

“Especially as a military family, a lot of times we miss the big things,” she said. “Sometimes dad isn’t home for Christmas or has to miss the school play, the piano recital or trick-or-treating. That’s why it’s important to celebrate the little moments too.”

After all, with a lifestyle that includes TDYs, deployments and often long work days, even while at home … “if you wait for the big things to happen, you’ll be waiting a lot,” she added.

For those families who may find themselves without their service members this holiday season, Patterson can relate.

“I was once a really young second lieutenant wife who was alone for Christmas,” Patterson recalled.

Patterson says she’s surprised by how many people have reached out to her.

“I get messages that blow me away,” she said. “I’m so glad I can help make things easier for fellow parents, whether it’s a dinner idea or a fun craft. My goal is to take some of the work out of making everyday moments more magical.

“When I started the blog, I thought I’d have this little dot-com with some crafts and recipes and family traditions for family and friends or whoever stumbled upon it — but I never anticipated so many people would follow along."

Patterson’s “little dot-com” has blossomed into a huge community.

She credits her “Occasions Bins” for much of that success.

“It’s wild to see what I created all over Pinterest and Instagram and amazing to see people putting their own spin on it,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

A how-to with Shakira Patterson Occasions Bin 101

What exactly is an Occasions Bin?

An Occasions Bin is a bin that I keep on my kitchen counter full of seasonal items to make daily meals or snacks a bit more magical. I love stocking the bin with cute paper plates and napkins, cupcake liners, straws, sprinkles — you name it.

I used to hoard all of those seasonal things, saving them for a ‘special’ occasion or event. Now I intentionally place it all out so that we use those items to make things like movie night or snack time a special occasion. Think cheesy goldfish, but in a festive Santa snack cup. Or favorite drinks, but with silly, seasonal straws.

How do you make an Occasions Bin?

Snag a bin, a basket or any type of container. My basket is from Target, but I’ve seen people get them from all over. Check places like Dollar Tree, Michaels, HomeGoods, etc. to grab yours.

When it comes to filling the bin, there are zero rules. Put in whatever fun, festive items bring you joy and feel free to swap them out seasonally or as often as you like. Here are a few staples you’ll usually find in my bin:

• Plates

• Napkins

• Straws

• Sprinkles

• Coffee Stirrers

• Cookie Cutters (perfect for jazzing up sandwiches and fruit slices)

• Cups

• Festive picks (think cupcake toppers)

Shakira’s 5 ways to make the holiday season more special

1. Make the little moments the big moments

Try to turn up the magic on everyday moments like breakfast or snack time. Simple things like adding red/green food coloring to pancakes you were already planning to make, serving up cereal in a snowman bowl or using cookie cutters to make sandwiches look like Santa hats. It’s all in the small details.

2. Create together

Get in the kitchen and try a new recipe. I would be lying if I said that having kiddos in the kitchen wasn’t harder … it absolutely is, but I think if you mentally prepare for it, you can make sweet memories and try new things together. Some of the best, silliest and most candid conversations I’ve had with my daughters have been while trying to keep eggshells out of the cookie batter. Whether it’s

crafting, baking or wrapping gifts, be intentional in inviting the family to help.

3. Celebrate gratefulness

The holidays can get hectic. It’s easy to lose focus on the true reason for the season, and being intentional in our gratefulness is important for our family. We go around the dinner table, and everyone shares something they’re grateful for. Sometimes the kids are grateful for their Legos, but other nights, they say they’re thankful Daddy is home with us or they’re grateful for a yummy dinner. It’s such an easy way to put things into perspective and make the season feel more special.

4. Pour into your community

Giving back never ceases to fill my cup and remind me of the magnitude of good in our community. Teaching

stewardship and service to our kids is a priority, so we focus on community and giving during the holidays. What could be more special than baking cookies and delivering them to the neighbors or involving kids in coming up with thoughtful teacher gifts?

