2021 MF JANUARY

NEW NEWSOLUTIONSYEAR,

Every year, January feels like a gift. As I take down the holiday decorations and clean the house, I love the physical act of clearing away clutter, tidying up and starting anew with a blank slate. And now that 2021 is finally here, things already feel lighter.

For years, we’ve talked about the challenges surrounding military spouse employment. In many ways, it felt like we were having this conversation in an echo chamber, where we all know the difficulties but solutions remain evasive. Well, as you will read in our cover story, three spouses are about to change the game, literally.

With the creation of the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce, military spouse entrepreneurs now have a place to call home. With the chamber, their efforts will be validated in unprecedented ways. The chamber is a one-stop-shop for military spouses to share resources, connect and, more importantly, figure out ways to bring their goods and services to large portions of the public. With the support of the chamber, there’s nothing military spouses can’t do!

Also in this issue, we want to motivate you to live life to the fullest. From getting your budget on track to discovering your spark, there is no time like the present. As military families, we are aware that we must make every moment count. With that pending deployment or the next PCS around the corner, the uncertainty of military life forces us to live in the moment in many ways.

I dare you to face those challenges head-on and embrace them like the boss that you are. I, for one, am lacing up my running shoes and sprinting into this New Year!

About the Cover

Jaime Chapman, Stephanie Brown and Beth Conlin are making waves with the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of Trish Alegre-Smith.

Emma Comery

Lacey Langford

Stephanie Montague

Amy Pottinger

Jessica Evans

Contributors

this

CONTENTS Spouses launch first-of-its-kind

by Susan Malandrino

by Kate Horrell

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 distribution requests can be made online at www.AmeriForceMedia.com/ mf/print-magazines/

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One mom’s mission to share combat-related mental health struggles

By Jessica Evans

Lifelong advocate Million Heir-Williams isn’t used to hearing the word no. So when she heard that her son wasn’t going to get the benefits and care he needed from the VA because of his mental health conditions, she decided to do something about it. That path led her to write a book, “Military Mom on a Mission: An Advocate for Mental Health.” The book explores how to embrace the person who comes home from war with mental illness.

When Heir-Williams welcomed her son home from his deployment to Iraq, she was grateful that he returned in one piece. Jerome, a Marine, participated in the first surge

into Iraq in 2003. In the earliest days of the Global War on Terror, body armor wasn’t up to today’s standards, and IEDs and roadside bombs were very common.

“He came back with all his body parts but lurking within the walls of his mind was PTSD, severe psychosis, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,” Heir-Williams said.

After being discharged from the Marine Corps, Jerome, who HeirWilliams calls Champion, had a mental breakdown. Due to the stigma surrounding mental health care at the time, Heir-Williams said it was incredibly difficult for Champion to get any help at first.

“We spoke with his commander, his first sergeant, everyone we could get to and it wasn’t doing any good,” Heir-Williams said.

She knew her son was in trouble and was struggling with processing what he’d seen during his deployment. However, she couldn’t find the help and the resources to connect his needs with the right providers. Finally, HeirWilliams got her congressman involved.

“I don’t accept no when I’m on a

mission. If I need to accomplish something, the word no is absolutely nothing to me. If it’s the right thing to do, I will go all the way to the top and beyond to make it happen,” she said.

Heir-Williams says she was grateful the breakdown happened just six weeks after Champion left the Marine Corps because any longer would have made it even more difficult for him to get the care he needed.

She wrote to the VA, continued to involve her congressional representatives and kept knocking on doors. Those efforts resulted in Champion getting all his back pay and his benefits. He’s now 100% service disabled, which entitles him to care at the VA and a pension for the rest of his life. But, Heir-Williams says that the reason Champion got any of that at all was that she demanded it.

“Had I been the kind of mom who just sat back and hoped something would happen, he would not be alive today,” she said.

Now, Champion is doing very well in therapy and takes his medications as prescribed. He lives on his own and can manage his conditions independently.

Throughout the entire process, Heir-Williams kept excellent records, logging conversations, making notes and keeping a paper trail of her efforts. She said one Saturday, she decided to sit down and put it all in order, and that’s when it occurred to her that she needed to write a book.

“Military Mom on a Mission: An Advocate for Mental Health” seeks to inform and encourage military families who are living with mental illness. It provides a step-by-step guide of Heir-Williams’ efforts, along with templates for correspondence she sent out on Champion’s behalf.

“It is very important to me to share with others who are dealing with mental illness, specifically as it relates to the military community. I share my experience as a mother who assisted her son who was without a voice,” she said.

Along the journey, Heir-Williams realized that military families, like service members, must be both resilient and resourceful.

She hopes that the book will help other families find hope when the world seems dark.

“I want to be the bridge of knowledge, information and awareness between the civilian population and the military sector. The divide is too huge and the gap needs to close,” she said.

“Military Mom on a Mission: An Advocate for Mental Health” is available for purchase online.

PREPARES FOR F-35C

By Susan Malandrino

The F-35C, the carrier variant of the supersonic, multi-role joint strike fighter, has completed carrier qualifications and is nearly ready to bring unprecedented stealth technology to the Navy’s fighting force. VFA-147, the “Argonauts,” will deploy later this year, marking the debut of a fifth-generation catapult takeoff arrested landing fighter in the fleet.

VFA-147, a squadron based in Lemoore, California, is part of Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2), which deploys aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).

CVW-2 is composed of three F/A18 Super Hornet squadrons, one F-35C Lightning II squadron, one EA-18G Growler squadron, one E-2C Hawkeye squadron, one Helicopter Maritime Strike squadron (HSM) and one Helicopter Sea Combat squadron (HSC).

In September 2020, the Vinson successfully completed several exercises, including flight deck certification and carrier air traffic control center certification designed

to ready the carrier for deployed operations. The recent time at sea marked the first time that CVW-2 and CVN-70 fully integrated and operated together since the addition of the F-35C.