5. Traditions

Big or small, old or new, traditions make the holidays that much sweeter. It’s those fun family activities, movies and matching pajamas that we look forward to each year. It might be baking up grandma’s legendary cookie recipe or checking out the annual holiday event happening at your new duty station; consider trying and creating a new tradition this year.

For more ideas, visit occasionsbyshakira.com or follow Shakira on Instagram @occasions. byshakira.

4 TIPS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR TSP

savings

BY SEAN GILLESPIE

After serving for 20 years in the Navy, I’ve now provided financial and investment advice professionally for eight years. In the past few years, I’ve been invited into a few Facebook groups where military families discuss personal finance matters, and it always hurts my heart a little when financial advisors dispense bad advice to the hundreds of people in those groups.

A topic that frequently attracts some of that less-than-stellar advice is how to make the best use of your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account. I won’t rehash any of it here. Instead, let’s focus on the practices most likely to produce your best results. The best news is these tips are much simpler than some of the exotic strategies you’ll hear in the barracks.

Maximize your match: If you’re in the Blended Retirement System, make sure you contribute no less than 5% of your base pay every month in order to collect the maximum 5% matching contribution from DOD. One way to look at this is that the match is an

immediate guaranteed return on your investment. Another is to understand that if you’re not maximizing your match, you’ve essentially volunteered to work at a discount. If neither of those does the trick, look in the mirror and explain to your 60-year-old self why you can’t afford to retire because you couldn’t invest 5% of your pay to get another 5%.

Allocate aggressively: Tax law determines that the earliest most people can get money out of TSP without penalty is age 55. Even with a bear market every six or seven years — the historical average between them — stocks nearly always perform better than bonds over any 20-year period. And they’ve

always outperformed inflation. If you can stay disciplined during bear markets, your portfolio will be better off for it in the long run. As an entering argument, we typically favor more or less equal allocations to the C, S and I Funds.

Make your contributions

Roth: This is “eat your broccoli” advice that’s incredibly powerful. If you pay the taxes on the income that you contribute to your TSP right now, the longterm tax efficiency that lifetime tax-free growth delivers might be eye-watering. We’ve run numbers on this for clients, particularly

for younger clients, and it’s not unusual to project more than $100K in lifetime inflationadjusted tax savings just by doing this simple thing.

Leave your assets in TSP:

After you separate or retire from active duty, don’t be in a hurry to move the TSP funds anywhere. You can literally leave them in TSP your entire life. There might be a compelling reason one day to roll over your TSP assets to an IRA. But a fast-talking investment advisor telling you how much better they can manage it for you in an IRA (while typically billing 1% against the account), isn’t it.

The bottom line? Avoid razzle-dazzle in your plan. The people who stick with these plain and simple tips will almost always get the best results.

Sean Gillespie is a co-founder and managing partner of Redeployment Wealth Strategies, a fee-only financial planning firm and Registered Investment Advisor in Virginia, and a cofounder and member of the board of directors of the Military Financial Advisors Association, a nonprofit association of feeonly firms who serve military families.

ENPP OFFERS ONE-ON-ONE

FOR LIFE AFTER THE MILITARY

BY LYNN BEHA

Some spouses of the approximately 200,000 service members transitioning out of the military this year now have access to one-on-one career assistance at select installations through the Department of Labor’s Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot (ENPP). Launched last spring, ENPP supplements the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to address civilian employment needs of service members leaving the military — and their spouses.

“According to the Blue Star Families

Military Family Lifestyle Report 2020 results, only 18% of spouses of activeduty service members were able to retain employment throughout a move to a new duty station.”

What does ENPP provide?

Personal assessments, resources and individual guidance at 13 installations around the globe. The program is an optional service available to interested transitioning service members and spouses participating in TAP instruction at these locations. An Employment Navigator (EN) helps job-seekers identify and pursue a path to a fulfilling career outside the military.

ENPP professionals use personal assessments in conjunction with a variety of resources to facilitate a successful transition into the civilian workforce. ENs connect job seekers with opportunities available through a number of partner organizations for apprenticeships, mentorship, networking, referrals, trainings, hiring events and more to boost the effectiveness of the civilian job search. Current partnering organizations include ACP, Combined Arms, Helmets to Hardhats, Hire Heroes USA, LinkedIn, RecruitMilitary, Veterans Ascend, VetJobs and zero8hundred.

This comes as good news for military spouses who may have had to compromise on their careers to support their service member’s commitment. According to the Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Report 2020 results, only 18% of spouses of activeduty service members were able to retain employment throughout a move to a new duty station. For example, while programs do exist to transfer some licensing across state lines, many spouses at overseas locations are not often able to take advantage of such benefits. This can lead to gaps in resumes or underemployment, which was revealed by the survey to be the case for two-thirds (67%) of employed respondents.

ENPP highlights:

• The intent of ENPP is to provide those separating from the military with skills and tools that build on the foundation provided in the required TAP during the last year of service.

• This program is optional, available outside the formal instruction of the Department of Labor’s TAP curriculum. One-to-one assistance used alongside other transition programs, such as those within each service branch and in local communities, helps improve outcomes of placement in a satisfying career that lasts.

• Additional resources provided by ENPP to achieve employment success include self-assessments, skills testing, career exploration, resume reviews, identification of high-demand

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occupations, identification of necessary credentials and review of labor market details.

• Transitioning service members or spouses must be within two years of retirement or 365 days of separation and participating in TAP services at one of the 15 locations listed below to take advantage of the ENPP program. Current participating locations are:

• Army: Fort Benning, Fort Drum, Fort Shafter, Fort Sill, Schofield Barracks, USAG Bavaria

• Marine Corps: Camp Pendleton,

MCAS Miramar, MCAS Cherry Point, Okinawa

• Navy: Naval Station Norfolk, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, CFA Yokosuka

• Air Force: Travis AFB, Kadena Air Base, Joint Base Charleston

For more information on services available and partnerships with ENPP, see the Department of Labor’s website at www.dol.gov/ agencies/vets/programs/tap/ employment-navigator-partnership.

Air Force spouse, chef shares holiday kitchen inspiration

BY MELISSA M. STEWART

“All you have to do is just put food on the table and then good people will meet you at the table,” he said. “That’s true. You make connections.”

Scott’s connection with food is rooted in South Carolina, where he made some of his fondest memories while cooking with his mom during the Christmas season.

“That was my first inspiration toward cooking — during the holidays,” he said. “It kept me closer to her.”

Scott recalls taking part in the annual tradition of preparing his mom’s chicken and Savannah Red Rice as well as “amazing turkey and ham.”

“A lot of things I didn’t really pick up because I was just a little kid kind of playing around,” he said. “But she always made sure I knew a little bit about what she was doing. So that led me to, you know, always trying to cook for friends in the neighborhood and basically using up all of mom’s groceries.”

Despite forming a culinary foundation at home, Scott insists that he never had a vision of becoming a professional chef during childhood, but after “coasting and not really having a focus,” he found a job in a kitchen and eventually earned a degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute

of Savannah. Life took an amazing turn, he says, and at the same time he met his wife, who was in the military.

“I had to move a lot with my wife to different duty stations so I began doing odd jobs,” he said. Those side hustles turned to cooking once again when he took on his first catering client — a fellow military spouse whose husband was deployed.

“She wanted meals prepared for her daughter so she wouldn’t have to come home and cook at night,” Scott said.

Just as Scott started to consider catering as a full-blown career, his wife got orders to Germany. Instead of packing up his knives, he decided that the food business will travel.

Chef Johnny Scott during one of his cooking classes at the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir.

As an Air Force spouse who’s frequently on the move, chef Johnny Scott says he knows the recipe for creating bonds in each new community he encounters.

“I said, ‘Let’s go on an adventure,’ because with my profession, you can cook anywhere.”