“Since then, the air wing has completed training in Fallon, [Nevada], and will be gearing up for their next underway period, early next year, aboard USS Carl Vinson for TSTA (Tailored Ship’s Training Availability),” Capt. Matthew J. Thrasher, Cmdr. CVW-2, said in an email in November. The Vinson and air wing will complete a series of additional workups and certifications in preparation for future operational

According to Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock, public affairs officer for Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, through multiplatform integration, CVW-2 will provide fleet commanders the ability to achieve an advantage across multiple domains: air, land, sea and electromagnetic against any adversary.

The carrier variant of the F-35C differs from the F-35A, which takes off and lands the same as an ordinary airplane, and the F-35B, which has a short take-off and landing capacity, meaning it can operate in a small airfield or off the deck of carriers that do not have catapults. The C version, flown by the Navy, features a broader wingspan, reinforced landing gear, ruggedized structures, durable coatings and folding wings. It is designed to stand up to harsh shipboard conditions.

tasking, including a fall 2021 deployment.

An F-35C Lightning II from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 demonstrates a flyby above USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Sept. 16, 2020. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Michael A. Lee)

More than a fighter jet, the aircraft has the ability to collect, analyze and share data in new and dynamic ways. One noteworthy item is the aircraft’s ability to integrate seamless data sharing, which according to Bock makes “every participant in the battlespace smarter, more lethal and more survivable.”

The F-35C’s avionics equip the pilot with real-time access to battlespace information with spherical coverage. Likewise, commanders at sea, in the air or on the ground, immediately receive data collected by the F-35’s sensors, empowering them with instantaneous, high-fidelity details of ongoing operations.

According to Bock, the F-35C is a game-changer for carrierbased aviation. She notes that the integration of the aircraft will allow the entire strike group to effectively engage and survive a wide range of rapidly evolving threats, both air and surface, in a contested battlespace.

“The F-35 is bringing unprecedented stealth capability to carrier-based aviation. What that means to CVW2 is we are now taking those fifthgeneration capabilities and we are integrating them into a carrier wing. . . Everyone has leveled up in order to take the entire Carrier Strike Group to a place it’s never been before with capability and technology that’s never been available before,” Bock said.

For Thrasher, the training has been an opportunity to integrate the new aircraft with the entire strike group and to build skills at the squadron level.

“There are individual and command level skills at play. As individuals, aircrew hone their warfighting skills and squadron maintainers gain proficiency at troubleshooting and fixing combat systems. At a unit level, the squadrons iron out how they fight as a unit, developing trust and confidence in their personnel and aircraft,” he said.

Prior to integrated operations with the air wing, the Vinson underwent a 17-month maintenance availability to receive major upgrades in support of fifth-generation aircraft, including jet blast deflectors able to take the increased heat generated by the F-35C and the addition of a new computer network that supports the

unique maintenance and tactical operations functions of the advanced aircraft.

For Thrasher, the updates to the ship have meant more integration between the air wing and ship’s company, something crucial to the everyday success of carrier operations. He notes that flight operations require detailed coordination between ship’s company and the air wing squadrons, and flight deck certification was an opportunity to develop that relationship further.

“In the carrier environment, teamwork is everything,” Thrasher stated in a release. “Our sailors and aircrew are focused on the task at hand and the path forward to deployment. Our success with the Vinson team is a direct result of the dedication, training and deploymentready mentality we embrace daily.”

F-35C Lightning II’s from VFA-147 start their engines aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Sept. 17, 2020. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Katlyn E. Huska)

An F-35C Lightning II attached to VFA-147 takes off from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Sept. 15, 2020. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Haydn N. Smith)

An F-35C Lightning II attached to VFA-147 lands aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Sept. 13, 2020. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Katlyn E. Huska)

By Susan Malandrino

2020 data reveals military spouses continue to face barriers to employment, even as efforts by the public and private sector to elevate this demographic’s value in the workforce rage on years after the introduction of Joining Forces — an initiative of the Obama Administration that is expected to be relaunched by incoming first lady Dr. Jill Biden. The findings show the 24% joblessness rate to be an issue that varies by location, rather than being a monolithic problem, according to Deloitte.

This month, three military spouses launched a new endeavor that they said strengthens the obvious solution to an enduring employment problem: entrepreneurship. Jaime Chapman, Beth Conlin and Stephanie Brown are dubbing 2021 as the year of the military spouse entrepreneur by announcing the creation of the United States Military Spouse

The MSCC provides active duty and veteran military spouse business owners the tools and resources they need to launch their businesses, have them grow and stand out in a crowded marketplace. The chamber also provides the first-ever Military Spouse Owned Enterprise (MSE) certification, a tool that allows companies to track their supplier diversity spend with these military spouse owned businesses.

The idea grew out of a working group the three served on surrounding solutions for military spouse employment. Brown, a Navy spouse and the founder and CEO of The Rosie Network — an organization dedicated to developing military spouse entrepreneurial programs, approached Army spouses Conlin and Chapman with the concept.

Conlin, who serves as senior program manager for military spouse programs at Amazon, couldn’t believe that a chamber of commerce for military spouses didn’t already exist. Considering there are specific chambers for veterans, women and minority-owned businesses, and a variety of other classifications, she was shocked. “I remember thinking, ‘How is this not already a thing? We need to rectify this,’” Conlin said.

Chapman, who is the owner of the military spouse staffing agency Begin Within, knew the need as she had seen it over and over again in her professional life.

“Military spouses are moving faster than their careers can keep up. Entrepreneurship is a solution for that,” Chapman said.

Brown agrees.

“This idea had been percolating for some time in the back of my mind and, it was clear that the moment was now,” Brown said.

The trio put their collective 30 plus years of experience in the nonprofit and for-profit world and reached out to their myriad of contacts in the corporate and defense sectors. The result, the MSCC, is an organization committed to empowering and advocating on behalf of military spouse business owners from Capitol Hill to communities across the country.

How will it work?

The chamber is a go-to resource for military spouses, providing the meat and potatoes of starting, running and marketing a business.

“Having spouses feel more empowered and encouraged and that they are not alone is our goal,” Brown said.

Chamber of Commerce (MSCC).

A new partnership is giving military spouse business owners a seat at the table.