Eventually Scott formed The Mission Kitchen, a full-service catering and professional chef business. Beyond that, he also taught a regular healthy cooking class sponsored by the Robert Irvine Foundation at the  USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir that brought service members and their families together to cook a hands-on meal.

Scott currently calls Texas home, where he is still instructing — this time as head of a COVID-inspired homeschool cooking class for his four children and their friends and neighbors.

The seed to share food knowledge was planted by his mother and grandmother, he says.

To continue spreading the culinary love, Scott plans on securing a commercial cooking space and is working on a cookbook on healthy ways to prepare meals, to be released in early spring.

The chef says he continues to be grateful for cooking, which has always put him on the right path.

“Honestly, it has created a whole lot of opportunities,” he said. “And even with all the moves and all the inconvenience. There’s always opportunity, especially around food.”

Fresh Basil Bruschetta

We asked chef Johnny Scott to provide a recipe for a simple, healthy holiday appetizer to be prepared together as a family.

Ingredients:

1 baguette or good quality rustic bread, sliced on the bias to 1/2-inch thick

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half grated parmesan cheese or balsamic

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay bread on a baking sheet and lightly brush with olive oil.

2. Place in oven for about 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, remaining oil, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. When bread is toasted, lightly rub the top with garlic. Spoon tomatobasil mix over warm bread and serve.

Optional: Sprinkle parmesan or drizzle balsamic vinegar for an enhanced flavor.

MARRIED TO SERVICE

Veteran couple honeymoons at Afghan resettlement site

BY TEAL YOST

Many people dedicate themselves to service, but decidedly fewer would choose to spend their honeymoon sorting sweaters and coats for Afghan refugees resettling in the U.S. However, one veteran couple planned their wedding and honeymoon around the opportunity to give back.

“One of the things that most attracted me to Marcus was his dedication to service,” said Victoria Young, a Team Rubicon volunteer. “I was always looking for someone to be my partner in service.”

For Young and her new spouse, Marcus Friedrich, both Navy veterans, service through Team Rubicon is a big part of their story.

“We met face-to-face during Operation Heartlander, a national flood response in Omaha, Nebraska, in April of 2019. We’d met virtually a few

years before that,” said Young.

Team Rubicon is a nonprofit that serves communities all over the globe by mobilizing veterans willing to give their service in times of disaster.

Friedrich proposed Labor Day weekend of 2020 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, while the pair was on a Team Rubicon operation in response to the powerful derecho that hit the Midwest that summer.

So, the two figured it seemed fitting to spend their honeymoon serving on a Team Rubicon response operation.

“We actually planned the wedding around disaster season,” said Friedrich. “We knew we wanted to spend our honeymoon helping others.”

Their honeymoon accommodations certainly weren’t luxurious, but they didn’t mind.

“As veterans who’ve both deployed, we have no problem sleeping on a cot. Whatever food

you feed us, we will eat,” said Young.

While not a response to flooding, hurricanes or tornadoes, Young and Friedrich found themselves deployed to Team Rubicon’s Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, operation.

“We view a disaster as anything that overwhelms a local community,” said Team Rubicon CEO Art delaCruz. “In this case, thousands of Afghan refugees being housed in the area certainly overwhelms that community. In August, we were watching the withdrawal from Afghanistan. We were seeing these men, women and children packing into airplanes. They were literally leaving Afghanistan with nothing but the clothes on their backs.”

It was never a question of whether Team Rubicon would respond, but what role the organization would play in the Afghan resettlement efforts.

“In mid-August, a number

Instead of a typical unity ceremony, Marcus Friedrich and Victoria Young ended their wedding with a “CommUnity” ceremony including a campfire, an important place for connection for Team Rubicon volunteers.

Team Rubicon volunteers sort and organize donations at an armory near Fort McCoy, Wisonsin.

of government agencies and nonprofits convened to ask and answer the question, ‘How do we handle the needs of tens of thousands of people inbound to the U.S., coming to these military bases across the country?’” said delaCruz.