Because MSCC is designed and run by military spouses, it was created with military-specific questions in mind, including how to PCS with a business, registering a business on a specific installation, or how to navigate the challenges surrounding SOFA working requirements that often impede spouses living abroad.

For Brown, the resources are key to business and social success.

“We are the one-stop-shop, no wrong door, location for everything vetted for military spouses for their business,” Brown said.

Why should military spouses join the chamber?

Conlin says that the chamber is collecting all of the disparate pieces of information that may be hard for spouses to currently find.

“If it’s time for me to start a business, where’s the support? If it’s time for me to exit a business, where’s the support? We are a unifying entity that’s 360-wrap around support for a milspouse small business owner,” she said.

The chamber offers two key deliverables — the ability to connect with other spouse-owned businesses and to connect with

corporate partners. By providing an opportunity zone for military spouse run businesses to contract with local and national companies, MSCC is based on forging relationships.

“I think a better question is: ‘Why wouldn’t you join the chamber?’” Brown said, adding that the core mission — supporting military spouses in their business endeavors — drives the organization at all levels.

“We are providing resources and support for spouses.”

Who is considered a military spouse?

A military spouse is defined (outside the confines of federal entities) as a current or former partner of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, including veterans, guard, reserves, active-duty service members and Gold Star spouses.

What is the MSE certification?

The Military Spouse Owned Enterprise Solution (MSE) is a certification available through the chamber. By going through the certification process, MSEs will receive notifications of business opportunities with companies who are looking to hire military spouse owned businesses for business-tobusiness services. Being an officiallyregistered enterprise helps businesses stand out among the competition, enhances brand credibility and opens entrepreneurial opportunities.

MILITARY SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT

The existing challenges

Military spouse unemployment and underemployment has been a source of frustration for military families for some time. The Department of Defense has invested time and resources to address the issue, including the Military Spouse Employment Partnership and a variety of other endeavors. While these efforts have generated a great deal of productive conversations, unemployment numbers for military spouses hover around 24% with nearly 77% reporting underemployment, according to Blue Star Families’ 2019 annual survey of military families.

Small business solutions

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S. From 2000 to 2019, small businesses created double the amount of jobs as large businesses, 10.5 net as compared to 5.6 million. Furthermore, small businesses have accounted for 65.1% of net new job creation since 2000.

Recent data shows that almost half of military spouses are turning towards self-employment and entrepreneurship. According to Jaime Chapman, co-founder and vice president of the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce, that’s only going to increase. “The military spouse chamber will address issues outside of traditional employment and this will help launch military spouse owned businesses as a recognized entity in business,” Chapman said.

In order to qualify for an MSE certification, the business must be 51% owned and operated by a U.S. military spouse, or jointly by two or more military spouses. They must have a legally-registered business and be a registered member of the U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce. For specific eligibility requirements and a list of documents required, visit MSCC’s website.

Beth Conlin addresses a group of military spouse entrepreneurs in Arlington, Virginia on Oct. 28, 2020.

How do corporate partners fold into this?

Conlin, Brown and Chapman stress that this is a great opportunity for corporate America. “If you are a company that supports the military community, it is absolutely proven that you expand your business reach,” Conlin said. “Companies that support the military bring in new customers.”

According to Conlin, there’s a subset of organizations that already support military communities that are eager to join and support spouses. “With military spouse employment, in particular, being more of a relevant conversation the past couple of years, changing that conversation towards military spouse entrepreneurship isn’t going to be so shocking. It’s not going to be something that’s so hard to understand,” she said.

“Because our military spouse owned businesses are so incredibly diverse, whether its services or products, we can easily, strategically develop pipelines of contacts,” Conlin said. “It is a two-way model that allows us to reach out to those who we know will provide support and to look internally to who we know we have and push those opportunities out to other companies.”

“We are on a mission to connect military spouse owned businesses with companies that want to hire them,” Chapman said. “It is our job to find those connections.”

For more information about the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce, visit: https:// milspousechamber.org.

TWO SPOUSES, TWO DIFFERENT ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEYS

Two military spouses have brought their entrepreneurial dreams to fruition in very different ways. They say that an independent spirit and forging connections are key to success in running your own business.

Katherine Frankstone, spouse of an Army veteran, is the owner and chief baker at Grey Ghost Bakery in Charleston, South Carolina. Since she was five-years-old and begged for an easy bake oven, she’s maintained a passion for baking. Her bakery, which opened its doors in 2012, is a small family-owned baking company.

Frankstone says that self-reliance and military spouses go hand in hand. “Owning a business gives you a sense of independence and you need to be an independent spirit to be an entrepreneur,” Frankstone said.

“Because military families move so often, maybe you’re inherently able to have that independent spirit,” she said.

Frankstone says that outsourcing tasks and relying on a network are key in the process of building a business. “My biggest advice would be to be extremely honest with yourself about your skills and abilities,” she said. “There aren’t enough hours in the day and I don’t care how smart and skilled you are, no one person can do everything. Hire the things you don’t do well.”

Allie Willits has seen the world both as a Navy spouse and through her role as a travel agent. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, she’s an independent contractor working for Off to Neverland Travel. With 10 PCS moves in

15 years, she says owning her own business has provided flexibility for the challenges of military life.

“It’s been such a blessing to have a career that is all mine, that I’ve built, that can go with me wherever I go . . . and that has afforded some great travel opportunities for my family,” Willits said.

Willits was a school counselor until having a baby and then an OCONUS move to Japan provided the opportunity to shift careers. She says that her background in counseling translates well to a solutions-focused industry where the client’s needs are paramount.

The COVID-19 pandemic and another PCS this fall added additional hurdles to her business. Willits says that she’s been able to “roll with it,” a philosophy that has been key to business success. “We [military spouses] are so resilient and deal with so much, I was able to deal with these challenges and compartmentalize them,” she said.

The frequent moves have also provided business opportunities to build clientele and further-develop relationships. At her last duty station in Fort Worth, Texas, Willits was able to attend a variety of industry training and conferences, forging lasting connections with travel industry suppliers.