Operation donation

At that meeting, it quickly became apparent that a preliminary and essential need was collecting, sorting and distributing donated items.

“Donation management was something Team Rubicon had never tackled before, but it needed to be done, so we stepped up and said, ‘We’ll figure it out,’ and we started getting after it,” delaCruz said.

Thanks to efforts across the country, bases received thousands of pounds of clothing, shoes, toiletries, and more.

“The first thing we did was get boots on the ground at Fort McCoy. We got a warehouse off-base, cataloged what was there and what was still needed.”

Team Rubicon also built a tech and inventory system and created an Amazon wish list that changes constantly based on needs. Once the operation at Fort McCoy was up and running, the organization replicated the process at the seven additional U.S. bases across the country housing Afghan refugees.

“We built a playbook based on Fort McCoy, and we adjusted from there. After all, different bases have different needs. Now we are working to feed those needs,” said delaCruz.

For example, at the bases in Wisconsin, Indiana and New Jersey, cold-weather clothing will be a critical need.

“We filled up a semi-truck in Minneapolis in just five hours with thousands of sweaters, coats, boots, hats and mittens,” delaCruz said.

“Even when we were there in late September, the operation was looking to prioritize cold-weather gear,” said Friedrich.

So, the newlyweds spent their honeymoon “at the armory sorting those donations as they came in. We separated and organized thousands and thousands of things, and those things were getting palletized and sent where they were needed,” Young said.

IN 2020

grants totaling $7.2 million were awarded throughout the United States

$ $ $

More than 95 cents out of every donated dollar directly supports programs that help veterans and their families.

The Trust supports REHABILITATION CRISIS INTERVENTION

CARE EMPLOYMENT EDUCATION CAREGIVERS & FAMILIES RECREATION

Support Our Veterans

The DAV Charitable Service Trust helps fulfill a focused and noble purpose: empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. We support programs and initiatives that improve the quality of life for veterans, their caregivers and families.

LEARN MORE: cst.dav.org

They also made sure the items were clean and in good condition.

“We wanted to make sure these families have the best quality things as they resettle here in an unfamiliar place,” she added.

Young and Friedrich said it was their ideal honeymoon.

“Our foundation is service. We serve one another, we serve our community, so we couldn’t imagine anything different. We wanted to celebrate that part of us that is

In 2020, the Trust received its second perfect score rating from Charity Navigator. CFC #11322

based in service,” Friedrich said.

“We believe a couple that serves together, stays together,” Young added.

If you are looking for charitable opportunities this holiday season or want to make end-of-year donations, consider giving cold-weather clothing like coats or boots and other needed items to Afghan refugees.

For more: https://teamrubiconusa.org/ resettlement.

HOW TO BREAK

THE MOST VIABLE INDUSTRIES

IN TO FOR MILITARY SPOUSES

BY KRISTEN DE DEYN KIRK — SPONSORED

Matthew Vean, Navy Federal Credit Union commercial banking lead, remembers what Mary Trautwein said when they met in Colorado:

“Have you ever dated anyone in the military? Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

Vean answered “No” and learned how Trautwein’s career — at the time with the Air Force — could impact his if the dating couple married. Vean is strategic, so instead of panicking, he plotted. He continues to do so today, and he helps fellow military spouses (Vean and Trautwein wed in 2014) do the same. He advises:

Look for proven paths Navy Federal, Vean’s employer since 2018, partnered with Hire Heroes USA to survey military spouses about viable career industries.

Spouses’ top votes:

1. Government and public administration

2. Business support and human resources

3. Healthcare and social assistance

4. Educational services

5. Information technology

6. Financial services

7. Defense contracting

8. Community-based services

9. Retail and customer service

10. Manufacturing

What makes these fields desirable? A combination of factors, Vean says:

• Competitive compensation

• Clear career advancement paths

• Consistent work location (either inperson or remote)

• Flexible hours and schedules

• Team-oriented work environment

• Flexibility with childcare options

Most important: The number of opportunities.