According to Willits, in her industry, the name of the game is personal connections, and military spouses have a real advantage. “As military spouses, we have had to be so friendly and flexible and adaptable. It’s easy to make a connection with someone in a short amount of time. I don’t think civilians can do this like we can.”

Allie Willits

Katherine Frankstone

SUCCESS Ebony Anglers

By Susan Malandrino

The Ebony Anglers, a group of five African-American women, are turning heads and reeling in success in the world of competitive deep-sea fishing. Based in North Carolina, they are fulfilling their passions out on the water and making inroads in the predominately male and Caucasian world of angling.

The minute you meet the group’s members, Gia Peebles, Lesleigh Mausi, Glenda Turner, Tiana Davis and Bobbiette Palmer, you instantly feel the comradery and affection they have for one another. All five are small business owners, friends, and mothers — collectively they have 19 children and step children among them.

The group started in the summer of 2020 and was the brain child of Peebles, who is called “T-Cap,” short for team captain. While watching competitors at the Big Rock Fishing Tournament, Peebles couldn’t shake the idea that she could do this. “These people were coming off their boats with huge fish and they looked like they were having fun and I thought, ‘okay I can do that.’ Okay, who is crazy enough to do this with me?” she said.

Peebles first called Mausi, a longtime friend, about collaborating. Mausi’s father was a professional angler who had recently passed away, and the thought of joining a team gave her goose bumps. Right before the group’s first big

tournament, Mausi cut off the tip of her pointer finger, and now she’s affectionately known as the “Pointer Sister,” the group said over laughs.

Next came Davis, who is married to a disabled Navy veteran. She had fishing experience and is called “Princess Tiana.” Turner, who is the mother of three children — including an Army veteran — and has eight grandkids, came to the team next. She is affectionately known as the

“Regulator” for her stern but loving grandmotherly persona.

When Peebles called Palmer to be the fifth and last person to round out the team, everyone initially laughed as her motion sickness is legendary among the group. When the laughter subsided and Palmer realized this was a serious request, she agreed, deciding that she wanted to get out of isolation during the pandemic and try something new.

On their first outing, Palmer “chummed the waters” with sea sickness and requested space to curl up and get into the fetal position on the boat. Recounting that story, the

Left to right, Gia Peebles, Glenda Turner, Bobbiette Palmer, Lesleigh Mausi and Tiana Davis, are the Ebony Anglers.

ladies all crack up. Peebles said that Palmer’s determination is legendary. “She said, ‘As long as I can get in the fetal position, I can come back’ and she comes back every time . . . and she ‘thugs’ it out, every time,” Peebles said. As you can guess, Palmer’s now referred to as “Thug It Out,” the group said through laughter.

More than just laughter, nicknames and comradery, the group is achieving professional success and building something broader. In July 2020, the Ebony Anglers took first place in the Spanish Mackerel & Dolphin Tournament in Morehead City, North Carolina after reeling in a 48 lb. king mackerel.

“It was beyond exciting and that’s just not a good enough word to describe the moment when we pulled it on to the boat,” Davis said. Pulling into the dock, the group learned that they were to receive a citation from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

“‘Ugh! Y’all, they are giving us a citation!’ I said, `We need to protect our fish!’” Mausi recalled. She hurriedly attempted to get the fish and crew off the dock and back on the boat out of sight of state officials. Only then, did she learn that a citation recognizes anglers for their outstanding recreational catches. “We were lucky enough to receive one,” Mausi said chuckling.

Out on the waters, the group feels that they are both building something for themselves and serving as role models for others. Mausi says they do get interesting stares from other anglers but she marvels that it is often a conversation opener among people.

“I definitely feel like we are trail blazers in some respects,” Peebles said, agreeing. “Not necessarily that

we are the first African American females to fish. . . we are bringing a new face to the industry of angling. While we haven’t been met with resistance, we’ve been met with a series of responses, emotion and curiosity because it is something different that people aren’t accustom to seeing.”

The Ebony Anglers have started two non-profit organizations, Black Girls Fish and Black Boys Boat, designed to encourage children to explore deep-sea fishing. “It’s a lifestyle we want to expose children to,” Palmer said. For her, it’s a great way to teach life and survival skills. “You can use a compass. You can use radar. You can fish your own food, and there is power in that,” she said.

When asked why the story of the Ebony Anglers should matter to young women, the group agrees that their story shows that anything is possible.

“I want girls to understand that no matter what, you can find the strength in you to do something as interesting and as different as deep-sea angling and competitive fishing, where you look different and you also are unexpected,” Mausi said. “That’s a good place to step in. It takes a certain kind of strength and fortitude to blaze trails and to do something different and have the confidence to stand in that space and be excellent at it.”

For more information about the Ebony Anglers or their non-profits, visit www.ebonyanglers.com.

The Ebony Anglers hold up their prize catches during the July 2020 Spanish Mackerel & Dolphin Tournament in Morehead City, North Carolina.

HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR SPARK IN 2021

By Emma Comery

Brittany Boccher knows the military spouse struggle. Her workshop and new book “Discovering Your Spark: Find Your Color In A Camouflage World” is designed to help fellow military spouses find purpose.

Boccher was working hard at a Houston nonprofit, well on her way to executive leadership, when she met a handsome man in uniform at an airport. And everything changed. What followed was a courtship via emails, phone calls and six months of her flying across the country to see her airman on date night. When

orders for Afghanistan came on the heels of their engagement, the couple got married at the Houston courthouse during Boccher’s lunch break before his plane left for deployment.

It’s a classic military love story, with its happenstance meeting and

whirlwind romance, yet practical and sacrificing in its cultivation. “Sometimes things just look different for us,” Boccher said about military life.

But it wasn’t until Boccher left her job and experienced her first PCS after her husband’s deployment that she truly realized just how different. Like many military spouses, she felt lost after leaving her job and her community.

“I’m very open about the difficulty and challenges of military life,” she said. “I experienced challenges with unemployment and not knowing how to fit in.”

Often, it’s far too easy for military spouses to feel like they’ve given something up by marrying into the military. But eventually Boccher realized that she didn’t have to settle for unfulfillment simply because she was no longer climbing the executive ladder.

“I realized that I was my only limit. I was the person in my way.”

So Boccher dove into her local spouse’s group and other organizations on base, and went on to receive the 2017 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year Award. A servant at heart, she used this opportunity to travel the country and speak to spouses about issues of identity and purpose.

But instead of speaking, she listened.

For a whole year, Boccher listened to military spouses documenting their challenges, struggles and experiences in her journal.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand new military spouse or a wellmarinated spouse; if you’re married to an enlisted or an officer; if you have a degree or not. Across the

Mil Spouse Brittany Boccher Shares Her Tips For Living Life With Purpose

board, military spouses struggle with identity, and the longer they’re in, the more they live for the military and not for themselves,” she said.

What so many military spouses needed, Boccher realized, was to discover their spark. She created a workshop and corresponding workbook entitled “Discovering Your Spark: Find Your Color In A Camouflage World.”

Through a partnership with the USO, she has brought her workshop to military spouse groups across the country, helping them define what makes them happy, what brings them joy, what they get lost in, and ultimately ask the question, “Are you filling your time every day, or are you filling your cup?”

“I challenge them to take a can’t and turn it into a can,” she explained. “So if you say you can’t find a job as a nurse, take a look at why you want to be a nurse and find something else that fulfills that why.”

So, with 2021 here, how do we emerge from the ashes of 2020 and discover our own spark this year? Boccher offers three concrete ways to get started:

1. Grab a sheet of paper

Write down how you spend your time. What roles do you play?

What are your responsibilities and commitments? Are you filling your time or filling your cup? You can’t lie to yourself when you see it on paper.

2. Define a mission statement

How do you know how to get there if you don’t know where or why you’re going? How will you know when you’ve accomplished your goal if you don’t define it first? Aim for less than 100 words and identify core values and goals, provide clear direction, and include steps for change. Boccher recommends using the online FranklinCovey Mission Statement Builder.

3. Define a family mission statement

Boccher believes having a loving and supportive family takes intention. “It doesn’t just happen. By creating a mission statement as a family, you can create a vision for what you want to achieve together,” she said.

Whatever your spark, follow Boccher’s advice to fan it into a flame this year. With her guidance, she hopes others will fill their cups with whatever makes their hearts warm, and keep going back for more.

4 WAYS TO GET YOUR FINANCES IN ORDER

By Lacey Langford

Getting your finances in order is the perfect way to start in 2021. The new year is a good time to start off right by practicing good money habits for the entire year.

Set goals

Goal setting is the foundation for your 2021 financial intentions. How do you want your year to look? Do you want more money to travel? Do you want to pay off your credit card?

Increase your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions? Setting goals for your debt, spending, savings and investing helps you get your finances in order.

2 Do a review

Looking back on the past year is helpful to prepare your finances for the new year. What are the things you did that worked? What didn’t? Did your past savings goals go as planned? Let last year be a jumping-off point to prepare for the year ahead.

Then look at your current situation. You need to know how much money you have coming in and going out. List out your income and all of your expenses in order to create a budget.

Review your investments next. Do you have the TSP or an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)? Reviewing your retirement and savings accounts is important to know your current financial state. Don’t forget to get a free copy of your credit report and review it for errors. Or if you’re unsure of some of your debts, your report will have them listed.

Create a budget

After doing a review, you will know your income and expenses, which is the starting point for a budget. Budgeting isn’t everyone’s favorite thing to do, but it’s really just a game plan for your finances. Having a clear understanding is key.

Write down all of your income minus all of your expenses. What’s left is your free cash flow. If you subtract your income from expenses and you’re in the negative, it’s time to reduce some of your spending. If you have extra money, you can use the free cash to put towards your financial goals, like paying off debt.

Do not forget to include expenses that you don’t have every month like vehicle registration, new tires or oil changes. If you don’t, they’ll cause financial problems later.

Build your savings

Building up your savings is an essential part of getting your finances in order. Financial opportunities and challenges will always come up—that’s life. Savings will make a world of difference when financial problems come up. When you don’t have savings, it can make the smallest problem become a financial crisis.

Make 2021 the year you start or put more money aside for emergencies and for your future. Pay yourself first by setting an allotment or auto-transfer at your bank to move

SMART Financial Goals

When it comes to goal setting, make sure they are SMART goals. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based.

Specific - Make a goal specific rather than vague so you know precisely what you want to achieve.

Measurable - A measurable goal is to make your progress trackable. For example, if you want to pay off $1,000 in debt, you can measure that.

Achievable - An achievable goal means you can complete it. Think about how you’re going to get it done.

Relevant - Does your goal have meaning to you? Make sure it matters to you and is consistent with what’s important to you.

Time-based – When is this going to happen?

$50-$100 to your savings account each month. If you aren’t already doing it, start contributing to your TSP or increase your contribution percentage.

And don’t forget Christmas and the holidays. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to start setting aside money each month so come December, you can enjoy the holidays debt free.

And remember, there’s no better time to plan for 2021!

FIRST SERGEANT PUSHES CLIENTS TO FIND THEIR FITNESS ‘WHY’

By Bianca M. Strzalkowski

An active-duty entrepreneur is leaning on her fitness acumen to help others be intentional about their 2021 health goals.

Sports and wellness have long been a part of Air Force 1st Sgt. DeBlair Tate’s life, starting in her youth when she played softball and basketball, and ran track. Growing up in Winona, Mississippi, she said she knew early on that she wanted to explore horizons outside of small city life — which is how she ended up enlisting in 2001.

Tate currently works as a military training instructor for the First Sergeant Academy at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama. In her offduty career, she continues the spirit of the Air Force’s ‘whole airman concept’ by helping clients consistently better themselves through a focus on mind, body and soul.

In 2019, Tate launched a startup called 8Figured — something she describes as more than a fitness apparel brand, but instead a “representation of one’s worth.” After working as a personal trainer for more than 16 years, she wanted to pursue a new direction that allowed her to stay attached to her passion for wellness. And among her entrepreneurial goals for the company in the new year is the launch of a new line of supplements.