“Look at government and public administration,” Vean said. “Look at where military personnel get stationed — D.C., San Diego, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida — and all these places have a lot of government and public administration jobs.”

Look for college funding

Spouses building a new career or trying to skip a few rungs on the ladder want a degree. Don’t dig into savings or take out a loan, Vean advises. Better to talk to your partner, and pick the right employer.

Trautwein, now a lieutenant colonel in the Space Force serving in the Washington D.C. area, holds two master’s degrees, both earned under the military’s direction. Thirty hours of her GI Bill sat unused. Vean was researching Master of Business Administration degrees priced as high as $150,000.

“I’m not taking on that student loan debt,” Vean thought.

Next: Trautwein called Veterans Affairs and found out she could transfer unused GI Bill hours to her husband.

“In a matter of 10 minutes and filling out paperwork,” Vean said, “she gave me 20 months’ worth [of classes] of her GI Bill.”

More free moola could come from an employer.

“Think about where you work or where you might want to work,” Vean suggested, “and consider their tuition reimbursement.”

Top organizations want top talent.

“It’s the competitive atmosphere we’re in,” he continued. “If you want the top working for you, you have got to offer top benefits.”

Vean notes that Navy Federal’s graduatelevel tuition reimbursement skyrocketed from $5,000 to $50,000 in 18 months.

“Think like this: ‘Maybe I’m not going to have that job I want now, but, hey, I want to get in [the organization], get established, start networking and earn that degree,’” Vean says. “Then hopefully, in two or three years, as you’re completing your program, you’re going to get to that next step in a new job.”

Look for a network

When developing a sustainable, military spouse career, resist the urge to fill out every application, Vean says. Connect with people first instead.

Hop on social media, especially LinkedIn. Look for employees at the organizations that interest you and reach out. Promote yourself with posts and comments.

“It’s the perfect key to get that front door open,” Vean said. “You can really establish your brand.”

Get to know employees virtually, and aim for referrals.

“For companies like Amazon and Facebook, I think 40 to 60 percent of people who work there are job referrals,” Vean said. “I remember I had a job offer a few years ago at Gartner, and they said 48% of the people who work there are internal referrals. I’m hearing that our numbers [of referred employees] at Navy Federal are increasing even more.”

BY MELISSA M. STEWART

While most of America spends Christmas day surrounded by mountains of wrapping paper, festive food and family, many service members find themselves alone during a deployment overseas or stuck with duty in the barracks. A few organizations are determined to help ensure these single members of our fighting force are not forgotten.

“There are a lot of programs that help out families, and those are wonderful and well needed, but when we are taking a look at our service members, two-thirds of them are under the age of 24,” said Cindy Farnum, founder and executive director of Operation Help a Hero. “Most of those are single. So, when you look at the sheer numbers alone, you can see the need.”

Farnum, a Marine Corps spouse, started her nonprofit to support military units and families through a number of volunteer projects. The Operation Christmas Spirit – Single Service Member Gifts program focuses specifically on holiday season needs.

“At Christmas time, you have a lot of units that are coming in and out from deployment, and they are oftentimes not going home to their families unless it’s pre-deployment leave,” explained Farnum. “So, you find lots of single service members in the

barracks over the holidays, and they also tend to be the service members that get stuck with duty.”

To help, Farnum and volunteers collect donations from across the country — everything from cards and candy to elaborate boxes of presents — and then surprise single service members with gifts at barracks in several locations to make sure they feel the love.

“It’s one of my favorite moments of the season,” said Farnum. “From driving through the gate and getting to hand out something special to walking around, you know, there is an element of surprise, and just the look on their faces when they realize that they have not been forgotten. It’s something that’s just so heartwarming.”