“Being an entrepreneur, just period, is hard. I still do coaching, as far as personal training … I’m still full-time military, so once I’m off work with the military I’m still clocking back in for my brand just trying to get it out there and get people to understand the mission behind it,” Tate said. Though stay-at-home-orders and

gym closures have affected fitness routines, Tate explains key tips for keeping health at the forefront of daily priorities.

1. Be intentional with scheduling workouts.

2. Watch grocery store purchases.

3. Create a healthy environment for yourself, starting in the kitchen.

4. Establish a support system that breeds accountability.

“A lot of us wait until our bodies tell us that it’s time; before we basically say enough is enough,” she said.

“There’s so much that technology offers right now. Come up with a plan of action, using anything like YouTube or social media to access

workouts like free high-intensity strength training or yoga.”

It starts with a mental you. You can’t just say it’s something you want; you have to put in the actual effort — you can’t just wing it.”

Tate focuses much of her messaging on mindset, encouraging people to adopt lifestyle changes rather than viewing exercise as another task. She also says setting realistic expectations makes it more likely that a goal can be accomplished.

“Don’t say you’re going to workout every day, if you know your schedule

doesn’t allow for that because you will become discouraged when you can’t meet those goals,” she added.

For service members looking to improve PT scores in 2021, Tate recommends the following:

Goal: Losing weight. Activity: Cardio, like long-distance running or walking.

Goal: Gain muscle. Activity: Calisthenics, like push-ups or purchasing weights for use at home.

Goal: Get faster. Activity: A combination of calisthenics and cardio, like HIIT training.

Tate offers personalized workouts online, every Thursday. It includes an exercise component and a questionand-answer period. For anyone interested in private classes or joining her six-week challenge, follow her for updates at https://www. instagram.com/deblairfitness/.

Overall, the certified fitness coach is on a mission to help others find their fitness why — an answer that can only be answered from within, she says.

“What I tell my clients is you have to find that why. So, I am big on, what your why is. What is the reason why you’re doing this? It has to be something bigger than you, that whenever you don’t feel like getting out of bed when it’s 20 degrees, what is that one thing that you can play in your head that will tell you you have to get up?”

2021 New Year’s resolution: Improve time management

Favorite workout:

Anything with working glutes

Go-to healthy snack:

Rice cakes and peanut butter

Guilty pleasure:

Lemonade from Chick-fil-A

Visit https://www.8figured.com to shop 8Figured’s apparel line for men and women.

for the new year

By Amy Pottinger

Happy New Year! I don’t think there have been more anticipated words in a very long time. Some of your resolutions may be to have more positive self-thoughts, workout more, self care or make the choice to eat better.

I’m here to help with some flavor packed “healthy” eating recipes. Instead of “dieting” with a piece of undressed lettuce or a sad little carrot stick, I’ve given you a whole meal packed with flavor. Also, since COVID has left us largely house bound, we are taking our culinary adventures around the world. I have a modern twist on Vietnamese cooking, a freshened up Mexican dish and a Middle Eastern Shashuska packed full of flavor. So don’t pack your stretchy pants, because that’s a journey that we’re leaving behind in 2020.

Banh Mi Salad

I love making flavor packed salads that feel like a full meal. You can put all sorts of ingredients into a salad to make it feel hearty and satisfying. While “banh” means bread in Vietnamese, I swap out the bread for rice noodles and serve it over a bed of greens. The briny pickled

vegetables add a ton of flavor and the bright sweet and acidic dressing makes every bite delicious.

You can use many different kinds of meat for this salad. I use the same marinade for pork, chicken or flank steak. You can also use tofu, brisket or grilled prawns.

Ingredients and instructions: For the meat:

1 – 2 lbs of any meat mentioned above

½ cup fish sauce

½ cup soy sauce

2 limes, juiced

¼ cup white sugar

3 tbsp chili pepper paste

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a large zip lock bag and mix together. Marinate the meat for 3-12 hours. Cook in the oven or on the grill until done.

For the pickled vegetables:

10 oz bag shredded carrots

10 radishes, julienned

6-8 jalapenos, very thinly sliced, ribs and seeds removed

2 cups rice wine vinegar

3 tbsp white sugar

1 ½ tbsp salt

1. Combine the rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar into a large lidded container and stir.

2. Add the vegetables and soak, keeping refrigerated for 3-8 hours.

For the dressing:

½ cup EVOO

½ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup honey

2 tbsp lime juice

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

¼ cup cilantro

¼ cup mint

Other Ingredients:

Cooked rice noodles (thin)

Sliced cucumbers

More herbs

Arugula (or another green)

Putting it all together:

Lay your bed of lettuce. Top with some rice noodles, marinated and cooked protein of your choice, pickled vegetables, sliced cucumbers and some dressing. Enjoy!

yummy!

1. Add the chopped onions and garlic to the skillet and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes, until translucent and fragrant. Add the chopped red bell peppers and cook for another 5-6 minutes, stirring when needed. You may sprinkle a pinch of salt to the pan, to season along the way.

2. Add the canned tomatoes, and all of your spices, mixing until well incorporated.

Shakshuka

This wildly simple dish gets its flavor from lots of herbs and spices; typical of any dish that comes from any of the Middle Eastern countries. You can really serve it with so many things. I have eaten it over potatoes, over rice, with naan or by itself. Shakshuka is wonderful for breakfast or dinner and is super budget friendly. It is (more or less) a very fragrant and aromatic tomato broth with poached eggs. My recipe calls for baking it in the oven, but you can also poach the eggs on the stove top if you desire.

Ingredients and instructions:

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

8-10 cloves of garlic, finely minced

¼ cup EVOO, divided

2 red bell peppers

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp white sugar

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup mint

¼ cup chopped cilantro

6 eggs

¼ - ½ cup feta

3. Add your herbs and cook on a low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. After the flavors have been cooking together for 20 minutes or so, remove from the heat of the stove. Add your eggs to the top, of the tomato mixture.

5. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes or so at 350 degrees, or until the egg whites turn white. The goal is to keep the yolk runny.

6. Sprinkle with feta, add sliced avocado, extra herbs or whatever else you would like. We put this over some potatoes, but you could use rice, cauliflower rice, naan or whatever really. Enjoy!

Barbacoa bowl

This slow cooked beef in chipotle peppers, spices and fragrant broth. I love filling my burrito bowls with fresh vegetables like shredded cabbage, tomatoes, corn, avocado or really anything else flavorful (and logical). You can always substitute rice for quinoa or cauliflower rice if you would like. Topping with something healthy like a tomatillo salsa, instead of cheese and sour cream not only has more flavor, but it nourishes your body better too. Lastly, I am a HUGE fan, of cooking certain things in large batches. Although the recipe below says 2-3 pounds of meat, I almost always triple that and freeze some.

Ingredients and instructions:

For the Beef:

2-3 lbs of chuck shoulder roast, cubed into 2”-3” pieces

16 oz beef broth

1 yellow onion, chopped

10 garlic cloves, chopped

7 oz can chipotle peppers

3-4 bay leaves

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp oregano

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp sugar

Cilantro stems (save the leaves for the salsa)

1. In a Dutch Oven, combine all of ingredients and cook at 300 degrees for 5-6 hours.

2. Remove the meat and shred it, adding it into a pan.

3. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out all whole/large ingredients from the cooking liquid.

4. Ladle the liquid into the pan with the meat so that it is moist (sorry) and has the flavor from the broth.

For the Tomatillo/Avocado Salsa:

6 tomatillos, charred

2 jalapenos, charred

2 avocadoes

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp agave or honey

1-2 tsp salt

½ yellow onion

4-5 garlic cloves

½ cup cilantro

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Other ingredients:

Rice (regular, cauliflower… quinoa or whatever)

Optional toppings such as avocado, pickled red onions, corn, black beans, shredded cabbage, radishes, tomatoes, etc… The more the better! I also like lots of extra squeezed lime and some cojita or feta.

Whatever your motivation for “a new year, a new you,” food is always in season. So try one of my flavorful, nourishing meals and chose you this New Year. Enjoy!

ANCHORS AWEIGH

NAVY FAMILY OPTS FOR SAILBOAT LIVING

By Stephanie Montague

It didn’t take long for the family to confirm that they loved boat life, and their 39-foot sailboat has been their home through multiple PCS moves and Jody’s 2019 retirement from the Navy.

Adjusting to liveaboard life

As expected, the move onto the boat was a challenge at first.

“It was definitely an adjustment,” Powers recalls. “We went from a 2400 sq. ft. house with a yard to less than 500 not-so-square feet.”

They had to downsize drastically, so they sold, gave away, or donated many items.

Reducing their possessions wasn’t easy. “I had worked so hard ‘purging’ to the bare minimum and proudly showed Frank. His response? ‘Nice job! Now get rid of half of what’s left,’” she said.

There were other adjustments as well. The Lehe Paine does not have a washer/dryer, so the family does laundry onshore. Also, the small refrigerator and limited counter space require advance planning when cooking. And their young children had to wear life jackets at all times while on the dock.

Military life when your home is a boat

When her family was PCSing from Mississippi to Everett, Washington in 2009, Jody Powers, then a lieutenant commander in the Navy, and her husband, Frank, made a drastic lifestyle change. With two children under the age of four, they moved onto a sailboat.

It was not their first time owning a boat; when they first got married, they owned a 20-foot sailboat that they later sold. But they had never lived aboard a boat, so this move was uncharted territory.

In advance of their PCS, Jody and Frank “house-hunted” for sailboats near their new duty station. They found their home, a 2006 Beneteau 393, in Vancouver, Canada and named her Lehe Paine.

Once the Powers family got used to living on their boat, their day-today was very similar to that of any other military family.

“We didn’t really feel like our life was too different. We always felt like we just lived in a really small apartment that moved in high winds!” Powers said.

While the couple was at work, the kids went to daycare, and later, to the local school. The bus picked them up at the marina.

When it came time for their first PCS in 2011 with the Lehe Paine, they hauled her out of the water, removed her mast and rigging, and put her on a truck headed to their new duty station in Maryland. Meanwhile, the family packed a few suitcases and did their own cross-country drive.

While it was a lot of work to find a new marina, coordinate transit of the boat across the country, and reassemble her on the far end, “getting re-settled was easy,” Powers said. “We walked aboard and unpacked our bags in our old familiar rooms—that was the best part.”

Future PCS moves confirmed that transporting the boat via land was the best course of action when moving her long distances.

During their second major PCS with the boat, they moved from Maryland to Gulfport, Mississippi and transported the boat via water. It proved challenging to coordinate school and work schedules if they didn’t have a chunk of time to move the boat every single voyage. They had to leave her for about a month each in Jacksonville, Florida and St. Petersburg, Florida.

When moving back to Maryland from Mississippi in 2017, they once again loaded the boat onto a truck.

The pros and cons of living on a boat

One of the best things about boat living is the close relationships the Powers family has developed. They study, eat, relax and plan travel at the same table, so they function as a

team. Also, their lifestyle is focused on experiences rather than on possessions.

“We don’t have huge wardrobes or stacks of toys, but we can get our home into some pretty cool places to explore,” Powers said.

Needless to say, the physically tight space can be challenging at times, but the family has gotten used to it. As with any home, maintenance and repairs on the boat can also get expensive.

What’s next for the Powers family?

Powers retired from the Navy last fall. The kids, now 12 and 14, are enrolled in homeschool, and the family has been cruising full time since October 2019. They spent the winter in the Bahamas and much of 2020 exploring the East Coast of the U.S. Visit at www.poppinsmoke. com/sailingfamily to find out more about their life as full-time travelers and their future plans!

By Kate Horrell

Tuition Assistance, or TA, is a great benefit of military service, and over 100,000 service members use the program each year. But funding is not unlimited, and can even change in the middle of the fiscal year, so it’s normal to have questions about how it all works. In his 100 Day Message, Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite said, “Questions about educational benefits, particularly Tuition Assistance, are the most common queries I get.” So let’s answer those questions!