Karen Sparks, board president for Military Missions, Inc., also understands this feeling of fulfillment as a volunteer with

Several organizations are spreading holiday joy to solo service members

HOW TO HELP

Operation Help A Hero accepts donations from all over the U.S. Donors can sign up for just one gift or a much larger collection from a corporate sponsor. Visit www.operationhelpahero. org/operation-christmas-spiritsingle-service-member-gifts.html to register.

If someone is interested in assisting with gift distribution at a base or starting a program in an area not on the list of hub locations, they are encouraged to email Wendy Ruiz, the single service member gift coordinator, at WRuiz@OperationHelpAHero. org

Military Missions, Inc. needs names of deployed troops to send packages to. If you have a friend or loved one who is deployed, submit a care package request at https:// militarymissions.org/services/ add-a-hero/ or email admin@ militarymissions.org.

Donations can be either monetary or products to fill the care packages. Board President Karen Sparks says that since COVID began, donations have dropped dramatically, forcing the organization to purchase items that are normally donated. She notes that monetary donations also cover the cost to ship the packages overseas. Visit https:// militarymissions.org/adoptahero/ for additional information.

the organization’s Adopt a Hero program, created 10 years ago as a more personalized way for supporters to feel connected to the troops. The project, sending donated packages overseas to service members away from friends and family, takes place each year as part of Operation S.E.N.D. Christmas.

Donors visit the Military Missions website and select a name from the Hero List. Then they online

shop (suggestions are provided) to create a special Christmas care package. If donors don't have the time to shop but still want to participate, they can donate a preset amount that covers the cost of the items and the shipping. Sparks and her team of volunteers then gather all the items, create the packages, and send them to the adopted heroes with a card that lets the hero know it was created especially for them by the donor.

“Over the years we have received so many thank you notes from our care package recipients,” Sparks said. “They express their gratitude for someone who doesn’t even know them. These notes are truly heartwarming but sometimes also heartbreaking as we often hear that our box was the only package they received during deployment. You just cannot imagine how much one small care package can mean to someone.”

VA loan helps military homebuyers in a red hot real estate market

BY EMMA COMERY

Home prices have risen to sky-high status, and availability has taken a sharp nosedive. But PCS season doesn’t stop for a booming real estate market. Many military homebuyers across the country have turned to VA loans to purchase a home in a climate that has stacked all the odds against them.

The VA loan is designed to help veterans, service members and their families achieve homeownership. Offered by private lenders but partially backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA loan does not require a 20% down payment (down payment requirements with an FHA loan can range from 3.5–5%), nor mortgage insurance. Other benefits include relaxed credit requirements and a hard limit on military homebuyers’ expenses for closing costs and fees.

Generally known for its highly competitive interest rates, VA loan rates have become an even brighter beacon of housing hope as home prices have grown over 17% in the past year. In today’s high-demand, low-supply real estate market, many military homebuyers have been forced to buy outside their typical price range. However, the security of a VA loan has enabled some private lenders to respond to the seller’s market with interest rates as low as 2.25%.

In Virginia, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Josh Rivera recently took advantage of the VA loan to purchase a home in one of the country’s most saturated military regions after seeing how it benefited his colleagues.

“A good friend of mine had just bought and sold two homes,” Rivera said, “and he used the VA loan each time. You can’t beat the benefits.”

The Collins family used the VA loan benefit to put an offer on the home they were renting when it hit the market. Photo by Sarah Greaud Photography.

OPERATION HEAL OUR PATRIOTS

When the VA loan inspector assessed Rivera’s house, he addressed issues the typical inspection didn’t cover.

“He gave me grounds to tell the current homeowner to [make repairs],” Rivera said, including a new roof installation and replacement of several moisture-damaged parts. The repairs became part of the contingency of the sale.

“They saved me on two major things that could’ve potentially gone wrong in my new home.”

The seller’s market has inspired many landlords to raise rent or list their rental properties on short notice, leaving their tenants scrambling to find a new rental or purchase a home on a dime. This is precisely what happened to Kristen Collins, who recently switched from tenant to homeowner.