How TA Works

While each service has control over their budgets and rules, the programs must fall within the DoD rules. These include credit hour limits of $250 per semester hour or $166.66 per quarter hour. TA can only cover tuition, not any fees or other costs of an educational program.

TA provides financial assistance for voluntary, off-duty educational pursuits including associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, certain certifications, and high school diplomas or equivalency certificates. TA is not authorized for education

beyond a master’s degree, and you can’t use TA at an educational level that is equal to or below any degree that you have already completed.

Courses may be in a physical classroom or through distance learning, also known as virtual classrooms.

TA is requested on a course-bycourse basis, and each course must be part of an approved educational plan. Courses must be in pursuit of approved degree programs provided by accredited schools who have signed the Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding.

AIR FORCE

Due to funding constraints, the Air Force has limited the total benefit per airman to $3,750 for the 2021 fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021. Previously, airmen could receive $4,500 annually.

Air Force TA is limited to 124 undergraduate and 42 graduate hours total.

COAST GUARD

The Coast Guard screens members for TA eligibility based on satisfactory progress towards qualifications and craft proficiency and requires a positive conduct record. Selected reservists must also be making satisfactory progress towards participation standards. Coast Guard members have an annual fiscal year cap of $2,250 for TA payments, equalling nine credit hours. Coast Guard TA is limited to 130 undergraduate and 40 graduate hours.

MARINE CORPS

Marines must have completed 24 months of service to use TA benefits. TA is also available to reservists on continuous active duty, enlisted reservists ordered to active duty 120 days or longer, and to reserve officers ordered to active duty for two years or longer.

The fiscal year 2021 limit on Marine Corps TA benefits is $4,500.

SPACE FORCE

At this time, Space Force uses the same TA rules as the Air Force. For fiscal year 2021, space professionals may use up to $3,750.

ARMY

Soldiers can use up to $4,000 to pay for up to 16 semester hours of undergraduate or graduate coursework per fiscal year.

The Army TA program has a total cap of 130 semester hours of undergraduate credit, or the completion of a bachelor’s degree, and a separate cap of 39 hours of graduate credit, or the completion of a master’s degree.

NAVY

Sailors must complete two years of active duty before using TA benefits, and also must have completed one year at their first permanent duty station, with waivers available at the CO/OIC level.

The Navy has a cap of $3,000 for fiscal year 2021. After running out of money in May 2019, this cap was reduced to the current level and lifetime TA for sailors is limited to 120 credit hours.

These guidelines and rules are not comprehensive, and are subject to change at any time. If you’re planning to use TA, check with your installation or branch education office to get the most accurate and complete information for your situation, and reach out to your school’s VA advisors. They are a vital resource in helping you work through the process.

TA benefits can help you accomplish your military and post-military goals. Secretary Braithwaite says, “It is one of the greatest benefits of serving in uniform.” Understanding your branch’s rules for the TA program is the first step in getting the education you want.

Couple finds staying the course is key to paying off debt

By Susan Malandrino

Through planning, budgeting and open dialogue, one Marylandbased Air Force couple is well on their way to paying off more than $89,000 in debt. If all goes according to plan, it will have taken Air Force Senior Master Sgt. John Dixon and his wife, Kathy, six years to emerge debt free.

Early in their marriage and in their 20s, the couple found themselves living paycheck to paycheck. From Friday night margaritas or random Starbucks runs, Dixon says she and her husband didn’t maintain a budget and weren’t looking at any patterns in their spending other than living in the moment.

New cars, student loans and family medical debt all compounded over time and simmered on a back burner in their lives. “It’s funny how something that wasn’t the biggest issue in our marriage, ended up being the biggest blessing long term,” she said.

It wasn’t until an Air Force colleague they knew through church

recommended Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps financial program that things began to change. Taking a deep dive analysis into their financial situation

was eye opening. “It forced us to have honest conversations about our money,” she said.

Dixon admits that she panicked when she saw how much they actually owed. The couple came up with a budget and realized how much they were spending on certain items, such as nearly $1,000 a month eating out. “We had no idea what was normal until we went through this exercise,” Dixon said.

By creating a zero dollar budget, a budget where income minus expenses equals zero, Dixon says that she and her husband became more accountable than ever before. “There’s no freebee money. We determined what is an appropriate amount for each category of spending and saving, and stuck with it.”

Dixon says that couples who embark on a journey of financial freedom, first and foremost, need to just stay the course. “Keep on the path of imperfect progress.”

In her opinion, it’s easy to get discouraged. In 2018, the couple’s oldest son, who was four at the time, needed an extremely complicated emergency open heart surgery.

The total bill from the surgery was expected to be $160,000, and after insurance they expected their portion to range from $15,000 to $35,000.

“At that point, we had paid off $35,000 of our debt in the process and this came as devastating news on so many fronts,” Dixon said. In the end, their son fully recovered and the couple ended up with only a $1,600 bill. “Imagine if we had been discouraged and said ‘we quit,’ and didn’t keep saving,” Dixon said.

She stresses that there’s no magic answer to erasing debt. “The only magic is just staying the course even when you don’t feel like it.”

Dixon has three top tips for young couples looking to tackle debt:

1. If you’re a couple and your partner is not yet on board, Dixon recommends starting with your own portion of budgeting. “Don’t let this be the reason you don’t start taking control of your finances,” she said.

2. Simplicity is key in terms of paying off debt. Dixon says that Dave Ramsey’s program was perfect for her family but there are plenty of similar options available. Military OneSource is a great place to start.

3. Her last recommendation is to find a community, friends, family or faith, that will provide encouragement in the process.

For Dixon, debt has so many more implications than money just coming in and out of your bank. It boils down to freedom and clarity. As of press time, the couple has paid off $70,000 and expects to be debt free within the next two years. “The freedom we feel living within our means is liberating. . . Just imagine what we are able to do when this is over,” Dixon concluded.