“We actually didn’t want to buy in the current market,” shared Collins.

She and her Coast Guard husband live in South Texas, where home availability has nearly vanished, and listing prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic began.

“We were renting the home we purchased, and the owners at the time gave us a 30-day notice.”

Thankfully, the family had the VA loan in their back pocket.

Operation Heal Our Patriots® provides combat-wounded veterans and their spouses with a week of Biblically based marriage enrichment classes surrounded by the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness, as well as ongoing chaplain care. This Samaritan’s Purse ministry is just one example of how we are helping to meet the physical and spiritual needs of hurting people across the globe in Jesus’ Name.

Support our work via https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/

CFC #10532

Samaritan’s Purse®, Franklin Graham, President P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 | samaritanspurse.org

SamaritansPurse @SamaritansPurse @SamaritansPurse © 2020 Samaritan’s Purse. All rights reserved.

“We put an offer in on another home and tried securing a rental but were not successful. We ended up putting an offer in on the home we were renting when it hit the market. Luckily, after a little back and forth, our offer was accepted, but it was a very stressful situation.”

A common misconception about the VA loan is that homebuyers can only use it one time. However, the VA loan comes with a lifetime benefit, so qualifying veterans can use it again and again. Having used the VA loan

for a prior home purchase in 2014, the Collins family knew to work with a realtor and lender who understood the intricacies of VA loans.

“Although the process of having our offer accepted was incredibly stressful,” Collins said, “once we started the VA loan process, it felt like smooth sailing.”

For more information about the VA loan, visit: www.benefits. va.gov/homeloans.

The Rivera family recently took advantage of the VA loan to purchase a home in Virginia.

MUST-DO TAX ACTIVITIES BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS

BY LAURA BRIGGS

Before you schedule New Year’s plans, don’t forget about end-of-year tax savings opportunities you can lock in now before the ball drops. You can take these five steps now to ensure you’re set up for a better tax situation when your bill is due next April.

Discuss itemization vs. standard deduction with your accountant

More tax deductions are available if you itemize your taxes versus taking the standard deduction. IRS data shows that 75% of filers take the standard deduction. The standard deduction is $12,550 in 2021 for single filers and $25,100 for married filing jointly. If your qualified expenses exceed these amounts, consider itemizing instead.

If you don’t work with a CPA, you can also run this analysis in a tool like TurboTax to see where you’re better off.

Make deductible donations

If you’re planning to clean out your closet and claim credit for what you donated, don’t forget to do so before January. Get a receipt from the organization you’re contributing to. Even if you don’t end up using this particular deduction, it feels good to give around the holidays, and it’s always better to have the option.

You can also make a cash gift to certain charities. This is a great way to get your deduction. As a married couple filing jointly, you can claim up to $600 per tax return. For other filing statuses, you could claim $300.

Max out retirement

Tax-deferred retirement accounts should always be analyzed before end of year to decide if setting aside some extra money benefits your short-term goals, too. If you have a 401(k) or Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), don’t forget about the DOD or employer match (if your company offers one). You can contribute up to $19,500 in 2021, and that number increases to $26,000 if you’re over age 50.

If you use an IRA, you can set aside up to $6,000 in 2021. That amount increases to $7,000 if you’re 50 or older.

Review side business income and expenses

If you or your spouse own a business or side hustle, this is a good time to look at your projected income for the year

aligned with expenses. If you’ve been waiting to purchase some new piece of equipment or training and it would help to reduce your tax liability for 2021, you might want to make that purchase now instead of in 2022.

Discuss income deferral

If you’re on the verge of being bumped into another tax bracket, it’s important to look for ways to legally defer some income. This strategy is only recommended if you think your income will be lower next year.

If you have a side hustle or work for yourself, you might want to wait to deposit a check or send an invoice if you’re concerned about earning that income for 2021. Likewise, if you’re employed, the company might defer bonus payments until your first January paycheck. That can help to reduce your 2021 earnings.